Will an automatic reminder be sent?

Whether and when automatic reminders are sent depends on a number of settings, the current state of the appointment, and customer preferences. It is important to understand how these factors affect the sending of messages.

This tip deals with WHETHER a reminder will be sent. You may also want to know WHEN a reminder will be sent. This is covered in a separate tip, When are Automatic Reminders sent?

Reminders MUST be turned ON

Unless you turn on reminders, none will be sent. To turn reminders on, you must be logged in as an administrator-level user. Go to Account > Settings, and select the SMS Settings tab. The Auto-remind check box must be ticked for reminders to be sent.

Reminders MUST be enabled for the PERSONNEL

By default the main settings control the sending of reminders, but there is the option to prevent specific reminders from going out on a personnel-by-personnel basis. If some reminders are not being sent as expected, check the relevant personnel records.

For SMS reminders, you must also have sufficient SMS credits available.

(Note: You also need to have something in the template!)

Reminder has not already been marked as sent

You can see whether a reminder email or SMS has been sent by looking at the Email reminder and SMS reminder fields of the appointment. When the system sends its reminders it updates these.

If you have manually sent a reminder then you may choose to update these fields. If you do, the system will no longer send a message automatically.

The Customer HAS a Mobile Number / Email Address

An SMS reminder can only be sent if there is a valid mobile number in the Phone (mob) field. If you put a mobile number in a different field the system will ignore it.

An email reminder can only be sent if the customer has a valid email address.

The Customer WANTS / NEEDS a reminder

Customers can ask to NOT receive automated reminders, or you may choose not to send reminders to specific customers. To change a customer's preferences, edit the customer, go to the Preferences tab, and change the Send SMS Reminders or Send Email Reminders.

A special note about Rescheduling Appointments

Sometimes if a customer does not turn up, you may choose to reschedule their appointment for a later date and time. You can do this easily, either by cutting and pasting, or by editing the appointment and changing the date end time.

Whichever method you use, you also need to remember that a reminder has probably already been sent. If you want the system to send a new reminder closer to the time of the new appointment, then you need to edit the appointment, and change the Status back to Unconfirmed and uncheck the boxes for Sent SMS and Send Email.

When are Automatic Reminders sent?

The timing of sending automatic reminders is covered in a separate tip, When are Automatic Reminders sent?