4 Things Your Appointment Confirmation Text Must Include

Even though we have calendars and reminder lists, both digital and physical, across various devices and throughout our homes, sometimes people need that extra nudge to remember an upcoming appointment. If you have a service-based business, you must know how to ensure that your clients make their appointments and that your business stays booming.

That's why we've created this list of the top four things your appointment confirmation texts should have so that your customers are prepared, and you can reduce no-shows. Once you understand the essentials, learn how to write an effective appointment reminder text and access some helpful templates for when writer's block hits.

Whether you're sending fitness appointment reminders for your gym or confirm-appointment texts for higher education, this guide can help.

What Are the 4 Things Your Appointment Confirmation Text Must Include?

Every appointment confirmation text must include basic information, like the client’s name; the appointment date, time, and location; and your business’s contact information.

Here are more details on each piece of information that you need to include, plus a few bonus items.

1. The Client's Name

You know that great feeling when someone you’ve met once remembers your name? That little detail makes you feel special. Similarly, clients want to feel like your business’s customer service is going above and beyond, and including first names in appointment text reminders is a great way to do that.

Learn more about creating effortless customer service with AI and SMS marketing.

2. The Appointment Date and Time

Only confirming appointment text is complete with the date and time. This reduces the number of clients who follow up via text or phone because everything they need to know is right before them. Plus, they won't have to check prior appointment emails, texts, or their calendar to verify the date and time.

3. The Appointment Location

While this might seem obvious, many businesses have multiple locations or a hard-to-find entrance. So including the appointment location is a way to ensure that clients know exactly where to go.

4. How To Contact You

Clients need to know how to confirm an appointment by text, reschedule, or cancel. Clearly state how to take each action, whether by responding to the text message or calling. Be sure to include your phone number if that's your preferred method.

Bonus Information

Every business has different appointment needs, meaning extra information might need to be included in your appointment confirmation texts to communicate effectively with clients. Here are some additional details that you might consider including:

• A brief description of the appointment. Some businesses should remind clients of the service being conducted at the appointment so that they can prepare. (For example, there’s a big difference between an annual dental exam and a root canal.)
• Any special instructions or information the client needs to know. Should clients arrive 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork? How long will the at-home service take? Provide any details that will help clients plan their day.
• Your cancellation policy. If you have a cancellation policy, briefly mention it in the text so that clients aren’t penalized for no-shows, and so you can keep clients rolling in.

Why Is It Important to Send an Appointment Confirmation Text?

It’s important to send an appointment confirmation text for several reasons:

• The client will know the crucial details, including the location, date, and time.
• It helps to reduce no-shows and cancellations.
• It can help to build a rapport with clients and make them feel valued.

What Are Some Tips for Writing an Effective Appointment Confirmation Text?

Here are tips for writing an effective appointment confirmation text to engage your clients.

Keep It Short

Your clients are busy, so don't overwhelm them with too much content. Include all pertinent information for the appointment, as mentioned above so that they can retain it at a glance. And remember: SMS texts are limited to 160 characters anyway, so no text message novels are allowed.

Learn more about the differences between SMS vs. MMS.

Include the Essentials

Make sure that every piece of information that the client should know is included in your confirm-appointment text. Whether or not you have bonus info will depend on your business or the service itself, but the essentials should apply to every company.

Use a Professional Tone

While your brand's tone of voice should be carried through to all your messaging, appointment SMS reminders should always be professional. Remember that these usually aren't promotional messages.

Proofread

One of the factors clients use to determine if your business is professional is spelling. A business text message that has misspelled words could be a better look. Avoid the dreaded typos—and retain more customers—by proofreading every text before it's sent.

Personalize

Using clients’ first names in your confirming appointment texts is a great way to delight them and boost loyalty. Plus, if you incorporate conversational texting, customers will feel even more catered to.

What Are Some Ways to Make Your Appointment Confirmation Text Stand Out?

Here are some ways to make your appointment confirmation text stand out from competitors:

• Tell the client that they are important to you. If you have extra room in your SMS character count, let the client know their business means a lot to you.
• Offer a discount or incentive for booking the appointment. Good deals keep customers coming back. You can offer a discount code for their next appointment, a product promotion, or even a refer-a-friend program.
• Send the text at the right time. A best practice is to send a confirm-appointment text between 24 and 48 hours in advance. However, the timing depends on any cancellation policies your business has so that you’re giving clients enough time to cancel without being penalized.

Tools and Resources for Writing an Effective Appointment Confirmation Text?

Here are some helpful tools and resources for writing an effective appointment confirmation text.

Appointment Confirmation Text Templates

It can be helpful to have tangible examples of these text messages, so we've included some appointment confirmation text templates here. Note how all of these options provide clear instructions on confirming an appointment by text, rescheduling, or canceling.

• (Dr. Allergy) Selena, your appointment is Tuesday at 2 pm. Please come 10 minutes early to update paperwork. Reply to reschedule or call 555-123-4567 to cancel.
• (Purrfect Paws) Hi Derik! You have an appointment to bring Bogie in for his bath tomorrow at 5 pm. Reply with any questions or to reschedule. See you soon!
• (Sandy Realty) Hi Alex, just a friendly reminder that you’re meeting Scott at 1 pm Sunday to view Lakeview Dr. property. Reply if you need to change the time.
• (Pool Pros) Eva, your pool service appt is on Friday at 9 am. It will take approx. 2 hours. Reply 1 to confirm or to reschedule. To cancel, call 919-500-5000.

SMS Marketing Platform

You’re probably using a text marketing service to schedule and send your appointment reminders—and hopefully, that service is EZ Texting.

EZ Texting has several helpful resources for writing the best appointment confirmation texts, like doctor appointment text message samples and how to use generative AI for SMS and customer engagement. If you ever have writer’s block or want to better connect with clients, we have the tools to help.

Plus, if you’re using appointment scheduling software, you can easily integrate it with your EZ Texting platform, then set up your appointment reminder system. It’s as easy as texting 123.