How to write the perfect appointment confirmation text

You can’t prevent people from missing appointments, but you can decrease the amount and the impact they have on your business with proactive appointment confirmation text messages.

Email confirmations have their place, especially for appointments that are scheduled far in advance. Even as someone who works for a business texting company, I’d never tell you to get rid of your email strategy.

But the fact that SMS has an average open rate of 98%, while email’s open rate is around 21%, suggests that you should send important appointment details by text if you want people to see it.

We’ve seen it work for our customers here at SimpleTexting, too. Some business owners’ appointment attendance rates increased by more than 30% after sending appointment confirmation and reminder texts.

If you’re ready to send your first appointment confirmation text, I have good news. We’ve done all of the legwork for you, providing confirmation text examples and guidance below on what you need to write the perfect booking confirmations.

What is an appointment confirmation text?

An appointment confirmation text is a message sent by SMS minutes, hours, or days before an appointment. Recipients can reply or follow a link to confirm or reschedule. They’re often used by doctors and dentists, veterinarians, salons, dentists, and any other business that offers appointments.

You might be thinking, “Why should I send texts and not emails?” 

While 90% of text messages are opened within the first three minutes of being received, over two-thirds of emails are never opened. (Phone calls show a much lower success rate than either email or SMS.)

9 tips for writing an appointment confirmation text

To help you get more clients to attend appointments, I’ve compiled confirmation text best practices and advice from our SMS experts.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Include all necessary information

Wondering what to say when confirming an appointment by text?

Appointment confirmation texts should include:

1. Your business or organization’s name
2. Appointment date and time
3. Physical address (if you have multiple locations or it’s their first visit) or how to access a virtual appointment

For appointment confirmation response texts, include a call-to-action so your recipient can easily let you know if they’re still planning on attending. If they’re not, you’ll have the chance to quickly fill their spot and avoid lost revenue.

2. Personalize your confirmation texts

Appointment confirmation texts are a prime example of an opportunity to connect with your customers on a personal level. Simply sending a robotic reminder isn’t enough. To truly stand out, consider these personalization tactics:

Tailor the tone: Consider your target audience and the nature of your business. Use a friendly, professional tone for most appointments, while healthcare providers might maintain a more formal approach. Hair salons could inject a touch of fun or excitement.

Highlight the benefits: Always lead with value. For a haircut, mention the stylist’s expertise. For a financial consultation, emphasize achieving financial goals. 

Be clear and offer calls to action: Being prepared pays off. Remind them of what to bring or how to prepare (e.g., “Wear comfortable clothes for your fitness consultation”) by dropping a link to additional information or directions.

Share specifics: For complex appointments, connect the dots with a breakdown of the scheduled procedure (e.g., “Root Canal with Dr. Smith”).

Communicate both ways: Create an interactive experience with sms. Consider allowing simple replies to confirm, reschedule, or ask questions (be sure to have a system in place to manage these replies).

SimpleTexting makes personalization easy:

Our platform streamlines personalization with user-friendly features:

• Dynamic content tags: Easily insert placeholders for names, dates, times, and appointment details, automatically populating each message.
• Segmentation tools: Segment your customer base by appointment types and tailor messages accordingly.
• Pre-built templates: Use pre-designed templates with personalization options to save time and ensure consistent branding.

3. Keep your messages short

A long-winded appointment confirmation text can cause recipients to overlook important details about their appointment. Include only necessary information to reduce confusion, and consider adding extra details—like instructions and items to bring—to a landing page on your site. 

4. Use inviting language

Appointment confirmation texts are a valuable touchpoint, but they don’t have to be dry reminders. By using inviting language, you can transform them into mini-interactions that build rapport and excitement for the upcoming appointment.

Where inviting language resonates:

• Service-oriented appointments: Businesses like hair salons, massage therapists or personal trainers can use inviting language to create a positive, customer-first impression before their client even arrives.
• First-time appointments: For new clients (dental checkups, loan consultation where it’s easy to be nervous), a welcoming tone can ease any anxieties and make them feel comfortable about their upcoming appointment.
• Appointments requiring preparation: If clients need to come prepared (paperwork filled out or fasting before lab work), use inviting language to encourage them and offer support like “we look forward to seeing you, please fill out this questionnaire [link] beforehand.”

