Appointment Reminder Template: Examples and Best Practices

If you run a service business, you’ve likely dealt with clients missing scheduled appointments. You know every no-show is a lost opportunity and a hit to both revenue and morale. Customers lose out, too, both on the experience and what they paid upfront.

One of the ways your service business can reduce no-shows is by using appointment reminders—messages sent from your company to remind clients about upcoming appointments. Read on to learn about the key elements that go into crafting an effective appointment reminder, along with templates you can adapt and use.

Appointment reminder must-haves

When prepping an appointment reminder for your clients, include these key appointment details:

• Business name. Include your name or the name of your service business early in the message or subject line so the recipient knows who the message is from.

• Appointment time. Add information about the scheduled appointment, including the appointment date, time, and, if relevant, how long the appointment might take. For example, an auto shop could provide an estimate for how long a client’s car servicing appointment might be.

• Location. Remind clients where to go for their scheduled appointment, whether that’s physical office, home address, video link, or phone number.

• Instructions. Let clients know if they need to do anything before their appointment, like arriving 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork for a tax consultation or bringing equipment to a personal training session.

• Contact information. Give clients a clear way to communicate if they have questions or need to cancel appointments, typically a phone number or email address. You can also direct them to your Contact Us page for more ways to get in touch.

• Cancellation policy. Consider including information about your cancellation policy. For example, you could share when you allow cancellations and what the fee or penalty is for last-minute cancellations.

• Opt out option. Some clients may not want to receive reminder messages. Give them a simple way to opt out, either by replying with a single letter or number to a text message or clicking an Unsubscribe button in an email. This prevents spam complaints that can impact your sender reputation and decrease SMS or email deliverability (a metric measuring how successfully your messages are reaching recipients).

Appointment reminder templates

• Appointment reminder text template
• Appointment reminder email template
• 24-hour reminder message template

Different kinds of reminder messages serve different purposes. Here are three useful appointment reminder templates to adapt for your service business:

Appointment reminder text template

Text reminders are one of the easiest ways to give clients information about upcoming appointments. These are usually succinct and may often contain only the essential details. You can send this as an appointment confirmation right after the booking has been made or to remind customers of their scheduled appointment any time before the service date.

Hi [Client name]. Just a friendly reminder that your appointment with [Business name] for [service name] is on [date at time]. Please contact us at [contact details] if you have any questions. To opt out of future reminder messages, reply [OPT OUT WORD].

Appointment reminder email template

An email reminder is usually longer than an SMS and gives you options to provide more details, such as your cancellation policy and any instructions:

Hello [Client name],

Just a reminder about your upcoming appointment for [service] with [Business name] on [date at time]. The appointment will take approximately [time]; please plan accordingly. If you have any questions, do reach out to us at [contact details].

Please note that [instructions about what to bring or what paperwork they’ll need to fill out].

We have a [time] cancellation policy. After that [terms of policy].

See you soon!

[Name] from [Your Business]

Click here to unsubscribe

24-hour reminder message template

Sending an automated reminder message 24 hours before a scheduled appointment helps customers get ready for their appointment. This is likely after the cancellation deadline has passed, in which case you needn’t include the cancellation policy information.

However, you can add details that are relevant closer to the time, such as:

• What to wear. “Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes so you can move freely!” Or “It gets windy on our patio—we provide blankets but suggest you dress warmly.”

• What to bring. “Please carry your ID and insurance information.”

• Parking instructions. “You can park in the lot in the building—we validate!”

• Documentation they can fill out in advance. “If you haven’t already, please fill in and submit this screening questionnaire.”

Dear [Client name], 

We’re excited to see you for your appointment tomorrow at [time] for [service name] at [Business name]. We’re located at [address]. Please note that [additional details like those mentioned above]. Click here to unsubscribe from future messages. 

See you soon! 

[Name] from [Your Business] 

Click here to unsubscribe

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Appointment reminder tips

• Moderate frequency
• Send at the right times
• Include an opt-out
• Add no-show policy reminders
• Use automation tools

Want your clients to actually show up? Perfecting your appointment reminder strategy makes all the difference.

Here are a few best practices to get the results you want:

Moderate frequency

While you can send multiple reminders, consider sending only one or two. Sending too many messages can potentially hurt your customer relationship—and you could come across as annoying or desperate. Common time frames when you can send reminders include one week, one day, or one hour before an appointment. Generally, it’s a good practice to send a reminder between 24 and 72 hours before a scheduled appointment.

Send at the right times

Send your reminders during regular business hours. Avoid sending reminders (especially text messages) during inconvenient times for clients, like late at night, early in the morning, or on weekends if it's a work-related reminder. 

Consider the type of service appointment and how much prep time the customer may need. For example, you may want to send a 60-minute reminder for an online consultation appointment. An upcoming pest control appointment that requires homeowners to move out for three days might benefit from a reminder a week in advance.

Include an opt-out

Include an easy opt-out for clients who don’t want to continue receiving reminder messages. By offering a simple way to opt out of reminders—like replying STOP to a text or clicking an unsubscribe link in an email—you can avoid frustrating clients.

🌟Learn email marketing best practices to grow your mailing list, build trust in your brand, and turn subscribers into customers.

Add no-show policy reminders

If you have a specific cancellation or no-show policy, include it in your reminder messages to avoid any misunderstandings or confusion about surprise fees. By using clear and respectful communication about your no-show policy upfront, you can encourage clients to keep their scheduled appointments and protect your company from losing money to missed appointments.

Use automation tools

Sending reminder messages to every client individually can quickly become time-consuming and overwhelming, leading to human errors, forgotten reminders, and missed appointments. Instead, use automation tools to send reminders at predetermined times.

Shopify users can choose from a variety of appointment automation apps that integrate with their website. Built for Shopify apps like Meety, Cowlendar, and Apntly integrate with your Shopify store and calendars and let you send automated appointment reminders for in-person and virtual appointments.