Send a confirmation when they book, a reminder about 72 hours out, another 24 hours before, and a short one on the day. Enter your appointment below for the exact send times inside normal hours, then copy the wording that fits.
General information, not legal advice.
Updated 5 November 2026
The short version
Confirm at booking, remind about 72 hours out if they need to prepare, remind again 24 hours out and send a short note about two hours before. Texts should be under 160 characters, include a way to stop, and keep private detail out. State your cancellation window in the confirmation, so a late-cancellation or no-show fee is something the client already agreed to.
Reminder send-time calculator
Times are the clock time at the appointment, so there is no time zone to convert. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
Worked example: when each message goes out
An appointment on Thursday, November 12 at 2:00 pm, with sending hours of 8 am to 8 pm. The times below are computed by the same code as the calculator.
Reminder send times for a 2:00 pm appointment.
Message
Send at
Lead time
Note
First reminder
Mon Nov 9, 2:00 pm
72 hours before
as calculated
Second reminder
Wed Nov 11, 2:00 pm
24 hours before
as calculated
Day-of reminder
Thu Nov 12, 12:00 pm
2 hours before
as calculated
Early appointments need a decision. For 9:00 am the same day, the two-hour reminder would land at 7:00 am, outside sending hours, so it moves to 8:00 am, one hour before. For 8:30 am the calculator pushes it to the evening before instead, since 8:00 am would give only half an hour of warning.
Reminder send times for a 9:00 am appointment on the same day.
Message
Send at
Lead time
Note
First reminder
Mon Nov 9, 9:00 am
72 hours before
as calculated
Second reminder
Wed Nov 11, 9:00 am
24 hours before
as calculated
Day-of reminder
Thu Nov 12, 8:00 am
1 hour before
moved to the start of sending hours
Eight messages to copy
Made-up names and numbers (the 555 numbers are reserved for fiction), written to sound like a person. Replace the brackets and the details with your own.
ConfirmationWhen they book
SubjectYou are booked: Thursday, November 12 at 2:00 pm
Hi Priya,
You are booked for a cut and color at North Fork Hair Studio on Thursday, November 12 at 2:00 pm, at 48 Alder St, second floor. It takes about two hours.
You can change or cancel for free until Wednesday, November 11 at 2:00 pm. After that, a late cancellation or missed appointment is charged at 50% of the service price, which is the policy you agreed to when you booked. To change it, reply to this email or call 555-0142.
Thanks, Dana
Put the cancellation window here. Clients accept a rule they read at booking far more readily than one that first appears after a missed visit.
72 hours3 days before
SubjectThursday at 2:00 pm: two things to know
Hi Priya,
A reminder about your appointment on Thursday, November 12 at 2:00 pm. Please come with your hair dry and unstyled, and tell me by Tuesday if your allergy information has changed.
Reply 'yes' to confirm, or tell me what time suits better and I will find it.
Dana
Use this one only when the client has to prepare or reply. Otherwise skip it.
24 hoursThe day before
ChannelText, 156 characters
Hi Priya, North Fork Hair Studio here: your appointment is Thu Nov 12 at 2:00 pm, 48 Alder St. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule. Reply STOP to opt out.
Ask for one reply. A letter such as C for confirm keeps the answer easy to read and easy to count.
Day of2 hours before
ChannelText, 123 characters
Priya, see you at 2:00 pm today at North Fork Hair Studio, 48 Alder St. Running late? Call 555-0142. Reply STOP to opt out.
Short, with a phone number for running late. No link to click unless you need one.
Booking textWhen they book by phone
ChannelText, 155 characters
North Fork Hair Studio: Priya, you are booked for Thu Nov 12 at 2:00 pm, 48 Alder St. Change it free until Nov 11 at 2 pm: 555-0142. Reply STOP to opt out.
A text confirmation is enough when the client booked by phone and has no email on file.
Late cancelWhen a change comes inside the window
SubjectAbout Thursday's appointment
Hi Priya,
Thank you for letting me know. Because the change came inside the 24-hour window, the policy you agreed to at booking applies, and a fee of $60.00 is due. I have sent an invoice with a payment link.
I would be glad to rebook you. The next openings are Monday at 10:00 am and Tuesday at 4:30 pm.
Dana
State the fee, the reason and an offer to rebook. Waiving it once for a good client is a decision, not an obligation.
No-showWithin 24 hours of a missed visit
SubjectWe missed you today
Hi Priya,
I held your 2:00 pm appointment today and did not hear from you. I hope everything is all right. As agreed at booking, a missed appointment is charged at 50% of the service price, $60.00, and an invoice with a payment link is attached.
If something happened that day, tell me and we will talk. Otherwise, you can rebook here: [link].
Dana
Lead with concern, then the policy. Send it within a day, while the client remembers the visit.