Making your texts inviting:

• Warm greetings: Instead of a generic “This is a confirmation,” start with a friendly salutation like “Hi [Name],” or “We’re excited to see you again, [Name]!”
• Positive reinforcement: Highlight the benefits of the appointment. For a dentist, mention a brighter smile. For a fitness class, emphasize the chance to get energized.
• Action verbs and questions: Use action verbs like “prepare” or “get ready” to create a sense of anticipation. Consider asking a question to spark engagement (e.g., “Is there anything you’d like to discuss during your consultation?”).
• Express gratitude: A simple “Thank you for booking with us!” shows appreciation and reinforces their decision.

Words to avoid:

• Urgent or demanding language: Pivot away from words like “urgent” or “required” unless absolutely necessary. Focus on a positive and informative tone.
• Negatives: Skip words like “don’t forget” or “avoid being late.” Frame things positively (e.g., “We can’t wait to see you at [time]”).
• Jargon or technical terms: Use clear, concise language that everyone understands.

5. Be specific with your call to action

Make it clear how you want people to confirm their appointment. For example, instead of saying “Reply to this message to confirm your appointment,” say “Reply C to confirm your appointment, or call/text to cancel or reschedule.”

Having a standard way of confirming appointments will help you quickly spot which recipients have confirmed and which have questions.

6. Send confirmations at the right time

There’s no one-size-fits-all texting timeline for appointment confirmations, but researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that sending texts three days and one day before can help reduce no-shows.

You can start with this basic schedule:

1. After scheduling: Send a text right after the appointment is scheduled so recipients can refer back to the message and add the details in their calendar.
2. Three days before: Send the actual appointment confirmation that asks for a response less than 72 hours before the appointment. 
3. One day before: Send a reminder text the day before the appointment.

7. Automate your confirmation messages

Reduce the time you spend on sending confirmation texts by automating them. SimpleTexting integrates with thousands of tools, like Google Calendar and Calendly, so you don’t have to manually send each appointment confirmation text message.

🎥 See how to schedule appointment confirmation and reminder texts with Google Calendar and SimpleTexting.

8. Give clients the option to call you

Include your phone number in your confirmation text for people who’d rather talk in real time than text when they have questions.

If you’re not able to take calls right away, let them know when to expect a call back from you.

9. Give clear opt-out instructions

Sometimes people change their minds about appointment text messages. Make it easy for them to unsubscribe from your messages by including opt-out instructions, like “Reply STOP to stop.”

Send opt-in/opt-out instructions and other SMS compliance information after texting a new contact for the first time.

If you use SimpleTexting, we’ll send new contacts a free, customizable compliance message with information on how to unsubscribe once you send your first message. 

📚 Read our SMS compliance guide to learn more about how to follow texting industry regulations.

Appointment confirmation text templates to copy and paste

Not sure what to say to confirm an appointment? I’ll share some appointment confirmation text templates to choose from and add to your business texting platform.

Appointment confirmation text templates:

• Doctor and dentist office appointments
• Veterinary office appointments
• Beauty salon appointments
• Home service appointments
• Real estate property showings
• Automotive service appointments
• Business and sales meetings
• Virtual appointments
• Job interviews
• Cancellation policy disclosures
• Special instructions

Appointment confirmations texts for doctors and dentist offices

Veterinary office appointment confirmations

Beauty salon appointment confirmations

Home service appointment confirmations

Real estate property showing confirmations

Hi [BUYER NAME]! This is [YOUR NAME] with [COMPANY]. Does [DATE] at [TIME] still work for the showing at [PROPERTY ADDRESS]?

Automotive service appointment confirmations

Business and sales meeting confirmations

Virtual appointment confirmations

Job interview confirmations

No-Shows and Cancellation Policy disclosures

Hi [CLIENT/PATIENT NAME], your appointment at [BUSINESS NAME] is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME]. Please note that canceling or rescheduling less than [NUMBER OF DAYS/HOURS] before your appointment will result in a [FEE AMOUNT] cancellation fee. Reply or call this number with questions. Thank you!

