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Business owners worldwide use reminders for their clients, staff, and themselves as a way to improve efficiency and support a successful business model. You’ve probably gotten quite a few reminders in your lifetime, but acting as the sender can seem like a daunting task. What’s the right way to send a reminder? How do you avoid sounding demanding or unprofessional?
If you’re not sure how to send an effective appointment reminder, you’re not alone. Creating an appointment reminder that’s both friendly and professional takes some thinking. You’ll probably need to workshop your messages multiple times, but there are plenty of templates you can use to get started.
Choose one of the templates below to send a friendly and professional reminder that makes your clients eager to confirm their next appointment. GoReminders provides customization features to tailor your reminders to your specific brand and each individual client.
Reminders aren’t meant to be annoying. Instead, they are a tool to help your customers get the most out of their experience with you. Here are some ways reminders can help you and your customers stay on track:
There are several ways you can approach sending reminders to your customers. Adding an extra bit of branding personality can go a long way in connecting with your clients without annoying or putting them off.
The most friendly and professional reminders include the following key elements:
Coming up with your own way of reminding your clients can be difficult. That’s why we’ve put together this list of 11 friendly and professional reminders you can use to send to your customers.
GoReminders allows you to send appointment reminders easily. You can automatically personalize your appointment reminders with unlimited templates for different occasions. Each template uses template tags marked by {{curly brackets}}. When you include these in your message templates, the software automatically fills in relevant information for each new appointment you create. When using these template tags in GoReminders, make sure you select the appropriate tag button in GoReminders. If you simply type {{First Name}} into your template, your customer will receive a message that says “{{First Name}}” rather than their first name.
It’s important to note that you can also include reply instructions (such as Reply “C” to confirm) in the settings if you choose. When you do this, you don’t have to write these instructions in your reminder templates unless you want to create more specific instructions for confirmation.
No one says you have to get super fancy with your appointment reminders. Sometimes the best reminder is simple and straightforward. Here’s a basic appointment reminder template you can use for almost any occasion:
Hello {{First Name}}, your appointment with {{Staff Name}} from (Your Business Name) is scheduled for {{Day Name}}, {{Date}} at {{Time}}.
Please reply “C” to confirm your appointment or “R” to reschedule.
You may also use a salutation (Mr., Mrs., or Ms.) for a more formal approach:
Hello {{Salutation}} {{Last Name}}, your appointment with (Your Business Name) is scheduled for {{Day Name}}, {{Date}} at {{Time}}. Please reply “C” to confirm or call {{Staff Name}} at {{Staff Phone}} to reschedule.
Each set of curly brackets represents a template tag that GoReminders fills in automatically. Template tags show up differently for each reminder, based on what information you include when you create a new appointment.
If you want to add pizzazz to this basic template, try infusing some personality into the reminder. As long as the tone fits your brand and you convey the relevant information, your customers will appreciate it.
Hi there {{First Name}}! We’re thrilled you scheduled an appointment with {{Staff Name}} for {{Day Name}} at {{Time}}. We can’t wait to see you! Please let us know if you’re still coming. Hope to see you soon! Reply “C” to confirm.
Here is an example of an email reminder with specific instructions for response or check-in:
Hello {{First Name}},
We hope you’re having a great week.
We have you scheduled for a {{Service}} appointment at {{Time}} on {{Date}}.
Please check in at least 24 hours in advance to begin your pre-visit paperwork. Simply click the link below and follow the prompts. When you arrive for your appointment with {{Staff Name}}, they will go over your records to fill in any missing information.
Check in here: (Your Check-In Link)
We look forward to meeting with you on {{Day Name}}!
(Your Business Name)
You may or may not have a detailed self check-in process for your business. But if you do, you’ll probably want to create a dedicated template for this that includes your check-in link at the bottom of the message. This can serve as a great standard appointment reminder that can be sent 24-48 hours before the appointment.
Depending on the nature of your business, you may need to inform customers of specific details before they arrive for their appointment. You can get as detailed as you’d like with GoReminders’ customizable templates. Here’s an example:
Hello {{First Name}}, your appointment with (Your Business Name) is scheduled for {{Day Name}}, {{Date}}, at {{Time}}. The appointment will last {{Appointment Length}}, so plan to be with us until {{End Time}} at least. Please report to {{Location}} about 15 minutes ahead of time to complete any paperwork. We look forward to seeing you.
There are plenty of template tags to choose from, depending on what information you want to include. For instance, you can include a customer’s first and last name, in addition to an email and salutation. If you’re looking to customize further, feel free to include the time, date, and appointment length. In addition, you can also include things like a calendar link, location, staff name, staff phone, staff email, and service type. You can also include a booking link or a review link if you choose.
For a less formal reminder, you may want to walk the client through all the details with a friendly tone. Here’s a friendly reminder email template you might use for this occasion — or you can cut it down to fit in a text message.
Hey {{First Name}}!
{{Staff Name}} here with (Your Business Name). It looks like you’ll be visiting us soon on {{Date}} at {{Time}}. We’re thrilled to have you as our guest!
We’ve dedicated {{Appointment Length}} for the appointment, so we can be of best service to you. Confirm your attendance by clicking below and we’ll see you on {{Day Name}}!
Best,
{{Staff Name}} or (Your Business Name)
With a friendlier tone, customers may feel more comfortable when attending an appointment with you for the first time. Template tags will allow you to automatically personalize your reminders so customers feel like the message is meant for them.
