An appointment confirmation text tells a customer that their booking is made and gives the day, time and place. Some businesses also send a second kind of confirmation text a day or two ahead, asking the customer to reply to confirm they are still coming. A missed-appointment text goes out after a customer does not arrive, to check on them and help them book again.
This post gives ready-to-copy templates for each, organized by situation: a new booking, a change, a cancellation, a confirmation request and a missed visit. Each template is under 160 characters before you fill in the brackets. For the day-before and morning-of reminders that come in between, see our appointment reminder texts. Appointment texts are often the first part of a business texting plan, which our text message marketing strategy guide covers in full.
Consent, and what to leave out
Appointment confirmations are transactional texts. They need the customer's agreement to receive texts, such as a checkbox on your booking form that says the customer agrees to receive appointment texts from your business. Record the date they agreed and where. Keep these texts about the appointment, with no coupons, promotions or offers added. A promotion needs a separate, written agreement to receive marketing texts.
Leave private details out of the text. A confirmation needs the day, the time and the place. It does not need the reason for the visit, the price or anything else the customer would not want someone nearby to read on their screen. For dental, medical and other healthcare offices, leave out the reason for the visit, the procedure, any diagnosis and the type of specialist.
What to include in a confirmation text
- Your business name at the start, so the customer knows who is writing.
- The day, date and time. For a visit to the customer's home, give the arrival window.
- The address, or a short note on where to go, when it helps.
- How to make a change: reply to the text, use a link or call a number.
- "Reply STOP to opt out" in the first text a customer receives from you.
Replace everything in brackets with your own details, then check that the finished text is still under 160 characters. A longer text is sent in parts, called segments, and each part is billed as one text.
Booking confirmation templates
New booking
[Business]: you're booked for [Day], [Date] at [Time] at [Address]. To change it, reply here or visit [Link]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Home service visit with an arrival window
[Business]: your [service] visit is [Day], [Date], arriving between [Time] and [Time]. Reply here to change it. Reply STOP to opt out.
Request received, not yet confirmed
[Business]: we received your request for [Day] at [Time]. We'll text you to confirm within one business day. Reply STOP to opt out.
Booking with a named staff member
Hi [Name], you're booked with [Staff] at [Business] on [Day] at [Time]. Need a different time? Just reply here.
Phone or video appointment
[Business]: your call with [Staff] is set for [Day], [Date] at [Time]. Join at [Link]. Reply here if you need to reschedule.
Healthcare and dental offices
[Practice]: your appointment is confirmed for [Day], [Date] at [Time] at [Address]. Reply here to change it. Reply STOP to opt out.
Change and cancellation templates
Rescheduled appointment
[Business]: your appointment has moved to [Day], [Date] at [Time]. If that doesn't work, reply here and we'll find another time.
Cancelled at the customer's request
[Business]: your [Day] [Time] appointment is cancelled, as you asked. When you're ready to book again, visit [Link].
Cancelled by the business
[Business]: we're sorry, but we need to cancel your [Day] [Time] appointment. Reply here or visit [Link] and we'll find you a new time.
Running behind
[Business]: we're running about [Minutes] minutes behind. Your [Time] appointment should start around [New Time]. Thanks for your patience.
"Please confirm" request templates
Asking the customer to confirm a day or two ahead gives you time to fill the slot if they cannot come. Give each choice a single letter, which is easy to type on a phone.
[Business]: please confirm your appointment on [Day] at [Time]. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule.
[Business]: [Name], are you still able to make [Day] at [Time]? Reply C to confirm or R if you need a new time.
[Business]: we haven't heard back about [Day] at [Time]. Reply C to confirm, or R and we'll help you find a new time.
Answer every reply. These two texts work as automatic answers to C and R.
Thanks, you're confirmed for [Day] at [Time]. We look forward to seeing you. [Business]
Thanks for letting us know. Someone from [Business] will text you during business hours to find a new time.
When a customer replies C, mark the appointment as confirmed in your booking software. That way, the front desk knows which customers to call about visits that are still unconfirmed.
Missed-appointment texts
Send a missed-appointment text within a few hours of the missed time, during business hours. Assume the customer had a good reason. The purpose of the text is to check in and make it easy to book again.
Leave fees and warnings out of these texts. If you charge for missed appointments, state the policy when the customer books and in your booking confirmation, so it is not news to them when they miss a visit.
[Business]: we missed you at [Time] today, [Name]. We hope all is well. Reply here or visit [Link] to book a new time.
[Business]: sorry we didn't see you today. Your [service] can be rebooked at [Link], or reply with a day that suits you.
For a home service visit where no one answered the door:
[Business]: [Tech] came by at [Time] but couldn't reach anyone. Reply here or call [Phone] to set a new time.
For healthcare and dental offices, keep the text free of health details:
[Practice]: we missed you today at [Time]. Please reply here or call [Phone] to schedule a new appointment.
If the customer has not replied after two or three days, send one more text, then stop.
[Business]: one more note about rebooking your [service]. Visit [Link] whenever you're ready. No reply is needed.
Timing at a glance
| Text | When to send it |
|---|---|
| Booking confirmation | When the appointment is booked |
| Change or cancellation | As soon as the change is made |
| "Please confirm" request | 1 to 2 days before the appointment |
| Day-before reminder | Late afternoon or early evening the day before |
| Missed-appointment text | Within a few hours of the missed time |
| Second missed-appointment text | 2 to 3 days later, then stop |
CampaignCNX+ sends texts only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone. Plan around that window: a visit missed in the evening is best followed up the next morning.
Sending these texts with CampaignCNX+
In CampaignCNX+, appointment texts are scheduled texts. When a booking is made, write the confirmation and send it, then schedule the reminder for the day before the visit. For a fixed group, such as a class or a workshop, put the attendees in a group and schedule one text to the whole group. A day's reminders can be scheduled together each morning from your booking list.
For replies:
- Keyword replies (the keywords add-on, $20 a month) answer C and R with the automatic texts above. Any other reply, such as "Can I come at 3 instead?", goes to the inbox for a person to answer.
- The shared reply inbox ($12.49 a month, included on Enterprise) collects every reply in one place, so you and your front desk staff can answer from the business number. Staff members see the inbox once you, the account owner, turn that on.
- STOP replies are handled automatically. A customer who opts out receives no further texts from your number.
Our page on two-way texting shows how replies and the shared inbox work.
How to measure your appointment texts
Use your own booking records to see whether the texts are helping.
- Unconfirmed appointments. Each morning, list the day's appointments with no confirmation, and call those customers.
- Missed appointments per month. Compare the count for a few months before and after you start sending confirmation requests.
- Rebooked visits. Count how many missed appointments were rebooked within two weeks of the missed-appointment text.
- Replies and opt-outs. Note questions that come up more than once, and add the missing detail to your template. Count STOP replies, and shorten or rewrite any text that draws them.
Appointment texts sit next to payment texts for many businesses. Our payment and service reminder texts cover friendly reminders about invoices and services that are coming due.
Set up your appointment texts
Start with the booking confirmation and the missed-appointment text, then add confirmation requests once replies are being answered. Start a CampaignCNX+ business trial. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month. Carrier review of a new toll-free number usually takes about three business days, so set up your account a few days before you want the texts to start.
