Feature Request: Two text message reminders instead of one via text message and one via email.

[MarkJH]

The title of this thread has been edited from the original: Two text message reminders rather than one in appointments.

In the communication preferences, there is the option to remind the client twice before their appointment. 

Currently we can select either one text message or one email reminder prior to the appointment.

We would like to request the feature to have text message options for both reminders.

In our case, the first would be to notify the client of their appointment before the cancellation window, this way they can change without being charged.

The second reminder is two hours before their appointment, also as text message to remind them their appointment is coming up.

It isn’t viable for us to have either of these options as emails as our clients may not check their email regularly, the email may go to spam etc.

Text message appointments remind and ensure the client can reschedule their appointment if they need to outside the cancellation window, so they are not charged. But a text two hours prior notifies them in case they have forgotten or something has come to let us know as soon as possible so we can fill their appointment with another client. 

We would appreciate if you could add the feature for two text message reminders as it’s most effective and efficient for successful operations of our business and hopefully many others.

Thank you

[Katie_SQ]

Hi @MarkJH!

Thanks for reaching out. 

You're able to set up two text message notifications to notify your client before the cancellation window (a confirmation text message), and again 2 hours before their appointment (a reminder text message). Your client will always receive a text message when the appointment is first booked, so these confirmation and reminder text messages serve as additional touch points before the appointment takes place. Here's how to set it up:  

1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard (via a web browser on a computer is preferred) and go to Payments > Appointments > Settings > Communications.
2. Under Confirmations, toggle on Send my client a confirmation request.
3. Set the confirmation method to Text message.
4. Set the reminder notification time to 2 days prior to the appointment (or before the end of your cancellation period).
5. Under Reminders, toggle on Send my client a text message reminder.
6. Set the notification time to 2 hours prior to the appointment.
7. Click Save. 

Please see my screenshot below for reference: 




Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know. 😊

[MarkJH]

Hi Katie,

That's great help, we didn't know we could amend the confirmation request.

If we copy and paste the reminder messages into the confirmation request, will this still work?

Thank you very much

[Katie_SQ]

Hi @MarkJH,

It's not recommended to copy/paste the text message reminder content into the confirmation request area, as the confirmation request message is used to prompt the client to confirm their appointment. If a client hasn’t confirmed by the time a reminder is scheduled, the system will resend the confirmation request within the reminder message.

[MarkJH]

Hi Katie, thank you for your response.

What we were requesting is the feature to send two text message reminders while having the confirmation request toggle off. Based on client feedback and our own experiences with businesses, it can be a little irritating having the business adding an additional step the customer needs to do before the appointment. The "Y/N" format can also be ambiguous leaving the customer uncertain what to do next, does it allow for the possibility of rescheduling? Do they need more details or to ask questions about the appointment. This is unnecessary time and work the client and the business.
If a client needs to reschedule they can simply be reminded 2 days prior with the text (as they are now), then the final text reminder text 2 hours before their appointment. 

We have found this works best, but being able to send the appointment reminder by text 2 hours prior is the most logical and efficient. 

The confirmation request is a feature we do not need, especially that it is not advised to change the contents of the message.

[Katie_SQ]

Hi @MarkJH,
 

Thank you for your detailed feedback and suggestions. 

To clarify, while you can edit the content of the confirmation request message, it's not recommended to modify the dynamically generated information, such as {{business.name}} or {{reservation.date_start_minimal}}.

If you avoid removing any dynamically generated information, you can make the confirmation request copy the same as the text message reminder copy. However, the bottom line with the system-generated confirm and modify links will remain unchanged:

"Hi {{client.informal_name}}, your appointment with {{business.name}} on {{reservation.date_start_minimal}} at {{reservation.time_start}} is coming up.

Confirm: [confirmation URL] Modify: [booking details URL]"

You could also consider adding additional text to clarify that no further action is required or to prompt customers to call if they need to cancel, if that's your preferred method:

"Hi {{client.informal_name}}, this is a reminder that your appointment with {{business.name}} on {{reservation.date_start_minimal}} at {{reservation.time_start}} is coming up. If unable to attend, please call [phone number]. Please do not reply via this text service.

Confirm: [confirmation URL] Modify: [booking details URL]"

Appreciate that the presence of these confirm/modify links in the confirmation request may not align with your preferences, but adjusting the copy slightly could serve as a temporary workaround to avoid confusion. In this case, I've moved your post back to the Feature Request Board for Square Appointments where our Product Team has visibility over these threads, making it the best place to highlight the need for this type of functionality. If there are any updates on this in the future, a Community Moderator will reply back here.

Thank you again for sharing your insights!