Create and Manage Multiple Appointment Reminders

Overview

This article explains how to create automatic appointment reminders. If you want to create reminders for services due in the future (such as vaccinations or follow-up visits), see Create and Manage Automatic Patient Reminders.

You can configure multiple automatic reminders for a single appointment using flexible timing options. This helps reduce no-shows by allowing you to set up several reminders that can be sent by SMS, email, or both, based on hours or days before an appointment.

Default appointment reminders are configured at the clinic‑location level and apply to all reasons that do not have their own reminder settings. Reason‑specific reminders let you override the defaults for individual appointment reasons (for example, using different timings for surgery versus routine check‑ups).

Tip

Combine multiple reminders (for example, 48 hours and 2 hours before the appointment) to improve attendance.

Requirements

To make sure reminders can be sent:

The client’s record must include a valid email address and/or phone number.
The client consents to SMS or Email communication in client details.

Create Multiple Default Appointment Reminders

Go to Settings > Clinic location > Booking settings.
In the Appointment reminders section, select Add to create a new reminder rule.
In the Create appointment reminder rule dialogue:
- Select the Appointment reminders send time type: Hours or Days. If you select Days, an additional Appointment reminder specific send time field appears where you can specify the exact send time (for example, 08:00 or 13:30).
Select Save.

You can add as many reminder rules as you need. Each reminder is sent separately according to its own settings.

How to Edit Reminder Rules

To change a default reminder: Settings > Clinic location > Booking Settings > Appointment reminders and select the pen button next to the rule.
To change a reason‑specific reminder: Settings > Clinic location > Lists & Templates > Reasons, and select the pen button next to the rule.

Create reason‑specific reminders (override defaults)

Go to Settings > Clinic location > Lists & Templates > Reasons.
Create a new reason or edit an existing one. The Create reason type dialogue opens.
In the Appointment reminders sent before section:
- Add one or more reminder rules with the required time type (Hours or Days). If you select Days, an additional Appointment reminder specific send time field appears where you can specify the exact send time (for example, 08:00 or 13:30).
Select Save.

Reminders configured here apply only to appointments booked with this reason and will override the default reminder rules for those appointments.

Troubleshooting

No reminder is sent:
- Confirm that the client has a valid phone number or email address and that their communication preferences are enabled.
Reminder is not delivered:
- The appointment may have been booked too close to the reminder time. Try scheduling the appointment further in advance.
Reminder is sent at the wrong time:
- For countries with multiple time zones, check that the correct time zone is set under Settings > General > Clinic location.
- In other countries, the time zone can only be adjusted in the organization level under Settings > General > Organization.