Keep Your Clients On Track With Timely Appointment Reminders

Do all of your massage therapy clients show up for the scheduled appointments or do some of them leave you hanging? Don’t let no-shows turn your fully filled schedule into a series of missed opportunities. Use appointment reminders to prevent no-shows and keep your schedule full.

A well-executed reminder program will help your clients remember to keep their appointments and gives you time to book someone else if they choose to cancel. 

By reducing or eliminating no-shows at your massage therapy business, you’ll..

• Increase your revenue
• Improve your appointment utilization
• Maximize your and your staff’s productivity
• Keep your clients’ treatment plans on track

Take back control of your schedule and reduce no-shows with a dedicated, easy-to-use reminder program ClinicSense’s automated email and text reminders. Skip the no-shows and watch your business grow.

Use the following tips to manage your appointment reminders and take better care of your clients and your bottom line. 

8 tips for an effective appointment reminder program

1. Set aside time to send reminders
   If you want to make an impact on your no-show rates by using reminders, then you have to commit time each day to your reminder process. The amount of time you or your staff spend processing reminders will depend on how you contact your clients and how many you have to contact. But, you should plan to set aside at least 15 minutes each day to complete reminder tasks.
   
   
2. Send more than one appointment reminder
   The more we are exposed to a piece of information, the more likely we are to remember it. While a single reminder may help reduce your no-show rates, you will have even better luck if you send multiple reminders. Just don’t send them all on the same day.
   
   
3. Send an early reminder to avoid last-minute openings in your schedule
   Send your first reminder a week to ten days prior to your client’s scheduled appointment. This first reminder should give both you and the client plenty of time to make alternate plans if they have a scheduling conflict. Although your goal when sending your reminder isn’t for clients to cancel their appointments, if they are going to cancel, it’s better for you to find out sooner rather than later.
   
   
4. Send a day-before reminder to keep your appointment top of mind
   One day before their scheduled appointment, send your clients another reminder to jog their memory and make sure they show up on time. Hopefully, your first reminder was effective and few of your clients will ask to cancel when you contact them this second time. If a lot of your clients do ask to cancel at this stage, remind them of your cancellation policy.
   
   
5. Use your client’s preferred method to contact them
   During your client intake process, find out what their preferred method of contact for reminders is. Some of your clients may prefer a phone call or email, but many are likely to prefer text messaging. Whenever possible, encourage texting. Studies show that consumers respond to almost 100% of the text messages they receive, usually within an hour or less!
   
   
6. Be professional and prepared
   Your reminder is not just a nudge to make sure your clients show up for their appointments. It is also another opportunity for you to deliver extraordinary customer service. If you plan to call your clients to remind them about their appointments, prepare a script that sounds courteous and professional. Have your scheduling app or calendar on hand in case you need to rebook someone. Don’t try to make your reminder calls while running errands or working on other tasks. Create templates for your email or text reminders and check them carefully for grammar or spelling errors.
   
   
7. Ask your clients to respond to your reminders
   Whether you call your clients and speak to them in person, leave a voice message, send an email or a text, include a request for a reply. For email and text messages, include a link or button that they can easily use to confirm their appointment or request that it be rescheduled. Also, include a link to or a summary of your cancellation policy and your phone number in case they need to discuss their appointment.
   
   
8. Automate your reminder program
   Making dozens of phone calls or keeping track of a series of emails and texts plus replies can take up a lot of your time. But, that’s no reason to avoid using reminders. You can save time and still keep your clients on track by automating your reminder process. An automated appointment reminder system enables you to schedule when and what type of reminder your clients will receive with just a few steps. 

Appointment reminders will help keep your clients and your revenue on track

Having a steady stream of clients booking appointments for your massage therapy practice is a measurable sign of success. But, your business won’t reap the benefits of that success until those bookings become billables. 

Take back control of your schedule and reduce no-shows with a dedicated, easy-to-use reminder program ClinicSense’s automated email and text reminders. Skip the no-shows and watch your business grow.