{"id":1248,"date":"2016-05-09T14:52:29","date_gmt":"2016-05-09T14:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.setmore.com\/blog\/?p=1248"},"modified":"2025-06-24T14:13:39","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T08:43:39","slug":"businesses-use-sms-appointment-reminders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.setmore.com\/blog\/businesses-use-sms-appointment-reminders\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Businesses Should Use SMS Appointment Reminders"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the past decade, the single biggest change to the way we do business has been the growth of mobile use. That means businesses have had to change the way they reach their customers. If 79% of Americans check their phones within fifteen minutes of waking up and check their phones on average 150 times per day, it\u2019s no mystery that businesses are concentrating on how to best reach clients on their mobiles.<\/p>\n

Did you know that texting is the most frequently used data service<\/a> in the world, ahead of Facebook and email? While nearly 100% of text messages are opened within the first three minutes of being received, over two-thirds of emails are never even opened. Customer outreach and service via phone calls also shows abysmal success rates.<\/p>\n

Given all this, it\u2019s clear that texting can deliver great results. So, how can you best use texting to communicate with your customers? In this article I will focus on (you guessed it!) appointment reminders.<\/p>\n

Missed appointments have a negative impact on your business. The time wasted waiting around for a no-show could have been used cultivating another lead or attending another patient or client. Nobody likes to waste time or lose money. Texting can help reduce the number of missed appointments. Here are some case studies and tips on reaching out to customers via text:<\/p>\n

Healthcare<\/b><\/p>\n

The United States healthcare system claims that missed appointments cost an estimated $150 billion a year to health care centers. A study<\/a> at a family practice in Colorado showed that sending appointment reminders via text reduced the number of missed appointments by an impressive 40%.<\/p>\n

For health care concerns, text messaging specialists say best practice is sending the text around 6pm the night before their appointment. It\u2019s enough time for customers to organize their schedule so as not to miss the appointment and close enough for them not to forget.<\/p>\n

Experts also suggest that you stress the importance of the appointment for customers\u2019 health. For example, for a prenatal appointment, you could include a statistic on how prenatal care improves the baby\u2019s and mother\u2019s health. Also wording is key. Use phrases like, \u201cDon\u2019t forget,\u201d \u201cBe sure to,\u201d or \u201cImportant reminder,\u201d to stress the urgency of the appointment.<\/p>\n

Property Leasing<\/b><\/p>\n

Marketplace Homes<\/a>, a property leasing and management company, was having trouble with clients keeping their appointments. They managed an average of 15 appointments per day with phone calls and voicemail. They discovered that people don\u2019t listen to their voicemail messages. They adopted a texting service in order to reach their clients about appointment reminders.<\/p>\n

With voicemail, they had a 25% appointment confirmation rate. Once they switched to SMS reminders, their confirmation rate went up to 85%! Their automated texting reminders also saved each of the leasing agents about half an hour per day that was previously spent on leaving voicemails. They reported being able to \u201cbetter plan our days and accommodate drop-ins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Automotive<\/b><\/p>\n

In an interview<\/a> with Dealer Marketing Magazine, Scott Pechstein, Vice President of Sales for Autobytel recommends auto dealerships to use texts to send appointment reminders and give status updates on their car service. He and Jim Jensen, Senior Director of Product Management for Auto Point both agree that texting is a valuable tool when dealing with millennials. Businesses need to mimic the habits of the clients they\u2019re serving and if millennials and other demographics are using texting more frequently than other communication channels, then businesses need to follow suit. And Jim Roche, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Managed Services for Xtime warns that dealerships \u201climit themselves by not embracing modern technology and tools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takeaway Tips:<\/b><\/p>\n

Text messaging can be a great addition to online appointment scheduling software for any business that keeps appointments:<\/p>\n