RMD
Step-by-Step Setup 10-15 minutes

Appointment Reminders Setup

Calendars & Booking Basic
Need more detail? Read the full guide for config deep-dives and best practices.

Appointment Reminders Setup

This guide walks you through configuring automated email and SMS reminders that reduce no-shows by keeping appointments top of mind for your contacts and team members.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • At least one booking calendar created (Personal Booking, Round Robin, Class Booking, or Service Calendar)
  • An active phone system for SMS delivery (Twilio or the platform’s native phone service)
  • Email templates prepared if you want to use custom branding (optional, default templates work fine)
  • WhatsApp Business Account connected if you plan to use WhatsApp reminders (optional)

Access Reminder Settings

Open the notification configuration panel for your calendar.

  • Navigate to Calendars > Calendar Settings
  • Select the calendar you want to configure reminders for
  • Click the Notifications tab
  • You will see a list of all available notification types:
    • Appointment Booked (Unconfirmed)
    • Appointment Booked (Confirmed)
    • Cancellation Notification
    • Reschedule Notification
    • Reminder Notification (this is the primary no-show prevention tool)
    • Follow-Up Notification

Each notification type can be independently configured for Email, SMS, WhatsApp, and In-App channels.

Configure Confirmation Emails

Send an immediate confirmation when someone books an appointment.

  • Click the Appointment Booked (Confirmed) notification type to expand it
  • Go to the Email tab
  • Ensure the toggle is turned on
  • Select the recipient type: Contact (this is who booked the appointment)
  • Choose an existing email template from the dropdown, or customize the subject line and body directly:
    • Subject Line: “Your appointment is confirmed with {{contact.assigned_user.name}}”
    • Body: Include the appointment date ({{appointment.start_time}}), time zone ({{appointment.time_zone}}), location or video link ({{appointment.location}}), and any preparation instructions
  • Use the Send Test Email button to preview how the notification looks in an inbox
  • Click Save to activate the confirmation email

Your contacts now receive a professional confirmation email immediately after booking.

Set Up 24-Hour Email Reminder

Send a detailed reminder 24 hours before each appointment.

  • Click the Reminder Notification type
  • Go to the Email tab and turn the toggle on
  • Select Contact as the recipient type
  • Choose or create a reminder email template that includes:
    • Subject Line: “Reminder: Your appointment is tomorrow at {{appointment.start_time}}”
    • Body: Full meeting details, agenda, location or video link, and any preparation checklist
  • Set the Timing Trigger to 24 hours before the appointment
  • Click Add to save this reminder interval
  • Use Send Test Email to verify the content
  • Click Save to activate the 24-hour reminder

Your contacts now receive a detailed reminder one day before their appointment.

Set Up 1-Hour SMS Reminder

Send a short, urgent SMS reminder 1 hour before each appointment.

  • Stay in the Reminder Notification type
  • Go to the SMS tab and turn the toggle on
  • Select Contact as the recipient type
  • Compose a concise SMS message (remember, SMS is billed per 160-character segment):
    • “Your appointment starts in 1 hour at {{appointment.start_time}}. Here is your meeting link: {{appointment.location}}”
  • Set the Timing Trigger to 1 hour before the appointment
  • Click Add to save this reminder interval
  • Use Send Test SMS to preview the message on a real phone
  • Click Save to activate the 1-hour SMS reminder

Your contacts now receive a timely SMS reminder with the meeting link, ensuring they have easy access when it is time to join.

Add a 15-Minute SMS Reminder (Optional)

Send a final “starting soon” nudge for time-sensitive appointments.

  • Still in the Reminder Notification type, stay on the SMS tab
  • Click Add to create an additional reminder interval
  • Compose a short, urgent message:
    • “Starting in 15 minutes. See you soon at {{appointment.location}}.”
  • Set the Timing Trigger to 15 minutes before the appointment
  • Click Add to save this interval
  • Click Save to activate the 15-minute reminder

Your contacts now receive three reminders at strategic intervals: 24 hours, 1 hour, and 15 minutes before the appointment.

Enable In-App Reminders for Your Team

Alert team members inside the platform so they are prepared when the appointment time arrives.

  • Go to the Reminder Notification type
  • Click the In-App tab and turn the toggle on
  • Choose which users should receive the notification (by default, the assigned user receives in-app notifications)
  • Set the Timing Trigger to 15 minutes before the appointment (or your preferred interval)
  • Click Save to activate in-app reminders

Team members now receive badge notifications inside the platform, ensuring they never miss an upcoming appointment.

Set Up Post-Appointment Follow-Up (Optional)

Automatically send a thank-you message and request feedback after the appointment concludes.

  • Click the Follow-Up Notification type
  • Go to the Email tab and turn the toggle on
  • Select Contact as the recipient type
  • Choose or create a follow-up email template that includes:
    • Subject Line: “Thank you for meeting with {{contact.assigned_user.name}}”
    • Body: Thank the contact for attending, share next steps, request a review, or prompt them to book a follow-up session
  • Set the Timing Trigger to 1 hour after the appointment (or your preferred interval like 3 hours or 1 day)
  • Click Add to save this interval
  • Click Save to activate the follow-up

Your contacts now receive a professional follow-up message that keeps the conversation going after the meeting.

Test Your Reminder Sequence

Verify that all reminders work correctly before sharing the calendar with real clients.

  • Navigate to Calendars > Calendar View
  • Manually book a test appointment on your calendar scheduled for tomorrow (this triggers the 24-hour reminder)
  • Confirm you receive the Confirmation Email immediately after booking
  • Wait for the 24-Hour Email Reminder to arrive (or check the scheduled workflows in Automation > Workflows to confirm it is queued)
  • Verify the 1-Hour SMS Reminder and 15-Minute SMS Reminder are scheduled correctly
  • Check that in-app notifications appear for the assigned user
  • Cancel the test appointment to clean up your calendar

If all reminders arrive as expected, your reminder sequence is ready to reduce no-shows for real appointments.

Advanced: Use Workflows for Conditional Reminders

For more control over reminder logic, use the Workflow Builder to create custom reminder sequences.

  • Go to Automation > Workflows
  • Click Create Workflow
  • Select the Appointment Confirmation + Reminder recipe for a ready-made template
  • Edit the trigger to Appointment Status > Confirmed
  • Customize the Send Email and Send SMS actions with your preferred content
  • Add Wait steps set to “Wait until X time before the event” (e.g., 24 hours before, 1 hour before)
  • Add additional actions like tagging the contact or updating a custom field
  • Click Save and set the workflow status to Published

Workflow-based reminders give you advanced features like conditional branching, multiple channels, and integration with other automation actions.

Next Steps

Now that your appointment reminders are active, consider these enhancements:

  • Monitor no-show rates in Reporting > Appointment Reports and adjust reminder timing if necessary
  • Create separate reminder workflows for different calendar types if they require different messaging or timing
  • Enable WhatsApp reminders by connecting your WhatsApp Business Account and selecting approved templates in the WhatsApp tab
  • Add a confirmation reply option to your reminders (e.g., “Reply C to confirm”) and use an If/Else branch in a workflow to follow up with non-responders
  • Use the Appointment No-Show workflow trigger to automatically tag and follow up with contacts who miss their appointments
  • Review your reminder content regularly to ensure it stays relevant and professional as your business evolves

Stay sharp. New guides and playbooks as they drop.