How do I automate appointment reminders?
Short answer: Wire a 3-stage cadence (7-day email, 3-day SMS, 1-day SMS) into your booking system. Most modern PMS / scheduling tools handle the cadence natively or via Zapier.
Full answer
The mechanics matter less than the cadence. Three stages, each spaced to catch a different drop-off pattern:
7 days out: email confirmation with one-click reschedule. Catches scheduling conflicts before they become no-shows.
3 days out: SMS reminder. Single line. Confirm / reschedule option.
24 hours out: SMS with prep info specific to the visit type. This is the highest-leverage reminder — it raises perceived value of the appointment immediately before the slot.
Most modern booking systems (Practice Mate, Dentrix, OpenDental, Mindbody, Vagaro, Glofox) support all three natively. When the system doesn't, Twilio + a scheduled job covers the gap.