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Appointment Notifications + Messages
Appointment Notifications + Messages

This article covers automating notifications to boost efficiency and reduce no-shows with email and SMS appointment reminders.

Michael Stephenson avatar
Written by Michael Stephenson
Updated over a week ago

Overview

Automated appointment notifications save you time by increasing workflow efficiency and reduce the risk of no-shows by reminding your invitees of their upcoming appointments.

Notification Settings

Notification settings are configured at the availability level, allowing you to control the sender name, sender email, reply email address, and SMS notification enablement. To access and modify these settings, navigate to the Appointment Settings > Availability.

ICS Attachments

An ICS file is attached to all notification emails sent to both hosts and invitees.

ICS files are used to share calendar event details, such as event times, locations, attendees, and other information, across different calendar applications and platforms. When you receive an ICS file attached to an email, you can import or open it in your calendar application (e.g., Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Microsoft Outlook). This allows the calendar event details to be added automatically to your calendar, saving you from manually entering the information.


Host Notifications

Confirmation Email

  • You, the host (internal user), are automatically sent an email after an appointment has been scheduled, updated, or canceled.

    • Emails are sent regardless of who performs the action (the invitee, you, or another internal user).

    • Emails include a link to conveniently manage your appointments.

    • Emails include an ICS file to add the appointment to your calendar.

Reminder Email

  • You are sent a reminder email one hour before the appointment is scheduled to begin.


Invitee Notifications

Confirmation Email + SMS

  • The invitee (contact) is automatically sent an email after their appointment has been scheduled, updated, or canceled.

    • To send an SMS confirmation in addition to the email, you must enable the SMS notification option in the settings for that specific availability.

    • Notifications are sent regardless of who performs the action (the invitee, you, or another internal user).

    • The scheduled and updated notifications both include links to update or cancel the appointment. The canceled notification provides a link to reschedule the appointment.

    • Emails include an ICS file to add the appointment to their calendar.

Reminder Email + SMS

  • The invitee is sent a reminder email one hour before the appointment is scheduled to begin. This ensures that the invitee is prepared and organized for their upcoming appointment.

    • To send an SMS reminder in addition to the email, you must enable the SMS notification option in the settings for that specific availability.

    • The reminder notification includes links to update or cancel the appointment.

    • Emails include an ICS file to add the appointment to your calendar.


Customizing Appointment Notifications + Messages

Currently, system appointment confirmation and reminder notifications cannot be customized. However, you can use tokens to reference upcoming appointments in Campaigns. This lets you send personalized one-time or ongoing communications through a Workflow to your appointment invitees.

Next Appointment Type

[appointment:next_appointment_type]

Next Appointment Date and Time

[appointment:next_appointment_datetime]

Next Appointment URL

[appointment:next_appointment_url]

Next Appointment Assignee

[appointment:next_appointment_assignee]

Each token includes additional scopes such as Appointment Type, Appointment Status, and Appointment Assignee.

These tokens reference future appointments. If the contact has no upcoming appointments, the token value will be blank.


The Appointments Module is included with the Element Engage package.


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