An effective appointment reminder system must be integrated into your business. It’s not optional but compulsory. Any business firm that doesn’t pay enough attention to its appointment reminding channels eventually suffers.
Whether you are in the financial, real estate, or trades, own a spa, salon, or medical practice—once a customer books an appointment—you will need to remind them about the appointment at a set time beforehand.
By nature, customers tend to forget such appointments. That’s companies have to implement a proper appointment reminding strategy to grow their business. Start using an automated and dedicated appointment reminding system for this purpose.
You can opt for GReminders for maximum effectiveness and conversion. The app not only ensures proper confirmation of all appointments but also includes appointment reminder templates to get the attention of your clients.
Should You Go for Email, Voice, or SMS Client Reminders?
Choosing the wrong mode of appointment reminders can backfire and may result in a loss of business opportunities.
You must take a lot of factors into consideration while deciding whether to use email or SMS client reminders in your appointment reminding system. Though each of these modes of business communication has its own merits, you should choose the one that suits your business needs.
Email Mode
Using email as an appointment reminder works well if you also wish to establish your brand credentials among your customers and clients.
However, using email reminders may not work in the case of busy clients or non-technical people who may not frequently check emails. Another disadvantage is if the appointment reminder goes into the customer’s spam folder, then it won’t serve any purpose.
Voice Calls
Voice calls are also effective for reminding customers about their forthcoming appointments. This type of reminder works well for the portion of the population that may not have a Smartphone. However, if clients are unable to receive calls while traveling or at work, then messages may not be conveyed.
SMS or Text Message for Appointment Reminder
SMS, however, still rules the roost when it comes to appointment-related communication. Unlike emails and voice calls, customers always find it easier to read out an SMS text as soon as it comes. That “ding” of a new text message grabs the attention of your client.
For example, in the US, most adults check their smartphones at least 50+ times a day. Thus, appointment reminders in the form of SMS messages are more likely to be read by customers.
For best results, every business firm needs to send their appointment reminders to their customers at staggered time slots. It creates a greater impact and helps your customers stay on track with their scheduled appointment.
Another vital statistic relating to SMS revealed that 84% of people check their smartphones at their office or while they work. So even people who are too busy may still have a glance at appointment reminders to know when they have to arrive.
SMS Client Reminders are the Best Mode of Appointment Reminder: Key Statistics
- Customers read more than 90%+ of SMS messages within seconds.
- Appointment reminders in the form of SMS/Text tend to have more than 53% response rate than voice calls.
- According to SMS Burp, around 30% of customers will respond to appointment-related text or SMS.
- SMS-based appointment reminders are more likely to be read by customers because SMS has an astonishing open rate of around 98%.
How to Send SMS-based Appointment Reminders to Clients
Using GReminders, you can send automated appointment reminders straight into your customers’ SMS inbox. All you have to do is set the timing in the reminder templates, create your message, and the system will automatically send in the background while you attend to other important business matters.
Soon, all your clients will receive personalized appointment-related alerts in their SMS inbox at frequent intervals.
GReminders is quick, result-oriented, and offers multiple templates to choose from. It helps your business soar to new heights, and you will reduce your no-shows.
Ideal Appointment Reminder System
No doubt, SMS is still the best mode of business-related communication with customers. It is quick, effective, and takes less time to read and respond to. However, before setting up your SMS appointment reminder alerts for your customers, you must take the following factors into consideration as well.
Frequency of Sending Appointment Alerts
Balance is the key. If you send too many alerts or appointment reminders to your customers, it can irritate them. Instead, send appointment reminders at intervals that you find work best for your business type. 24-hours prior, and an additional reminder 1-2 hours prior keeps it fresh in their mind. You can even send additional reminders based on whether your clients have confirmed with you.
Mode of Communication
As described above, sending appointment reminders over SMS tends to work more seamlessly than other modes of business-related communications. However, you also need to take into account who the customer is and what mode of communication will be most effective for them.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, your appointment reminder system has to be complete in all respects. It should be automated, fast, and must be able to send multiple appointment reminders to all your customers at a predetermined time.
It also helps to address your customers by using their first name, to keep it feeling personal, and keep your appointment reminders short, succinct, and courteous for maximum impact.
Note: New features now allow you to ask your clients which method of reminders they prefer to receive and then comply with their request. You can read more about how to set that up and listen to an actual voice message from our system, HERE.