Special instructions

Hi [CLIENT/PATIENT NAME], your appointment at [BUSINESS NAME] is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME]. Before your appointment, please [INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORMS, WHAT TO BRING, ETC.]. Reply or call this number with questions. Thank you!

How to send text appointment confirmations (the SimpleTexting Way)

SimpleTexting streamlines the process of sending text appointment confirmations, saving you time and ensuring clear communication with your customers. Our user-friendly interface allows you to:

1. Leverage integrations:

• Calendar sync: Connect SimpleTexting with your online calendar (e.g., Google Calendar, Outlook) via Zapier to automatically generate confirmation texts based on appointments booked. This ensures messages are sent at the right time with all the necessary details pre-populated.
• Online booking forms: Integrate SimpleTexting with your online booking forms. When a client confirms their appointment through the form, a confirmation text can be automatically triggered.

2. Building your text message:

• Start with a template: Choose from a library of pre-built templates designed for appointment confirmations. These templates already include essential elements like greetings, appointment details, and disclaimers.
• Personalize your message: SimpleTexting offers powerful personalization tools. Use dynamic content tags to automatically insert the recipient’s name, appointment date, time, location, and other relevant details. You can further customize the message with greetings, appointment-specific details, and calls to action.
• Add a touch of brand personality: Maintain a consistent brand voice by incorporating your brand’s language and style.

3. Setting up automated sending:

• Schedule delivery: Once you’ve crafted your message, determine the ideal timing for sending confirmation texts. You can choose to send them immediately upon booking, a few days before the appointment, or a combination of both.
• Test before sending: Before sending out a blast of texts, send a test message to your own phone number to ensure everything looks perfect.

4. Manage replies and engagement (Optional):

• Enable Two-Way Messaging: Consider enabling two-way texting to allow clients to reply to confirm their appointment, ask questions, or reschedule. SimpleTexting provides tools to manage these replies and integrate them with your calendar or CRM.

Building trust through compliance

Earning customer trust is crucial for successful business texting. Let’s explore legal considerations and sms compliance best practices to ensure your appointment confirmation texts comply with regulations and protect user privacy.

• Express consent: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the US mandates obtaining prior express consent before sending appointment text messages. Appointment confirmation and reminder texts are defined as informational messages, meaning a consumer may provide verbal or written consent to receive messages related to the product or service they’re purchasing.
  
• Clear opt-in methods: Provide users with clear and easy ways to opt in to receive appointment confirmation texts. This can be done through online forms, checkboxes during appointment booking, or keyword opt-in programs (e.g., texting “CONFIRM” to a specific number).
  

Transparency is key: Inform users about the frequency and nature of the texts they can expect. Will they receive only appointment confirmations, or might they also get occasional reminders or updates?

A powerful tool for personalization:

SimpleTexting empowers you to personalize appointment confirmation texts, fostering a positive user experience, starting with:

• Dynamic content: Include the recipient’s name, appointment date, time, and location in the message. This adds a personal touch and reduces confusion.
  
• Segmentation by appointment type: If you offer various appointment types (e.g., consultations, haircuts), personalize messages accordingly. Mention the specific service booked for better clarity.
  

SimpleTexting as your trusted partner:

By following these legal guidelines and personalization tips, you can leverage appointment confirmation texts effectively. SimpleTexting’s platform simplifies compliance with built-in opt-in features and easy personalization tools.

Start sending appointment confirmation texts today

While it’s unlikely that you’ll prevent every single cancellation or last-minute request to reschedule, using a channel with 98% open rates to confirm appointments will drastically improve your attendance rates. 

That’s what happened for our customer Lighthouse Dental, a dental practice in British Columbia, saw a major reduction in missed appointments after they started texting.

If you’re looking for a platform to send these appointment confirmation SMS messages, sign up for a 14-day free trial of SimpleTexting. 

This article was written on June 30, 2020, by Drew Wilkinson and was updated on August 1, 2023, by Dani Henion. Nathan Ellering contributed to this piece.