At the end of a busy day, someone at reception picks up their own phone, opens tomorrow's list and starts typing. "Hi, just a reminder of your appointment at 10am tomorrow." Then the next patient. Then the next. Replies arrive on a personal number in the evening, mixed in with family messages and everything else.
It works, after a fashion. But it depends on one person remembering, it stops when they are off sick or on holiday, and it puts patient conversations on a phone the clinic does not own.
Reminders are one of the easiest jobs to hand over to your clinic software. Set them up once, and they go out on their own before every confirmed visit, by the channel each patient prefers. Here is how that works in Clinic Membership.
What changes when reminders send themselves
The point is not to send more messages. It is to stop relying on a person to send the same message every day.
- Nobody has to remember. Reminders go out for every confirmed appointment, whether reception is in or not.
- The timing is the same every time. You choose how many hours before the visit the reminder goes, and it sticks to that.
- Patients hear from the clinic, not a personal number. Messages come from your clinic's email and, if you use them, your business WhatsApp or your clinic's text sender name.
- Reception gets that time back. The end of the day is for tidying up and getting ready for tomorrow, not typing out the same message dozens of times.
Reminders are only one part of keeping your diary full. Our post on reducing no-shows with memberships looks at the bigger picture.
Start with the email reminder
Every reminder in Clinic Membership starts with email. An appointment reminder email goes out automatically before each confirmed visit, for example a day ahead.
To set it up:
- Go to Settings, then Communications.
- Under Email templates, click Booking to show the booking emails.
- Find Appointment reminder and edit the subject or body if you want your own wording.
- Set Hours before appointment on the same row, for example 24.
- Click Save settings at the bottom of the page.
If you work from more than one site, you can add the location name, address or directions to the reminder, so each patient sees where they are going. Those details fill in when the appointment has a location.
Reminders go to confirmed appointments. Patients who have not yet confirmed may get a separate confirmation email first. The appointment reminders guide walks through each step.
Adding WhatsApp or SMS
Once email reminders are in place, you can add a mobile channel in the same Communications settings. You can turn on WhatsApp, SMS or both for the clinic.
The important rule is simple: each patient gets WhatsApp or SMS, never both. If both channels are on, each patient has one mobile channel for reminders. Their email reminder still goes out either way. And because WhatsApp and SMS reminders use the same Hours before appointment setting as the email, everything arrives on the same schedule.
Reminders by WhatsApp
Many patients already use WhatsApp every day, so a reminder there feels natural.
You connect your WhatsApp Business number to Clinic Membership through Meta once. Then you turn on Send appointment reminders in Communications settings once Meta has approved the reminder template, which usually takes minutes to a few hours. Patients opt in on their profile.
One recommendation from the setup guide is worth following: connect the number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app. That way, if a patient replies to a reminder, the reply lands in your normal business WhatsApp inbox, where reception already looks. If you set up a separate number instead, replies will not appear there.
The connection to Meta needs renewing from time to time. Clinic Membership shows an alert on your admin screens when that is needed and emails your clinic admin address, and you can review any messages that failed to send so you can follow up.
The connect WhatsApp notifications guide covers the full setup.
Reminders by text message
Some patients would rather have a plain text. SMS reminders sit alongside your email reminders in the same way.
To use them, turn on Text (SMS) notifications in Settings, then Communications, switch on Appointment reminders, and set a short sender name so patients can see the text is from your clinic. Patients need a mobile number on their record for texts to send.
The SMS notifications guide shows each screen.
Letting patients choose
The channel is the patient's choice, and it is easy to change:
- At the desk. Staff can set the patient's reminder channel under Preferences on their patient card.
- In their account. Patients can update it themselves when they sign in.
- Email only. Choosing Prefer email only turns off WhatsApp and SMS for that patient. Their email reminders carry on.
A quick question at check in, such as "Would you like your reminders by WhatsApp or text?", is often all it takes.
Reminders are not the only automatic emails
Appointment reminders go out before a visit. Two other emails work after it, and they are set up separately. Rebooking reminders nudge patients to come back, which our post on lifting your rebooking rate covers. Aftercare emails go out when a visit is marked complete, explained in our post on automatic aftercare emails and review requests.
A simple plan for this week
You can move reminders off the reception phone in one quiet session:
- Check your reminder email. Set the timing and put it in your own words.
- Decide on your mobile channel. WhatsApp, SMS or both.
- Connect WhatsApp with the business number you already use, if you are adding it.
- Turn on SMS and set your sender name, if you are adding it.
- Ask patients their preference at the desk, and update their patient card.
- Stop the hand-typed messages. Once reminders are going out on their own, reception can let the personal phone rest.
Clinic Membership brings your reminders together with your patients, calendar, payments and memberships. Free covers up to 10 patient records. See pricing for paid plans.
