Appointment Reminders

Appointment reminders reduce no-shows by giving your clients a heads-up before their session. BusyBook sends them automatically — you choose when and what the message says.

How Reminders Work

When a client has an upcoming appointment, BusyBook automatically sends a reminder at the time you’ve configured. The reminder includes the service name, date, time, and your practice name. Clients can reply to confirm or cancel.

There are two reminder types:

• 24-Hour Reminder — sent one day before the appointment (enabled by default)
• 1-Hour Reminder — sent one hour before the appointment (optional)

Enabling Reminders

Quick Toggle (Preferences)

1. Go to Settings > Preferences
2. Find Appointment Reminders under the AI Assistant section
3. Toggle reminders on or off
4. Set the hours before appointment for the reminder timing

Detailed Configuration (Automated Messaging)

1. Go to Settings > Automated Messaging
2. Find 24-Hour Reminder and/or 1-Hour Reminder
3. Toggle each one on or off independently
4. Click to expand and customize the template

Customizing the Reminder Message

Each reminder has a default template that works out of the box. To customize it:

1. Go to Settings > Automated Messaging
2. Click the 24-Hour Reminder or 1-Hour Reminder card to expand it
3. Edit the message text in the template field
4. Use variables to personalize the message:
   • {{client_name}} — the client’s first name
   • {{service_name}} — the booked service (e.g., “Swedish Massage”)
   • {{date}} — the appointment date
   • {{time}} — the appointment time
   • {{therapist_name}} — your name
   • {{practice_name}} — your business name
5. Click Save

Default 24-Hour Reminder

Hi {{client_name}}, just a reminder — you have a {{service_name}} tomorrow at {{time}} with {{therapist_name}}. Reply YES to confirm or CANCEL to cancel.

Default 1-Hour Reminder

Hi {{client_name}}, your {{service_name}} is in 1 hour at {{time}}! We’re looking forward to seeing you at {{practice_name}}.

Choosing the Delivery Channel

For each reminder, select how it’s sent:

• SMS + Email — both channels simultaneously
• SMS first, email backup — tries text first, falls back to email
• Email first, SMS backup — tries email first, falls back to text

Sending Reminders Manually

If you need to trigger reminders outside the automatic schedule:

1. Go to Settings > Preferences
2. Scroll to the Email Reminders section
3. Click Send Reminders Now

This sends email reminders to all clients with appointments in the next 24 hours who haven’t already received one.

Tips

• Most practices find the 24-hour reminder alone reduces no-shows significantly
• Add the 1-hour reminder if you have a high no-show rate or same-day cancellations
• Keep messages short — clients are more likely to read and respond to brief texts
• The Reply YES to confirm prompt in the default template encourages active confirmation

Related

• How Automation Works — overview of all automations
• Notification Preferences — global notification settings
• Managing Appointments — booking and calendar management