A guide to sending the perfect meeting reminder every time
You might be wondering, “What do I need with an automated meeting reminders solution?” The modern world pulls us in more directions than ever before. More businesses are competing for everyone’s time and attention in more ways than in years past. As a result, companies must become savvier by the day at winning that attention. Coupled with the extraordinary demands of everyday life, it’s a wonder anyone remembers their obligations and appointments at all!
If you’re struggling with clients and/or staff forgetting about their meetings with you, automated meeting reminders are a must-have for your business operations.
What are Meeting Reminders?
Meeting reminders are email, SMS or phone messages sent in advance of the event time, to remind attendees of the upcoming meeting. They can be as simple as sending a Zoom link a few minutes before the meeting begins. Or they can be as specific as sending forms, questionnaires and documents to attendees based on the meeting’s purpose. Automating this process can not only save you time and money, but it can drastically reduce your no-show rate.
Types of Meeting Reminders
Deciding on meeting reminders that are right for you can be tricky. The tone can be formal or informal depending on your business, your customers, and the matter at hand. Whatever suits your style, there are several other factors you should consider.
Firstly, your reminders should be tailored to the needs of your business and your customer base. That is, you should be able to customize your reminders based on criteria you yourself are able to set. For example, a message to a repeat customer might sound different than a reminder that’s addressing a new one. Keep that in mind as you create your meeting reminders.
Secondly, you need to consider the purpose of the reminder. Are you asking for a confirmation that they’ll still be there tomorrow? Reminding them that the meeting starts in 10? Following up after the meeting to ask for a review? The reason for the message matters.
Finally, think about what makes the most sense in terms of timing. Does a 24-hour reminder seem sufficient, or should you remind them again an hour before the meeting starts? Do you want to send requests for confirmation all on a Saturday so that you know what the week ahead will look like? If you haven’t heard back from clients in a timely manner, do you want to gently nudge them once more? Your meeting reminder system should be flexible enough to meet any and all use cases you can imagine.
Regardless of your business type, SMS reminders are more effective at cutting through the noise than email reminders. Robotic voice call reminders are also very effective. Your reminder solution should offer you all of these options.
Best Practices to keep in mind when writing Meeting Reminders
Get the Timing Right
In a recent survey of GReminders users, we found that the most common and effective way to remind individuals was by sending two SMS text reminders: a 24-hour reminder requesting confirmation, and a second reminder that is sent either the morning of the appointment (for in-person appointments) or, if you are meeting with clients online using Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, etc., you should send a reminder within 15 minutes of the meeting and include the online meeting link.
Another setup is sending an initial message when an appointment is scheduled in addition to the above-mentioned suggestion, as a way to confirm that the meeting has been set. Feel free to experiment with timing to find what’s right for your business.
Include the Important Stuff and Make it Brief and Succinct
Who? What? When? Where? Why? Be sure to communicate all relevant details in your meeting reminder messages.
Personalize your Reminders
People like to be made to feel special. Using a person’s first name in your meeting reminder message to them can help to accomplish this.
Strike the Right Tone with Conversational Language
When composing your meeting reminders, you should aim to sound professional but approachable. Ensure your customer feels comfortable enough to cancel if they can’t make the meeting. In short, receiving notice that your customer needs to cancel is much better than getting ghosted.
How Automation helps in decreasing No-Shows
Simply put, creating an automated system that reminds customers or staff of meetings will save you time and money. Sending a meeting reminder asking clients to confirm their attendance makes them more likely to remember their appointment with you. This also gives you greater peace of mind. And sending prospects or clients important info ahead of the meeting, like online meeting links or directions to the office, will help ensure they are in the right place at the right time. It just makes sense!
CRM Integration
For those businesses that are using a CRM, integration with your meeting reminder software makes the process even easier. For example, if you use HubSpot, you can now integrate HubSpot with GReminders for even easier meeting reminder automation. The same is true for GReminders integration with SalesForce. Finally, if your CRM isn’t listed here, let GReminders know what CRM you would like our software to integrate with here.
Meeting Reminder Templates
A request for confirmation SMS:
Don’t forget – you have an appointment for a {{event.title}} at {{event.time}} on {{event.date}}. Please Reply YES to confirm or call {{user.phone}} to reschedule. Looking forward to seeing you!
A request for confirmation email:
Hello {{invitee.firstname}},
Reminder, you have an appointment with {{company.name}} at {{event.time}} on {{event.date}}. To confirm, please reply to this email or go to {{event.confirmlink}}. You can also call {{user.phone}} to reschedule.
Kind Regards,
{{user.firstname}} {{user.lastname}}
{{user.email}}
{{company.name}}
A general meeting reminder SMS with driving directions:
Reminder, you have an appointment with {{user.firstname}} {{user.lastname}} at {{event.time}} today. Directions: https://maps.google.com/maps?q={{ event.location | url_encode }}
These are just a few samples. For a more extensive library of Greminders templates, click here.
Meeting Reminder FAQ
Click the questions below for links to answers to these Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I get reminders for team meetings?
Can Zoom send reminder emails for meetings?
How do you send a meeting reminder via SMS?
What is an example of a reminder?
Ways to write a gentle reminder message
Have other questions? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.
Be sure to sign up for a complimentary one-on-one system setup with a GReminders Customer Success Representative when you sign up for your free trial. You’ll learn about the software’s features and how our program can drastically reduce your no-shows. Just click Try it Free below.
Happy Scheduling!