When setting up your Appointment Reminders Campaign in Practice by Numbers, you can customize the SMS and email messages patients receive based on their appointment details and confirmation status.
Different message templates ensure patients receive the right communication at the right time while reducing unnecessary or duplicate notifications.
How to Access Appointment Reminder Message Templates
Click the Person icon in the navigation menu.
Select Campaigns.
Click Appointment Reminders.
Open your Follow-up Appointment Reminders Campaign.
Locate the SMS or Email step you want to customize and click Edit.
You'll see multiple message templates that are used based on the patient's appointment details and confirmation status.
The Save the Date Reminder is one example of how message selection works. Other messages throughout the campaign also include Single Patient and Multiple Patients (Family) options, letting you customize communication based on whether an appointment is for an individual patient or multiple family members scheduled on the same day.
Save the Date Reminders
Use Save the Date reminders when an appointment is first scheduled or when an existing appointment is rescheduled.
The message sent depends on whether the appointment is for a single patient or multiple family members.
Single Patient vs. Multiple Patients
Single Patient: A message is sent for an individual patient's appointment.
Multiple Patients (Family): When multiple family members have appointments scheduled for the same day, you can send a combined message instead of separate messages for each patient.
This reduces duplicate notifications and makes it easier for families to track upcoming appointments.
Appointment Date or Time Changes
If an appointment's date or time changes, use a separate message template to notify the patient of the updated details. This ensures patients are informed of scheduling changes and helps prevent confusion about their upcoming visit.
Single Patient Modified Message
Multiple Patients (Family) Modified Message
Appointment Reminder and Confirmation Messages
For subsequent steps in your campaign, the message depends on whether the patient has confirmed their appointment.
Confirmed Appointments
Patients who have already confirmed their appointments receive a reminder of their upcoming visit.
Since the appointment is already confirmed, the message serves as a reminder rather than requesting confirmation again.
Single Patient Reminder Message
Multiple Patients (Family) Reminder Message
Unconfirmed Appointments
Patients whose appointments aren't yet confirmed receive a message requesting confirmation of their upcoming visit.
These messages encourage patients to respond and help your practice identify appointments that still need confirmation.
Single Patient Confirmation Message
Multiple Patients (Family) Confirmation Message
Sending Reminders Only to Unconfirmed Appointments
Each campaign step also includes an option to send messages only to unconfirmed appointments.
When this option is enabled, the campaign step sends messages only for appointments that have not yet been confirmed.
This is useful when you want to focus on patients who still need to confirm their appointments without sending additional reminders to patients who have already confirmed.
Why Message Selection Matters
Using the appropriate message templates helps your practice:
Reduce duplicate notifications by combining messages for family members scheduled on the same day.
Keep patients informed when appointment dates or times change.
Personalize communication based on appointment confirmation status.
Improve confirmation workflows by focusing follow-up messages on patients who haven't confirmed yet.
Avoid unnecessary messages for patients who have already confirmed their appointments.
By understanding how these message templates work, you can customize your Follow-up Appointment Reminders Campaign to deliver timely, relevant communication while creating a better experience for your patients.