Appointment reminder text templates: 25 free examples

Looking to reduce no shows and the number of back-and-forth messages from your clients needing to remember when their appointment is?

In this article, we’ll provide appointment reminder text templates that you can use and the best practices to follow when sending reminder texts to help you reduce no shows. Plus, we’ll show you how you can send appointment reminder texts at scale and on a case-by-case basis depending on your business needs. 

25 appointment reminder text message examples to avoid no shows

If you’re looking for examples of appointment reminder text templates, these 25 business text templates cover some of the most common types. Your appointment reminder texts may have a different tone and message depending on your industry, but you can use the reminder templates below as a starting point. 

1. Appointment confirmation text

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. Thanks for booking an appointment with us. I wanted to confirm that [Day, Date, Time] still works for you. Please respond to this message to confirm. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
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Check out our appointment confirmation texts guide for more industry-specific confirmation examples.

2. Friendly appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name], [Name] from [Business Name] here. This is a reminder that you have an appointment scheduled with [Attendee Name] for [Day, Date, Time]. We look forward to seeing you. To opt out of text messages, reply STOP.
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3. Reschedule appointment

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name] reaching out to reschedule your appointment per your request. Please respond with a date and time convenient for you. To opt out of receiving texts, reply STOP.
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4. Confirm a second appointment

Hi [Customer Name], it was a pleasure having you at our office earlier this week. I just wanted to remind you about your next meeting with us scheduled for tomorrow. Please respond to this text to confirm the appointment. If you wish to no longer receive texts from us, reply STOP.
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5. Ask for required documents prior to an appointment

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. I’m reaching out to confirm your appointment for [Day, Date, Time] and let you know that we’ll need the following documents to [Action Item]:

1. [Document 1]

2. [Document 2]

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6. Confirm appointment location

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. I wanted to confirm that you’re available for our meeting scheduled for [Date, Time] and share our office address: [Address]. If you wish to no longer receive texts, reply STOP.
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7. Cancel appointment

Hi [Customer Name], we’ve canceled your appointment per your request. If you’d like to reschedule, please respond with a date and time. Reply STOP to opt out of texts.
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8. Confirm with important instructions

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. I wanted to inform you that [Consultant] will be attending to you on [Day, Date, Time] for the appointment you’ve scheduled with us. Please be aware that:
– [Instruction #1]
– [Instruction #2]
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9. Send the link for video or voice call appointment

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. Thank you for booking a 30-minute consultation call with us. Here’s the link for our video chat on [Date, Time]:
[Link]
Please respond to confirm or reschedule the appointment.
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10. Appointment confirmation subject to payment

Hi [Customer Name], I’m [Name] from [Business Name]. I wanted to confirm your appointment scheduled with us for [Day, Time]. If you’d like to confirm the appointment, please use the following link to make the payment with a debit or credit card:
[Link]
Please respond to this message once you’ve made the payment. Feel free to reach out if you have questions. Thanks.
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Related: Check out our guide on payment reminder messages

11. Healthcare appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. You’ve scheduled an appointment with [Dr. Name] at [Business Name] for [Day, Time]. Please respond to this text to confirm or reschedule the appointment. You can also reply STOP to opt out of texts.
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Note: Healthcare professionals should never share confidential information over SMS. You must stay HIPAA-compliant to avoid potential legal issues.

12. Real estate appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Business Name] and we’re excited to show you [Listing address] on [Day, Time]. Please text this number if you have any questions. Thanks.
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Check out our real estate text messaging guide for more examples to help you nurture your client relationships.

