How long should an appointment reminder text be?

160 characters or fewer, so it goes as one text. Leave out emoji and curly quote marks, which cut the limit to 70.

When should I send an appointment reminder?

The day before suits most appointments. If you ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel, send it two days before, and add a second reminder 2 hours before for long appointments.

Do I need consent to send appointment reminders?

Not marketing consent. The ICO treats routine customer service messages as outside direct marketing. Collect the number fairly and say you'll use it for reminders.

Can I put an offer in a reminder text?

Then it includes marketing, and the marketing rules apply to it, including consent. Send offers separately, only to people who agreed to them.

Why did my reminder cost two texts?

It ran over 160 characters, or it had an emoji, a curly quote mark or certain accented letters in it, which drop the limit to 70.

Guide5 October 20266 minute read

Appointment reminder texts: 10 templates to copy

A good reminder text says who it's from, what the appointment is, when, and what to do if they can't come, all in one text. Send it the day before. Here are ten to copy, each short enough to cost a single text.

Matt Suckling

Director, FullDiary

A phone's lock screen the day before an appointment: a text reminder from FullDiary and the reminder email from Marlow Street Barbers

A reminder email open on a phone: the appointment time and the barber, with Manage appointment and Get directions buttons

Most people who miss an appointment didn't mean to. They forgot. One text the day before fixes most of that, costs pennies, and gives the people who really can't come an easy way to tell you while there's still time to fill the slot.

When to send a reminder

The day before works for most shops. It's close enough to be remembered and early enough for a cancellation to be useful to you.
Two days before if your cancellation policy asks for 48 hours' notice. Remind them before the window closes, not after it.
Two hours before as a second nudge for long or expensive appointments, or for a customer who has missed one before.
At a sensible hour. Daytime or early evening, never first thing in the morning or late at night.

If you ask for notice, the reminder is also the moment to say so. Our cancellation policy guide has wording for that.

Salon cancellation policy: a template you can copy

What every reminder needs

Who it's from, first. Lots of customers won't have your number saved, so start with your business name.
What and when: the service, the day and the time. "Tomorrow" is fine the day before.
Where, if you have more than one place, or you go to them.
What to do if they can't make it: ring, reply or use the link in their confirmation. Make cancelling easy and they'll cancel instead of not turning up.

Ten reminder texts to copy

Swap the brackets for your own details. With a normal shop name, service and phone number, each one fits in a single text. Type them in a plain text box rather than a word processor, so no curly quote marks sneak in.

The day before: "[Shop]: hi [Name], a reminder of your [service] tomorrow at [time]. Can't make it? Ring [number] so we can offer it to someone else."
Two days before, with a 48 hour policy: "[Shop]: hi [Name], your [service] is on [day] at [time]. If you need to move it, please let us know before [time] tomorrow. Thanks!"
Two hours before: "[Shop]: see you at [time] for your [service], [Name]. Running late? Just ring [number]."
A first visit: "[Shop]: hi [Name], looking forward to your first visit tomorrow at [time]. We're at [address]. Any questions, ring [number]."
A regular: "Hi [Name], it's [your name] at [Shop]. See you tomorrow at [time] for the usual. Let me know if anything changes."
A deposit still to pay: "[Shop]: hi [Name], your [service] is tomorrow at [time]. Your [amount] deposit is still to pay: ring [number] or pay when you arrive."
A mobile visit: "[Shop]: hi [Name], [your name] will be with you tomorrow at [time] for your [service]. Please ring [number] if anything changes."
A patch test: "[Shop]: hi [Name], a reminder of your patch test tomorrow at [time]. It takes 5 minutes and needs doing at least 48 hours before your colour."
Something to prepare: "[Shop]: hi [Name], your lashes are booked for tomorrow at [time]. Please come with no eye make-up on so we can start straight away."
A class: "[Shop]: hi [Name], your place on [class] is tomorrow at [time]. Can't come? Please cancel so someone on the waiting list can have it."

Change the patch test one to match your own rule. The 48 hours is the usual for hair dye; our patch test guide explains where it comes from.

Hair dye patch test: the rules for salons

Keeping it to one text

A single text holds 160 characters. Go one over and the message is sent in parts of 153 characters each, and most providers charge for every part, so 161 characters costs the same as two texts.

Emoji cut the limit to 70. One emoji switches the whole message to a different character set, and a 100 character reminder with a smiley on the end becomes two texts.
So do curly quote marks and some accented letters, often pasted in from a word processor without anyone noticing.
Links are long. A booking link can use half a text on its own. Leave it out unless they need it; the confirmation email already has one.

Email or text?

Both, if you can. An email has room for everything: the address, directions, your cancellation policy and a button to manage the booking. A text is short, but it lands on the lock screen. Plenty of shops use the email as the full reminder and the text as the nudge.

Do reminder texts need consent?

Not marketing consent. The ICO's guidance on electronic marketing says routine customer service messages don't count as direct marketing, and a reminder about an appointment someone booked is exactly that.

The catch is anything extra. Add "10% off a facial while you're here!" and the ICO says the message includes marketing material, so the marketing rules apply to it. Keep reminders to the reminder. You still need the phone number fairly: ask for it when they book and say you'll use it for reminders.

Reminders with FullDiary

Reminder emails on every plan, free included. Under Your shop, Booking rules, pick the day before (the default), the day before and 2 hours before, or two days and the day before.
Reminder texts on Pro: 50 texts a month for each person on the plan. They're off until you switch them on, with the same choice of times, and go only to customers who gave a phone number.
Always one text. It names your shop, the service and the time and asks them to let you know if they can't make it. It comes from FullDiary as the sender, so your shop's name leads the message, and it carries no link, so it never runs to two texts. The detail is in the email.
Your own words in the email. Under Your shop, Emails, write the reminder's subject and message, with the customer's first name, the service and the time filled in for you. The text keeps its standard wording.
Never to a cancelled booking. Everything is checked again at the moment of sending.
Need more texts? On Pro you can buy packs of 100, 500 or 1,000 extra texts, and they never expire.

Reminder emails are free on every plan; texts come with Pro.

Reminders, rebooking nudges and review asks

Sources

Routine customer service messages and when marketing rules apply, from the Information Commissioner's Office.

ICO: electronic and telephone marketing

The 160 and 70 character limits, and how longer texts are split.

Twilio: what is the SMS character limit?

This guide is general information, not legal advice.

Questions people ask

How long should an appointment reminder text be?: 160 characters or fewer, so it goes as one text. Leave out emoji and curly quote marks, which cut the limit to 70.
When should I send an appointment reminder?: The day before suits most appointments. If you ask for 48 hours' notice to cancel, send it two days before, and add a second reminder 2 hours before for long appointments.
Do I need consent to send appointment reminders?: Not marketing consent. The ICO treats routine customer service messages as outside direct marketing. Collect the number fairly and say you'll use it for reminders.
Can I put an offer in a reminder text?: Then it includes marketing, and the marketing rules apply to it, including consent. Send offers separately, only to people who agreed to them.
Why did my reminder cost two texts?: It ran over 160 characters, or it had an emoji, a curly quote mark or certain accented letters in it, which drop the limit to 70.