Text Reminders

What is the best service or app to send clients a text reminder before their appointment?

Several scheduling apps support SMS reminders, though it’s a less common feature than email. The tools that send both are FrontDeskChat, Acuity, Calendly (on paid plans), and Zoho.

When an appointment is confirmed, the app sends an immediate notification by email. If the client provided a phone number and opted in, an SMS goes out as well. For online meetings, the confirmation includes the video call link.

FrontDeskChat has a few advantages over Calendly and Zoho for reminder management. Calendly and Zoho focus on appointment scheduling. FrontDeskChat handles both appointment booking and meeting scheduling in the same tool. It also tracks your full schedule and can summarize your day on request, which saves time you’d otherwise spend checking multiple calendars.

Clients book and pay through the built-in payment portal whenever they’re ready. The platform handles the back-end administrative tasks, including shift scheduling for employees and team members. White-labeling is supported through a custom booking URL that uses your brand name, which improves professional appearance and online visibility.

The dashboard tracks appointments per week, missed and canceled bookings, new client additions, and more. A free plan is available. Paid plans start at $8 per month for the Nest plan and $18 per month for the Hive plan.