Templates
24 hour appointment reminder text templates (copy and paste)
The day-before text is the one that saves the slot: there is still time to fill an opening if the client cancels. These templates are short, name the sender, and ask for one reply.
- Hi {first}, reminder from {business}: your appointment is tomorrow at {time}. Reply C to confirm. Reply STOP to opt out.
- {business}: Your appointment is {day} at {time}. Reply C to confirm, R to reschedule, X to cancel. Reply STOP to opt out.
- Hi {first}, see you tomorrow at {time}! If anything changed, reply and let {business} know. Reply STOP to opt out.
- {business}: Tomorrow at {time}. Please reply C if you're coming so we can hold your spot. Reply STOP to opt out.
- {business} reminder: {day} at {time}. Need a new time? Reply R and we'll sort it out. Reply STOP to opt out.
- Hi {first}, a quick reminder of your visit to {business} tomorrow, {time}. Reply C to confirm. Reply STOP to opt out.
- NoShowText for {business}: Your appointment is {when}. Reply C to confirm, R to reschedule, X to cancel. Reply STOP to opt out.
What makes the text work
Five things separate a text that gets a reply from one that gets ignored.
Keep it short. Under 160 characters means one message, one buzz, and no splitting on the way. Cut greetings and filler first.
Say who it is from. Clients see a number they do not know. Start with your business name so the text looks like what it is, an appointment text, and not spam.
Ask for one clear action. One question, one or two ways to answer. “Reply C to confirm” beats a paragraph of options.
Include the opt-out line. “Reply STOP to opt out” keeps you honest and keeps carriers happy. Clients who know they can leave are less likely to report you.
Mind quiet hours. Send between 8 am and 9 pm in the client’s time zone. A text at 6 am gets a worse reply than the same text at 9 am.
The real one
The last template is NoShowText’s real 24 hour reminder, exactly as clients receive it, with {when} filled in as a day, date and time.
Compliance notes
Consent. In the US you need a client’s permission before you text them. The cleanest way is a sentence on your booking form, next to the phone number field, that names your business and says what the texts are, for example appointment reminders. Typing the number there is the consent. NoShowText hands you that sentence and keeps the log. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
STOP. When a client replies STOP, QUIT, END or UNSUBSCRIBE, stop texting them and do not send anything but one confirmation. A tool should handle this on its own. START turns it back on.
Quiet hours. Send reminders between 8 am and 9 pm in the client’s local time.
Make it automatic
These templates work by hand, but they work best when they go out on their own and replies reach you. NoShowText connects to Google Calendar or Calendly, sends the reminders, and puts every reply on your cell. $39 a month, 14-day free trial, card up front, cancel any time. Start your trial.
Questions
Is 24 hours the right lead time?
For most appointment businesses, yes: enough time to refill a cancelled slot, close enough that the client still remembers. A second reminder closer to the time helps.
What if the appointment is early in the morning?
Send the text the afternoon before. Texts are best kept to 8 am to 9 pm in the client's time zone.
Should the text ask a question?
Yes. A text that asks for a reply gets a reply; a text that only informs gets ignored.
Can I send these by hand?
Yes, but it is time you rarely have. An automated tool does the same job every day.