Struggling to put an end to no-shows? Tired of the back-and-forth involved in rescheduling appointments?
Looking for a scheduling app that integrates with your Google and Outlook calendars? Want an app that automates your appointments and gives you timely reminders without fail?
GReminders solves all these problems with you with one simple, efficient app. Try it out, let it handle your appointment reminders, and get freed up to focus on your company’s growth. Users around the world tell us that they find our dynamic and responsive reminder system “easy to use”. This ease-of-use, popularity, and ability of the GReminders app to responsibly take care of your scheduling troubles make it one of the best appointment reminder software on the market today.
The app stands out with multiple features. One of them is the reminder system that is fully automated. Once set up, it intelligently delivers reminders to you, your clients, colleagues, and staff based on your preferences. Then we have the open-source Liquid Template language around which we have developed our reminder templates. The feature lets you add variables to personalize your messages. Then, of course, the smart app forwards email and text message responses to you so that you never miss out on them. Another key feature you might like: your email address is used as the reply-to address when sending out email reminders.
GReminders is a tried-and-tested app that turns messy scheduling tasks into a smooth process. So, what are you waiting for? If you are looking for the best reminder app available, keep reading and I think you’ll be convinced that GReminders is hard to beat.
Reminders
While most scheduling applications include reminders, they are generally very limited in how you can use them.
Our philosophy is that a scheduled appointment has no value if the client fails to show up. So our primary focus is on developing a powerful reminder system that is both responsive and dynamic. We believe that what we have come up with is demonstrably the best appointment reminder app in the marketplace.
10 Reasons Why GReminders is the Best Reminder App
#1 Automated Intelligent Reminders
Our reminders system is entirely automated; once configured, reminders are automatically sent to clients, yourself, colleagues, and staff per your instructions. However, the system is not static but in constant communication with your Google or Outlook calendar, looking for any changes that may occur between the time the appointment was scheduled and takes place.
#2 Expandable Conditional Logic
GReminders allows users to create conditional logic statements (what we refer to in our reminders template as Custom Criteria) to control reminder triggering. The statements are expandable using the operators, “OR” that broadens the scope or, “AND”, which narrows the scope of the reminder.
Here is an example of using Expandable Conditional Logic when there are custom questions during scheduling that include, “What are you interested in discussing?” and “Would you like to receive information prior to your meeting?” :
(if) Event Title contains the word or phrase My Meeting
OR
(if) Calendar Name equals exactly Roger
AND
(if) Event Description contains the word or phrase Widgets
AND
(if) Event Description contains the word or phrase Send Info
The reminder sent out in this example would say something like this:
“Hi Thomas, in preparations for your meeting with Roger Thornhill at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, April 10, here is a link to an article on our Widgets that you may wish to read prior to your meeting. We look forward to your visit in a couple of days. https://mysite.com/widgets”
Using conditional logic means that custom questions asked during the scheduling process can be used to send customized reminders. Not only do you have the ability to remind clients of their upcoming appointments, but you can also offer information about specific products or services they are interested in discussing. Think how valuable that can be. You can read more about how to set this up, here.
#3 Liquid Template Rendering
We have developed our reminder templates around the open-source Liquid Template language. Using Liquid Template Language, you can add variables to personalize your messages (read more here). You can also include more complex statements that can show your appointment time as a time window instead of an exact time (read more here).
In the example below, a reminder triggers when appointments are scheduled at 4:00 PM or later.
Criteria-
(if) Event Start Time is on or after 4:00 PM
Send an SMS 2 hours prior to Appointment Start Time
Message –
{{invitee.firstname}}, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill {% if event.location == "" %} today at {{event.time}}. Directions: http://maps.google.com/maps?q={{"5432 Broadway, Mytown, CO 80104" | url_encode }} {% else %} {% assign hour_time = event.date_time_advanced | date: "%H" %}{% assign hour_time_short = hour_time | plus: 1 %} today. Because of possible traffic delays, he will plan to arrive between {{event.date_time_advanced | date: "%l:%M%P" }} and {% if hour_time_short < 12 %}{{hour_time_short}}am{% elsif hour_time_short == 12 %}12pm{%else%}{{ hour_time_short | minus: 12 }}pm{%endif%} at {{event.location}} {% endif %}
Our system renders the Liquid Template Language when sending the text message (it looks complicated, but we share much of the code with you in our weekly articles that you can just cut and paste into your reminder templates).
If the meeting was scheduled outside the office it would render this message:
Thomas, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill today. Because of possible traffic delays, he will plan to arrive between 4:00 pm and 5 pm at 123 Main St. Yourtown, CO 80104
If the client chose to meet in Roger’s office, it would render this message, complete with a link to Google maps (our system automatically shortens the URL):
Thomas, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill today at 4:00 pm. Directions: https://greminders.com/l/xyxyx
As you see, using Liquid Template language, the same reminder can communicate completely different messages depending on the particular circumstances.
