Missed appointments can be incredibly frustrating for businesses. After all, if someone misses a commitment and doesn’t let you know in advance, you may not have time to fill that time slot—which means you lose money.
No-shows occur in many industries. People often miss all kinds of appointments, from doctor’s visits to financial meetings to their regularly scheduled hair treatments. A recent study showed that, on average, 15.2% of healthcare appointments result in no-shows. Fortunately, there is a way to reduce the no-show rate—text reminders.
Common Reasons Why People Miss Their Appointments
Most people have the best intentions when they set an appointment. They genuinely do expect to turn up. However, life sometimes gets in the way, making it hard to get to everything we’ve planned. Here are three of the main reasons why people don’t show up for arrangements.
1. They Forgot
In today’s busy world, with everyone trying to manage so many different tasks simultaneously, it’s easy for some things to slip through the cracks. Nearly everyone has forgotten something important, so it’s understandable that people occasionally forget their appointments.
If someone doesn’t have a reminder that their appointment is coming up, they may forget it, especially if they didn’t write it down. We’ve all been there—you think you’ll remember something or find the time to make a note of it later, and then something else grabs your attention, and you discard that first thought. Memory problems also normally increase with age, so an extra nudge to remember consultation times is usually welcome.
2. There Was Some Miscommunication
Sometimes, things get lost in the communication process, especially if people only schedule appointments over a phone call and don’t have written confirmation of the time and date. They might have heard wrong, or perhaps they were only calling to get more information, not to schedule a session.
Either way, miscommunication can happen on both ends, so it’s always a good idea to send a follow-up message with all the necessary information. This way, your client can confirm their appointment details at any time.
3. Something Came Up
Finally, something could have happened to prevent the person from showing up. Maybe they had a dentist visit, but their tooth pain is gone. Perhaps they had a family emergency, or they got sick. Any number of things can cause someone to miss a prior arrangement.
Ideally, they would contact you to let you know that they can’t make it rather than just not showing up. However, if they don’t have a quick way to get in touch, they may put it off until it’s too late.
How Appointment Reminder Text Messages Reduce No-Shows
Missed appointments can harm a business’s bottom line, but most companies don’t have the resources to contact all their clients multiple times to ensure they are still on track for their session. Enter SMS reminders. They will send a timely appointment reminder to your client about their upcoming appointments. You can even set them up to enable two-way texting, allowing clients to let you know if they can’t make it, and the use of easy templates means you’re not stuck typing out the same message again and again.
Text reminders reduce no-show rates in the following ways:
1. They Remind People of Their Appointments
The most obvious way that text reminders help reduce no-shows is by reminding clients of their appointments. When people are busy working, managing their families and generally trying to cope with all the curveballs that life throws at them, a gentle reminder of their upcoming commitment can be incredibly helpful.
Many people appreciate a simple message that tells them what they need to know without them having to do anything from their side.
2. They’re Convenient
Text reminders are also a convenient way to let your clients know they have a session with you. You could call them to remind them, but they might be busy and unable to answer. You can email them, but many people only check their emails a few times daily.
On the contrary, the average American checks their phone nearly 150 times a day, so if you send a text, the chances are high that someone will see it quickly. Appointment reminders for healthcare allow clients to remember their commitment or let you know if they can’t make it.
3. They Allow for Connection
SMS reminders also allow you to connect with clients, especially if you use a service that allows you to customize messages. People who see a personalized message with their name might be more inclined to be on time for their appointment or, at the very least, let you know if they can’t make it.
Building a connection with your clients is vital for all industries, but the following niches in particular may benefit significantly from a text reminder feature:
- Cleaning
- Construction
- Healthcare
- Moving companies
- Restaurants
SMS Reminders FAQS
If you’re considering using a text appointment service, but you want to learn more, these commonly asked questions might help you understand the service better:
- Do appointment reminders help you save money? If customers don’t show up for appointments, even if you levy a missed appointment charge, you lose the money you would have made if they had arrived. Therefore, the fewer no-shows you have, the less profit you lose. Text reminder software is cost-effective and transparent, so it’s an affordable way of cutting down on missed appointments.
- Do appointment reminders work for productivity? You also need to remember that when you’ve blocked out a time slot for an appointment and a person doesn’t show up, you might not have anything else to do with that hour, so your productivity will decrease significantly. Having people show up to their appointments, on the other hand, increases productivity.
- How can you set appointment reminders? Depending on which service you use, you can easily integrate SMS reminders with your email, spreadsheets and CRM systems, making it easy to use.
Use Red Oxygen for Your Text Reminder Needs
With over 23 years in the SMS solution industry, Red Oxygen knows exactly what businesses need and how to help them achieve their goals. Our services allow you to easily send a text from a computer to any device, and we have multiple solutions available to suit your needs.
Alongside our SMS reminders, we also offer Bulk SMS to help you contact multiple clients at once. Unlike traditional bulk messaging, which often looks like spam accounts, our service allows you to customize messages to avoid getting blocked. Our SMS Gateway API helps you send texts internationally, so we’re your one-stop shop for all your client messaging needs. If you’re ready to take the next step in lowering the number of no-shows, request a demo to see how Red Oxygen can help you.