Following up with your clients after an appointment can help you continue the conversation and keep your business fresh in clients’ minds. Offering discounts on subsequent bookings can also help you fill your schedule and secure future income. You could even use a follow-up reminder to help clients set up recurring appointments, sign up for a new service, or even register for an upcoming event.
Here’s an example of a follow-up message you could send the day after an appointment:
Hello {{First Name}}, we hope you enjoyed your appointment with {{Staff Name}} yesterday. To show our appreciation, we’ve included a coupon below that you can use any time within the next 2 weeks. Thank you for your business.
(Include Coupon Code)
(Your Business Name)
Here’s an example of a follow-up email template with a bit more personality:
{{First Name}}, you rock!
We appreciate you sharing your day with us on {{Day Name}}, and we want to give you something special (after all, you deserve it).
Show this email at your next {{Service}} appointment and get 20% off! We’re here to help you make the most of your time with us. Because hey, there’s no one like you!
Thanks,
(Your Business Name)
The supportive tone in this template can help you reach out to current customers with confidence and make them feel appreciated. The embedded template tags can help you spread personalized positive vibes with little effort.
Businesses worldwide offer a variety of goods and services to their clients. Sometimes that means you might not see your clients for a few months at a time. In this case, you can build off the template below to invite them back:
Hello {{First Name}}, it’s been a while since we last saw you! According to our records, you are due for another {{Service}} soon. To schedule your next appointment, click here: {{Booking Link}}.
With GoReminders, you can create a custom booking page with your own branding and insert a link to that page automatically with the {{Booking Link}} template tag.
Here’s an example of a re-connection reminder with a more casual, friendly tone:
Hello {{First Name}}, it’s {{Service}} time again! We loved seeing you last year around this time and hope to see you again soon. Don’t forget to book your next appointment here: {{Booking Link}}.
Friendly reminders can be a great way to ensure appointments you book months or even even a year in advance have 100% attendance. This is especially true for businesses that don’t see their clients on a consistent basis year-round.
What happens after the appointment matters just as much as the interaction between you and your client during the appointment. With GoReminders, you can easily request feedback so your client can share their thoughts. Here’s a template you might use to request reviews after an appointment:
Hello {{First Name}}, it was a pleasure doing business with you on {{Date}}. If you enjoyed your experience with (Your Business Name), please consider leaving us a review here: {{Review Link}}. Your feedback means a lot to us and helps us improve our services for you and future customers. Have a great day!
When you set up review automation with GoReminders, the software automatically screens your incoming reviews. Positive reviews can be automatically posted for the world to see on Yelp or your Google My Business page. Any negative feedback will be sent privately to you so you can make improvements or reach out to repair the customer relationship.
GoReminders also offers message blasts. This feature allows you to send a personalized message to multiple customers at once. Each message blast can be directed to specific client groups to get the word out about sales or promotions your business is offering. They’re also a great way to advertise upcoming events and sales.
Here’s an example of a message blast template you might use for a holiday promotion:
Hey {{First Name}}! Don’t miss our upcoming holiday deals at (Your Business Name)—get 15% off all {{Service}} appointments booked through (Custom Date). Beat the rush before the holidays! Sign up here: {{Booking Link}}.
GoReminders caters to a variety of businesses with its appointment reminder service, not just service-oriented companies. Once you sign up for a GoReminders account, setup only takes 30 seconds. You’ll be ready to start automating reminders for each new appointment you make in no time.
GoReminders allows you to choose how your clients are reminded (via email, text, or both). While email allows for long form messaging and multimedia, text reminders continue to gain acceptance as a professional way to communicate with your clients. In fact, roughly 70% of customers in one study reported that text messaging is a good way for a business to get their attention.
As long as you retain a professional tone, there’s no reason your business can’t take advantage of this modern mode of communication (and reach your customers right in their back pockets).
Unlike some other appointment reminder apps, GoReminders allows customers to easily confirm, cancel, or reschedule their appointment with a short text reply or the click of a button in an email. You can customize which reply options you want to include in your reminders in the reminder settings.
Once your client has responded with their intended action (such as confirming or rescheduling), GoReminders won’t keep bothering them with more messages. If you would like to continue communicating with your clients after they respond, GoReminders give you that capability as well. The software reports straight back to you with calendar notifications of clients who have confirmed, rescheduled, or canceled. This can help you reach out to clients to gather follow-up information if necessary.
Reminding your customers at various intervals before your scheduled meeting can increase the odds they’ll show up. With GoReminders, you can send multiple appointment reminders (and other messages) at whatever rate you want. You can choose to remind your clients 24 hours before their appointment or up to 30 days in advance (and anytime in between). You can even change this interval from customer to customer.
For instance, you may create a sequence that sends out two reminders before the appointment, then one follow-up message afterward to request a review. Once you set this sequence on the appointment creation screen, it will automatically deploy your reminder messages at your chosen time intervals.
Friendly and professional automatic reminders are easy to generate and schedule with GoReminders. Template tags fill in the blanks so you don’t have to. You can create as many custom templates as you’d like, so you can showcase your personality with every communication you send out. All that’s left is to provide your customers the service that only you know how to give.
Not sure if GoReminders is the right fit for you? Sign up today for free and get started in less than a minute. You’ll be able to go in and test out our available features such as email/text reminders, message blasts, and flexible booking options. If it isn’t the right fit for you and your team, no worries your trial will expire after 14 days.
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