What's the best way to send appointment reminders and cut no-shows?

Do text reminders work better than email or calls?

For most people, yes. Their phone is already in their pocket, and a text lands next to messages from friends instead of behind a login screen or in a promotions folder. A call is easy to miss and awkward to return mid-shift. Email reaches some people and sinks under newsletters and receipts for others. We recommend text as the default, for customers who’ve agreed to get texts, with email as a backup for anyone who hasn’t or who has opted out.

How many reminders should I send, and when?

Two, spaced out. One a few days ahead gives someone time to spot a conflict and reschedule before it turns into a no-show. A second, the day before or that morning, catches the appointment that slipped their mind once the week got busy. A single reminder a week out does little for the person who’s forgotten by Thursday.

Should a reminder let people reschedule?

Yes, in one tap. We think this matters more than how many reminders you send: someone who can move an appointment easily has much less reason to just not turn up than someone who’d have to call during business hours to change it. Easy rescheduling turns “I can’t make it” into a new time instead of silence.

What should a reminder never say?

Anything you wouldn’t want visible on someone’s lock screen. No diagnosis, no treatment name, no balance owed, nothing that identifies why the appointment is happening beyond what the customer already knows. Keep it to the business name, the date and time, and a way to confirm or reschedule. A reminder is a nudge, not a place to try to sell something else while you have someone’s attention.

What extra rules apply to dental and medical reminders?

More than for most businesses, because a text can reveal that someone has an appointment with a specific kind of provider, which is itself sensitive. This is general information, not legal advice: before a clinic sends any reminder that could touch a patient’s health information, its texting setup needs to be cleared for that use. That’s a separate decision made before the first reminder goes out, not something to assume is already covered. Forward Dawn’s platform is not HIPAA compliant and we don’t sign business associate agreements, so a clinic must not put protected health information into our systems.