How to Send SMS Reminders to Clients

How to Send SMS Reminders to Clients

First, let’s review what SMS client reminders are and how they can benefit your business. We’ll also highlight a few tips for sending appointment reminders. These reminders refer to SMS messages you send your clients to notify them of an upcoming engagement with your business.

For instance, you can send one to your client to remind them of an event they RSVP'd to or an appointment at your office.

A client reminder could look like this: “(Coco Cafe) Reminder: Open Mic Night is tonight at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. See you then!”

You can also use an SMS message to notify clients of an upcoming payment or reservation, such as: “(Rocky’s Steakhouse) Jules, you have reservations for two tomorrow night (June 9) at 6 p.m. at Rocky’s Steakhouse.”

But perhaps the best part of these client reminders is that you can shoot two birds with one stone: You can send a reminder and request confirmation in the same text.

Let's say you oversee a dentist's office to see this in action. Your appointment reminder and confirmation message might say, “(Dr. Jones) Karla Tiff, you have an appointment scheduled with Dr.Jones on August 22 at 3 p.m. Text C to confirm or R to reschedule.”

Aside from dentists, some other examples of businesses that send SMS reminders to clients include:

• Doctors
• Therapists
• Spas and salons
• Vets
• Real estate agents
• Restaurants
• Airlines
• Car dealers

So, how can these SMS client reminders benefit your business?

Well, you’re not wasting valuable time tracking down your clients, reminding them about their visit with you. You can forget about leaving voicemails and sending numerous confirmation emails because SMS reminders make it easy to connect with your clients. In fact, according to a recent study, nearly 90% of all texts are read within three minutes of receiving them, so you never have to worry about your reminders going unnoticed or unopened.

Moreover, these SMS reminder texts can help increase attendance and avoid no-shows, saving your business time and money. After all, nothing's worse than sitting around for a client that doesn't show up during your busy work day. Thanks to these messages, your clients will have convenient reminders on their mobile phones, making them more inclined to follow through.

Now, how do you send SMS reminders to your clients?

Sending an SMS reminder is just like sending any other SMS message—the only difference is that you’ll want to sync your texting platform with your calendar.

Using EZ Texting, you'll have various integrations to connect with your calendar and appointment schedules, such as Google Calendar, MyCalendarAlerts, meetergo, and more. However, if you'd prefer to upload your appointments within your SMS platform manually, that's usually an option, too.

Once you can access your calendar and see upcoming appointments, you can determine who, what, and when to send client reminders. When drafting your message, be sure to include the client’s name, along with the time, date, and location of the appointment.

Of course, you can send a message to a single client, but if it’s a reminder for an event or gathering, you can easily send a group text, too.

For example, if your pizza joint is hosting a charity event, it makes sense to send a mass reminder rather than sending out individual texts to each participant. In this case, your group message might read, “(Pies & Pints) Reminder: Our Annual Pizza Pizzazz Charity Event is this Friday, July 14, at 7 p.m. See you there!”

Remember what to include in an appointment confirmation text like the dentist example above, you’ll want to include information on how your client can confirm, cancel, or reschedule the appointment via text. Above all, keep your instructions short and simple so your client is more inclined to engage with your message.

As for finding the right time to send reminders, we recommend setting up a cadence to stay consistent. The good news is that you can program your platform to automatically send out reminders for you! That said, there’s a fine line between being helpful and annoying, so avoid bombarding your clients with multiple daily reminders.

For instance, you might send a gentle reminder five days before the appointment and a more urgent one the day before. However, if you send out a payment reminder, you'll want to use the recurring setting so your clients get a reminder on the same day each month.

Once you send out your reminders, it's easy to monitor your responses and update your schedule to accommodate any changes.

Learn About Other SMS Messages

Reminders aren't the only SMS messages you can send your clients. From invitations to sales announcements, there are many ways to boost client retention through text marketing using a platform like EZ Texting. Contact us today to learn more about how SMS messaging can help you retain customers and manage your business.