Appointment reminders are the second-highest-ROI automation in SalesThumb after recurring service reminders. Shops that turn them on see no-shows drop from 8-12% to 2-4%. Here's the setup.
Step 1 — Confirm 10DLC is registered
Before any automated SMS will send, your number needs to be 10DLC-registered. If you haven't done this yet, see 10DLC registration. Without it, Twilio rejects automated messages and your reminders silently fail.
Step 2 — Open the reminder template editor
Settings → Automation → Appointment reminders. You'll see three default templates:
- Booking confirmation — sends immediately when a booking is created
- 24-hour reminder — sends ~24 hours before the appointment
- 2-hour reminder — sends ~2 hours before the appointment
Each template has:
- A subject (for email only)
- A body
- A toggle (on/off)
- A channel (SMS, email, or both)
Step 3 — Edit the templates
Use {{first_name}}, {{vehicle}}, {{appointment_time}}, {{service}}, {{shop_address}}, {{cancel_link}} as variables. They render at send-time with actual values.
Recommended templates:
Booking confirmation (SMS): "Hey {{first_name}}, you're booked for {{service}} on {{vehicle}} on {{appointment_time}} at {{shop_address}}. Reply STOP to opt out, or tap {{cancel_link}} to reschedule."
24-hour reminder (SMS): "Hi {{first_name}}, reminder you're booked tomorrow at {{appointment_time}} for {{service}}. {{shop_address}}. Need to change? {{cancel_link}}"
2-hour reminder (SMS): "{{first_name}}, see you in 2 hours for {{service}}. {{shop_address}}. Running late? Reply with your ETA."
Step 4 — Set quiet hours
Settings → Automation → Quiet hours. Default is 8am-9pm local time. Automated SMS never sends outside this window — a reminder scheduled for 7am gets held until 8am. Critical for STOP rate compliance and just basic respect for your customers.
Step 5 — Watch the dashboard
After turning on, watch the Automation dashboard for the first week:
- Send volume — should match your appointment volume
- Delivery rate — should be >95%
- STOP rate — should be under 1%. If higher, message frequency is too aggressive.
- No-show rate — should drop noticeably within 2 weeks
Common mistakes
- Both 24h AND 2h reminder on a same-day booking. A customer who books at 10am for a 2pm appointment gets the booking confirmation, then the 2-hour reminder, then the 24-hour reminder a day later for a past appointment. The system catches this and suppresses redundant ones, but double-check your logic.
- Reminder timing too early. A 24h reminder that fires at 6am for a noon appointment is annoying. Anchor to "morning of" rather than "exactly 24h prior" for early morning slots.
- Long marketing-style language. This is a reminder, not a campaign. Be brief.