After the visitSame day
SubjectThanks for coming in: receipt attached
Hi Priya,
Thank you for coming in today. Your receipt for $120.00 is attached. If you would like to book your next visit, you can do it here: [link]. I suggest about eight weeks.
Dana
Pair the thank-you with the receipt or invoice, and put the rebooking link where the client will see it.
The text messages above are counted in code: 156, 123 and 155 characters with the sample details in. Your longer street name, business name or notice period will add to that, so recount yours before you send a text to many clients.
What to put in a reminder for your kind of work
What to include and what to ask for, by type of appointment.
Type
Always include
Often worth adding
Hair, beauty and massage
Service, stylist, length of visit, arrival time
Allergies or product changes, deposit
Medical, dental and therapy
Provider name, date, time, how to change it
Keep the reason for the visit out of any text or email
Home and field services
A two-hour arrival window, who is coming, access details
Pets, gate codes, parking
Tutoring and coaching
Date, time, the link or room, the topic
Homework or materials to bring
Consulting, legal and finance
Date, time, attendees, the link or address
Documents to send ahead, an agenda
The rules on texting clients
Texting is faster than email and more regulated. In the United States, automated texts to a mobile number are covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Federal Communications Commission's rules at 47 CFR 64.1200. The details below are general and not legal advice.
Get agreement when they book. A client who gives you a mobile number to book generally agrees to appointment messages about that booking. Say so on the booking form. Acuity's own scheduler sends text reminders only to clients who opt in and give a mobile number.
Make stopping easy. End with "Reply STOP to opt out" and honor it at once. Keep a note of when and how they stopped.
Keep reminders informational. Adding a promotion, or a bill, to a reminder can take it outside the category the client agreed to. Send invoices and fees as a separate message.
Healthcare is narrower than it looks. Some appointment reminders from health care providers have an exemption with strict conditions on content and frequency. Sources disagree on how far it goes, so ask a lawyer before relying on it.
Hours. Acuity advises not sending before 8:00 AM or after 8:00 PM. The calculator uses those as defaults.
Cancellation and no-show fees that hold up
Write the policy once in plain words: the window, the fee, the exceptions.
Show it at booking and repeat it in the confirmation and the 24-hour reminder.
Apply it the same way every time, or be explicit that you are making an exception.
Send an invoice for the fee the same day, with a payment link, rather than a bare request for money.
Keep the log of what you sent and when.
The invoice generator makes the fee invoice in a minute and the payment links guide covers the pay button. For overdue amounts after that, see the schedule in when to send payment reminders, which is the same idea for bills instead of visits.
How far ahead should I send an appointment reminder?
A common pattern is a confirmation at booking, a reminder 48 to 72 hours ahead if the client needs to prepare, another 24 hours ahead, and an optional short one about two hours before. Acuity's guide describes the same sequence. For a standard haircut, two touches, 24 hours and the morning of, are enough.
What should an appointment reminder say?
The date and time, the place or the link, who they are seeing, how to confirm, and how to change or cancel it. Add anything they must bring or do. Leave out private detail such as a diagnosis or the reason for a medical visit, because texts can be seen on a lock screen.
Is it legal to text appointment reminders?
Often yes, with conditions. In general, automated texts to a mobile number need the recipient's consent. Giving you the number when they book, for appointment messages, is the usual basis. Include a way to stop, honor it, and keep reminders separate from promotions or bill collection. Healthcare providers have a narrow exemption with strict conditions. See the rules in 47 CFR 64.1200 and check with a lawyer for your business.
How long can a text reminder be?
A standard single text holds 160 characters of plain text. Emoji and some curly punctuation switch a text to a 70 character limit, so keep templates plain. Longer messages are split and may be charged as more than one. Every text template here is checked in code to stay under 160 characters with the sample details filled in, though your own names and addresses can make yours longer.
How do I reduce no-shows?
Confirm at booking, ask for a reply, make rescheduling one tap, and state your cancellation window in the confirmation, not only in the reminder. A policy the client saw at booking is much easier to enforce than one that appears after they miss.
Can I charge a late cancellation or no-show fee?
If the client agreed to it in advance, usually yes. Put the policy in the booking confirmation and the 24-hour reminder, then send an invoice for the fee with a payment link. Check your state's rules and your own contract, because some professions and states limit such fees.
When is the best time of day to send them?
Between about 8 am and 8 pm in the client's local time. Acuity advises against sending before 8:00 AM or after 8:00 PM. The calculator on this page moves a reminder that would land outside those hours to the nearest edge.
What this is. Templates and a calculator written by InvoiceTools. This is general information, not legal advice, and the texting rules in particular depend on your state, your industry and how you collect numbers.
Last reviewed by InvoiceTools, Houston, Texas, on 5 November 2026.
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