Use case
Appointment reminder texts
A short text the day before puts the time back in front of people and gives them an easy way to tell you they can't make it. Schedule reminders by hand in the dashboard, or send them from your booking system through the API.
How do appointment reminder texts work?
An appointment reminder is a short service text sent before a booking, with the day, time and place and a way to reply if plans have changed. In CaptiFi Connect you schedule reminders from the dashboard up to a year ahead, or send them from your own booking system through the API, and replies come back to your inbox.
Why a reminder text helps
People forget, and they don't always ring to cancel when something comes up. A text lands on the phone they carry everywhere and a reply takes seconds, so you hear about a cancellation while there's still time to offer the slot to someone else.
It also saves whoever answers your phone a pile of 'what time am I booked in?' calls, because the text already says.
What to put in a reminder
Aim for one part (160 plain characters) where you can. A good reminder covers:
- Who it's from, either as the first words or as your sender name.
- The day and date as well as the time, so 'tomorrow' can't be misread late at night.
- Where to go, if it isn't obvious or you have more than one site.
- What to do if they can't make it, such as replying to the text or ringing a number.
- Nothing private. Anyone who picks up the phone can read the lock screen.
Sending reminders from your booking system
If your bookings live in software, the API can do the work. When a booking is made, call POST /api/v1/messages with the customer's number, the reminder text and schedule_at set to when it should go, say 10am the day before. Keep the message id with the booking. If the booking moves or is cancelled, cancel the scheduled text with POST /api/v1/messages/{id}/cancel and the credit comes back to your balance.
Send each reminder with an Idempotency-Key header built from the booking reference, so a retry after a timeout can never schedule it twice. Point a webhook at your system for message.received and replies arrive as they come in, ready to update the booking. Build the whole thing with a test key first: it simulates delivery, sends the sent and delivered webhooks a live text would and costs nothing. Test keys never produce message.received, so try the reply handling with a live key and your own phone once your account is approved.
Features you'll use
These are the parts of CaptiFi Connect a reminder set-up relies on.
- Scheduled sending up to a year ahead, with cancel and refund until the text goes.
- Templates with merge fields, so {first_name} fills in from each contact.
- The two-way inbox, where replies come back into the same thread.
- Contacts and lists, with CSV import from your booking system's export.
- Message history with delivery status, filters and CSV export.
- The REST API, webhooks and test keys for automated reminders.
Rules that apply
A reminder about a booking the person made is what the ICO calls a service message. Its guidance says service messages aren't direct marketing as long as they don't promote anything, so you don't need marketing consent and the opt-out line can stay off. Add 'and 20% off your next visit' and the whole text counts as marketing, with consent and an opt-out needed.
Reminders go to UK mobiles only, including Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. A landline or an overseas number is refused with a reason and isn't charged, so it's worth tidying up the numbers in your booking system. And if someone has texted STOP to you, CaptiFi Connect won't send them anything, reminders included, until they text START.
Don't ask people to reply CANCEL. It's one of the opt-out words, so the reply would put them on your opt-out list. YES and NO do the job without that problem.
Who sends appointment reminders
Anyone whose day runs from a diary: dental practices, physios, salons and barbers, garages, vets, tutors and letting agents booking viewings. Hospitality venues use the same set-up for table and room bookings.
Sample texts
Merge fields in braces are filled from each contact. The part count is worked out the way the platform bills it.
Day-before reminder(service)
Hi {first_name}, a reminder that your appointment at Northgate Physio is tomorrow, Tue 20 Oct, at 2:30pm. Reply YES to confirm or NO to rearrange.
146 characters, 1 part
Week-ahead reminder(service)
Hi {first_name}, your MOT at Fairfield Garage is booked for Tue 27 Oct at 9am. Need a different day? Just reply to this text and we'll sort it.
143 characters, 1 part
Same-day reminder(service)
Morning {first_name}, see you at 11:15 today at Sharp Cuts. Running late? Reply and let us know.
96 characters, 1 part
Set up reminders in the dashboard
- 1
Bring in your contacts
Import a CSV export from your booking system, or add people by hand. Map the first name column so {first_name} works.
- 2
Write a template
Save the reminder once as a template and check the character and part count under the text.
- 3
Schedule each reminder
On Send SMS, type the customer's number (merge fields fill from their contact) and choose the template, then add the appointment details and schedule it for the day before.
- 4
Cancel if the booking changes
A scheduled text can be cancelled any time before it goes, and its credit comes straight back.
- 5
Answer replies
Replies land in the inbox, grouped by number. Answer in the same thread and it goes from the same number whenever it's available.
Questions people ask
When should a reminder go out?
The day before, during working hours, suits most appointments, because there's still time to fill the slot if someone cancels. For bookings made weeks ahead, some businesses add a second reminder a week before. You can schedule both when the booking is made.
Do I need consent to send appointment reminders?
Not marketing consent, as long as the text is only about the booking. The ICO treats purely administrative texts as service messages. If you add an offer or a promotion, the text becomes marketing and the PECR consent and opt-out rules apply.
Can customers reply to a reminder?
Yes, if you leave the sender name blank so it goes from a UK mobile number. Replies come into the CaptiFi Connect inbox, threaded by number, and to your own system through the message.received webhook if you've set one up. A text sent from a sender name can't be replied to.
What if the appointment is cancelled after I've scheduled the reminder?
Cancel the scheduled text in the dashboard, or with the cancel endpoint in the API, any time before it goes. The credit comes back to your balance.
Can CaptiFi Connect read my booking system's diary?
Not directly. There are no ready-made connections to booking software, so reminders come either from a CSV import and scheduled sends in the dashboard, or from your booking system calling the API.
How much does a reminder cost?
One credit for each SMS part, and a typical reminder fits in one part. Packs start at £25 for 500 credits (5p a text) and fall to 3.5p on the biggest pack, plus VAT; the pricing page has the table.
Send your first text this week
Set up your account and contacts now; we check every new account before it can send.