13. Salon appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Salon Name]. Thanks for booking [Service #1] and [Service #2] with us on [Day, Time]. Please respond CONFIRM to confirm your appointment or CANCEL to cancel it. Feel free to call us if you have any questions.
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14. Personal trainer appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Personal Trainer Name] from [Gym Name]. Our training session starts at [Time] on [Date]. Please confirm the appointment by responding CONFIRM to this message. Respond CANCEL if you’d like to cancel or reschedule the appointment.
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15. Tax consultation appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Consultant Name] from [Tax Consulting Company Name] reaching out to confirm our appointment scheduled for [Time] on [Day, Date]. Please fill out our intake form and upload documents at [Link] so your tax professional can prepare. Please send your confirmation by responding CONFIRM to this text message.
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16. Event reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Event Management Company Name]. I just wanted to confirm you’re available for our appointment to discuss the pricing for your [Event] at [Time] on [Date]. Please respond to this text to confirm or reschedule. Thanks.
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17. Cleaning service reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Cleaning Service Name]. Thank you for booking our services. Please confirm that [Time] on [Date] works for you by responding CONFIRM. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks.
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18. Pest control service reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Pest Control Service Name]. I just wanted to leave a reminder about the pest control service you’ve booked for [Date, Time]. We’ll need [# of Hours] to complete. Please make arrangements accordingly. Respond CONFIRM to confirm the time and date works for you. Thank you.
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19. Veterinary clinic appointment confirmation

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Veterinary Clinic] reaching out to confirm [Pet Name]’s appointment with [Dr. Name] on [Time, Date]. Please confirm that the scheduled time works for you by responding CONFIRM to this text.
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20. Counselor appointment confirmation

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Counselor Name]’s [Assistant]. I wanted to confirm your appointment scheduled for [Time] on [Date]. Please respond CONFIRM to this text to confirm or CANCEL to cancel your appointment. Note that cancellations are subject to a $[Number] cancellation fee.
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21. Research study reminder

Hi [Participant Name]. This is a friendly reminder to [Task] before our appointment tomorrow as part of phase 2 of our study. Please respond to this message if you have questions. Thank you.
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22. Interview reminder

Hi [Candidate Name]. [Name] from [Business Name] here. Your interview is scheduled for [Time, Date]. We look forward to meeting with you. Please confirm that the time and date work for you by responding CONFIRM to this message. Thank you.
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Check out our texting for recruiters guide for more text message templates you can use when interacting with candidates.

23. Dentist appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Clinic Name]. Your appointment with Dr. [Dentist Name] is scheduled for [Time, Date]. Please note that [Prerequisites]. Respond CONFIRM to this message to let us know the time and date work for you.
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24. Repair shop appointment reminder

Hi [Customer Name]. I’m [Name] from [Repair Shop Name]. Your appointment for [Vehicle] is scheduled for [Time, Date]. Respond CONFIRM to this text message to let us know you’re available for the appointment. Thank you.
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25. Home service appointment reminder

Hi [Customer]. [Business Name] handyman [Handyman Name] will be at [Customer Address] at [Time, Date]. Please remember [Business Name] requires at least 24 hours notice with all cancellations. To reschedule, call [Main Office Number].
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How to send appointment reminder texts with OpenPhone

With OpenPhone, you can automatically send appointment reminder texts or quickly send them on a case-by-case basis via a computer or cell phone. 

If you’re a small business that doesn’t need to send appointment reminders at scale, you can send snippets (or SMS templates). Snippets are an efficient way of sending appointment reminder text messages through a computer or phone without having to type every text from scratch.

You can even schedule your snippet message in OpenPhone if you wish to send your appointment reminder for a later time.

Alternatively, you can use Zapier to automate reminder texts once a customer books a time slot on your Google Calendar, Calendly, or similar appointment scheduling apps. Keep in mind you’ll need a Zapier starter plan or higher to set up this multi-step Zap.  

Once you’ve set up the Zap, it’ll automatically send a reminder text message from OpenPhone based on a specific time interval that you set. 

As you add the Zap, you can specify a time interval with the Delay Until action:

The example above would send a reminder text 45 minutes before a scheduled appointment. Check out Zapier’s help center for more date and time options.

10 best practices for sending appointment reminder texts

Be mindful of these best practices when automating SMS appointment reminders:

1. Obtain consent

Ensure you have received approval from a contact before sending them an appointment reminder text so your message isn’t flagged as spam. You can gain consent in a digital or physical form; just be sure to keep that record. 

Also, give your clients the option to stop receiving texts from you. Ideally, you should include this option in your first message. If there’s ongoing communication via text, include the opt-out option in at least one text every month. 