#4 Reply Forwarding
GReminders forwards email and text message replies to you. When sending an email reminder your email address is automatically the reply-to address.
However, with text messaging, it is not possible to include your phone number for replies, and most reminder apps do not offer replies at all.
GReminders is different. Our system will forward your client’s reply to you so you can respond using your phone or email. Let’s say you ask your client to confirm an appointment, but instead of typing “YES,” the client replies, “Yes, but I will be about 15 late if that’s ok”.
This is the reply you would receive:
Re: Thomas Jones for Meeting with Roger Thornhill Friday, November 12, 2021 @ 1:00pm MST (1 hr) – Customer Replied with “Yes, but I will be about 15 minutes late if that’s ok”. You can reply to them directly at: 15553331212
So you now have the information and a phone number to reply to your client directly. Whenever a reply contains the word “Yes” you will receive a notification and a checkmark will appear on your calendar event (if you have selected the “Writeback to Calendar” option.
Note: SMS replies are available in the U.S., Canada, and selected countries. Please contact us to learn if they are available where you live.
#5 Real-Time Calendar Syncing
GReminders communicates directly with your Google or Outlook calendar. So whether a client schedules an appointment using our online scheduling app or you put the meeting on your calendar yourself, the system responds the same way.
Real-Time Calendar Syncing is also a powerful feature to use to ensure clients receive pertinent reminders. For example, let’s say you require new clients to complete a New Client Questionnaire prior to their first meeting with you. If you don’t receive the form before their appointment, they will need to arrive 15 minutes early to complete it.
In the following example, the initials QR (Questionnaire Received) are added to a calendar event description to denote that the client has completed the questionnaire.
A reminder scheduled 2 days prior to the appointment might include a link to the form:
Reminder, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, May 30. Please be sure to complete the following questionnaire prior to your arrival: http://greminders.com/xyxyxyx
A second reminder is scheduled to go out 2 hours prior to the appointment with the following Liquid Template Language:
{{ event.title | split: ” ” | first }}, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill {% if event.description contains “QR” %} today at {{event.time}}. Click here for directions to our offices: http://maps.google.com/maps?q={{ event.location | url_encode }}{% else %} today at {{event.time}}. Please be sure to arrive 15 minutes early to complete the necessary forms prior to your meeting with Roger. Click here for directions to our offices: http://maps.google.com/maps?q={{ event.location | url_encode }} {% endif %}
If QR was not found in the calendar event description, the following message would be sent:
Thomas, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill today at 11:00 am. Please be sure to arrive 15 minutes early to complete the necessary forms prior to your meeting with Roger. Click here for directions to our offices: https://greminders.com/l/LkrB0zkD
However, if at any time before the second reminder is sent, you add the initials QR to the description, GReminders’ Real-Time Calendar Syncing will change the message the client receives to the following:
Thomas, you have an appointment with Roger Thornhill today at 11:00 am. Click here for directions to our offices: https://greminders.com/l/LkrB0zkD
How do you make sure that you update the calendar before the second reminder goes out? Easy, just send a personal reminder to yourself or an assistant to confirm if the New Client Questionnaire has been received before the client reminder is sent. All of this can be completely automated. GReminders has you covered!
Note: Instead of using Liquid Template Language in the message, you could also create two separate reminder templates using custom criteria, one where “Event Description contains the word or phrase QR” and another where “Event Description does not contain the word or phrase QR”. Either way works equally well.
#6 Google and Outlook Contact Matching
Do you have a list of contacts in your Google or Outlook contacts to which you regularly send reminders? If you enable contact matching, our system will automatically match a person’s name in a calendar event with the person in your contacts. You can read more about contact matching here.
#7 Dynamic Keyword Triggering
This is a powerful feature you can use to instantly communicate with a group of people inside or outside your company. Create a list of phone numbers associated with a Keyword. Create a reminder associated with the keyword. When you put that single word on your calendar, everyone associated with the keyword will receive the reminder. You can learn more about creating keywords here.
#8 Multiple Delivery Options
GReminders can send reminders by email, SMS text, or even Voice. You can also allow your clients to choose their preferences. Read more about that here.
#9 Unmatched Customer Service
We take customer service very seriously at GReminders and constantly strive to be the best in the industry. We offer customer service by email, phone, or one-on-one Zoom meetings or group webinars. It does not matter the size of your company or which of our plans you have subscribed to; we will do our best to help.
#10 A Plan for Every Size Business
Greminders users come from a wide variety of industries and all sizes of companies. We have plans for everyone, from free, to custom plans for very large organizations.
If you are looking for the best reminder app, I hope the top ten reasons listed above will firmly convince you that GReminders is the one to choose. If you have any needs that weren’t covered in the article, we would love to hear from you. You can write us at [email protected]
If you would like help setting up your reminders, don’t hesitate to schedule a call with one of our Customer Success Representatives.
Finally, if you agree that GReminders is the best reminder app, share this article with others on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
Happy Scheduling!