Most appointment reminders get ignored because they read like a receipt. No name, no warmth, and nothing to actually do. A reminder that gets answered does three things: it sounds like a person, it is short, and it asks for one clear reply.
Sound like a person
Use the patient first name and the clinic name. Skip the all caps and the robotic phrasing. Compare these two:
- APPOINTMENT REMINDER: You have an appointment on 05/14. Reply to confirm.
- Hi Robin, this is Bayview Dental. We have you booked Thursday at 2. Reply YES to confirm or MOVE to pick a new time.
The second one gets answered because it feels like a message from a human who knows who they are texting.
Ask for one thing
Every reminder should have a single, obvious action. Confirm, or move. When you give people a clean choice they respond, and you learn days ahead of time whether the chair is going to be empty. A wall of information with no ask just gets a shrug.
Keep it CASL clean
In Canada, texting patients means following CASL. The short version for a clinic:
- You need consent, and an existing patient relationship usually covers appointment messages.
- Every message needs to identify who it is from and how to reach you.
- Every message needs a clear way to opt out, and a STOP has to actually stop the texts.
This is exactly the kind of thing that is easy to get wrong by hand and easy to get right when the software handles it for you. Ollo builds the sender details and the opt-out into every message, checks consent before it sends, and honors a STOP the moment it arrives, so your team can write like a human without worrying about the rules.
Want a fuller schedule without the busywork?
Ollo handles the reminders, the call list, and the refill so your front desk does not have to.