You’ve probably seen the opt-out option too. It looks something like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” Using other opt-out keywords like UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, or QUIT are acceptable too.

2. Get verified with the large US cell carriers

If you’re using a virtual phone service to send business texts to the US, you’ll need to submit your business profile to The Campaign Registry, a third-party organization selected by the major US cell carriers (If your team hasn’t done so already). OpenPhone users can complete this verification step by completing the US carrier registration form.

3. Keep messages short

Be direct and concise, but not at the expense of important details. You should still include your name, time of appointment, and other relevant details. Plus, SMS text messages have a 160-character limit. Longer messages might be delivered out of order and confuse your customer.

4. Use a phone number people can reply to

Make responding to your text reminders easier by not using a short code. If this isn’t possible, include a phone number in the text message to which a customer can respond.

5. Identify yourself

Identify yourself along with your business name when you send the first message. 

For instance, “Hi Adam, my name is Justine from OpenPhone. Thanks for booking a call with me. I look forward to speaking with you on Friday, Dec. 3 at 9 AM (PST). Feel free to message me on this number if you have any questions before the call.”

6. Use the same number for communicating with a customer

Once you’ve identified yourself in the first message, send all future texts from the same number. Using the same number makes it easier to recognize you when you send a follow-up text because it’ll appear in the same thread. Though your customer may have saved you as a contact, you’ll still want to identify yourself in any follow-up text. 

7. Be on brand

Don’t make automated texts sound robotic. Your text messages should reflect your brand’s voice. Try to make the text sound like a friendly reminder from a business that cares about their clients.

8. Schedule text messages based on the recipient’s time zone

If your client is in Japan and you’re in New York, it’s best not to schedule the text message for 11 AM EST. When your client in Japan receives the text late at night, it can make you look unprofessional.

Determine the recipient’s business hours based on their time zone, convert the time into your local time, and schedule the text to send during those hours.

9. Optimize the texts

Don’t automate appointment reminder texts and call it a day. Instead, optimize them as you go. Start by studying the existing no-show rates and how they’re improving over a 30-day period as you change the following variables:

• The content of the text messages
• Time of scheduled messages
• Frequency of reminders 

Stick to changing one variable at a time so you can see what moves the needle. 

10. Ease into using a new phone number

It’s best to slowly ramp up text usage for a new phone number. A VoIP phone system can always provide new numbers, but since carriers look at average usage, they might flag a new number with a lot of activity as spam.

Why businesses should use appointment text reminders

In case you need to still get buy-in at your company to use appointment reminder texts, here are a few key points you can share. One study found 75% of respondents say they find appointment reminders texts helpful. 

Wondering why email reminders aren’t as popular? It likely has to do with the fact that the average email open rate of 21.3% is significantly lower than SMS. Text messages have an average open rate of 99% — with a read rate of 97% within 15 minutes of receipt.

Sending a reminder text with details like the appointment time and place can significantly lower the number of missed appointments. 📉

When you send an appointment reminder, include a prompt to respond to the text for appointment confirmation, rescheduling, or cancellation. Doing this ensures you’re on the same page as the client.

You can also automate appointment text reminders instead of texting prospects manually. Automating reminders facilitates sending appointment reminders at scale, so you can spend more time with prospects and less time reminding them about appointments.

Whether you prefer sending texts automatically or manually, OpenPhone’s got your back. 

Improve no-show rates with appointment reminder texts

Appointment reminders allow you to optimize your time and avoid the pitfalls of last-minute cancellations. You’ll be in a better position to maximize productivity when you know about canceled appointments beforehand.

Appointment reminders are a great way to reduce no-show rates. Using OpenPhone you can pair reminders up with snippets and Zaps to help you save time on repetitive text messages. Best of all, you can easily manage all your other business phone communication from any computer or smart device.

Try out OpenPhone for seven days with a free trial to test out calling and texting from our modern business phone solution. Then start sending appointment reminders to improve no-show rates.

Arjun Ruparelia

Arjun is a freelance writer specializing in marketing and technology. When he’s not in front of the screen, he likes to cook and play with his Labrador.