Why A Text Message Appointment Reminder Service Is Perfect For Your Small Business

If your small business or healthcare practice relies on setting appointments as a critical part of your job, there’s nothing worse than a no-show. Not only is that money out of your pocket, but it could affect the retention of that customer in the future. That’s why you should consider making automated appointment reminders a part of your small business plan as you aim to grow as a trusted service provider in your field.

Not only can text message appointment reminders make you more money in real-time, but they can also streamline your workflow so you can focus on the elements of your business that keep customers coming back, and set your sights on new customers to fill your appointment schedule.

Why Text Messaging?

We all know the feeling. An unknown phone number pops up while you’re going about your day. Your voicemail box is full, and there’s no way you’re answering a phone call from a stranger. Even if the call is from a legitimate business reminding you of an upcoming appointment, 9 times out of 10 that call is getting lost in the abyss, and you’ll never think of it again.

In 2023 we have more efficient ways of communicating, with better results than a phone call could ever accomplish. Enter the world of sms appointment reminders. According to one study, 75% of millennials prefer text messages to phone calls. Nearly 20% of the same respondents claimed they never listen to voicemails. That means if the only way your business does appointment reminders is via phone call, you’re missing a giant swath of the current generational breakdown, and given that the study was done in 2016, those numbers have likely shifted even more drastically with the addition of Gen Z to the working and consuming world.

Perhaps you already know that phone calls aren’t very effective, but instead, you chose to send email appointment reminders. Once again, studies would suggest you’re not being as efficient as you could with your online booking practices. According to Forbes, text messages have a 98% open rate, compared to around 20% with email reminders. Additionally, 64% of the survey respondents claimed that businesses should use SMS text messages more often than they currently do.

Group Messaging And Promotion

A survey found that 77% of customers are interested in getting special offers and deals via text messages from businesses they frequent. While that may not apply evenly in every industry, it’s easy to see how having a text database and messaging tools for your customers and clients could be a useful feature as you begin to expand your small business or brand.

One of the most useful things about having the proper text messaging software is that you can often send reminder texts, special offers, events, etc. to a large group at once, but they’ll receive them as individual text messages that they can respond to in real-time, creating a two-way conversation that builds trust and communication in your organization.

You can begin to see how some of these ideas could work into your overall marketing or customer retention strategy. For example, we know that 90% of customers open and read a text message within 3 minutes of receiving it, making it a perfect avenue for flash sales and special expiring offers. By integrating a texting or appointment reminder service into your business, you’re opening so many avenues to interact with your customer base, and the possibilities are endless for how you might use this tool once you get started with it.

Return On Your Investments

Small businesses don’t have much room to spend excess money on bloated services that may or may not even work for them. If your appointment-based business is suffering from no-shows, you’re losing thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year. Don’t believe us? Check out this return on investment calculator that breaks down just how much you could be saving by using an appointment reminder service to automate your online bookings and eliminate no-shows. As an example, no-shows in the medical and wellness industries cost businesses approximately $150 billion a year, and that’s not to mention the many other industries that might use appointments as a way to meet with their customers like beauty salons, restaurants, house and lawn-care services, and more. This post goes into greater detail about what that might look like on a case-by-case basis, using practical examples and math to show just how much money your business might be missing by not using automated appointment reminders.

Another way an appointment reminder service like Reminderly could help save you money is through automation tools. Once you set up an appointment reminder message template, it is easy for you and your staff to reuse messages for future customers and future appointments. This will save you time and energy so you can focus on what’s really helping your small business grow.

How Reminderly Solves Your Business-Texting Needs

At Reminderly, we saw all these communication trends and decided to make the best possible appointment reminder software to cut your no-show rate and make sure when customers schedule appointments with you, they keep them. We put functionality at the forefront, allowing you to schedule, follow up, integrate with multiple calendars, and have a two-way conversation with your customers in real-time using a real phone number.

The best part? You can try the software for free. If you sign up today you’ll get a 14-day trial included so you can decide if our scheduling software fits your small business needs. Each month you’ll get messaging, appointment reminders, waitlist management, and customer surveys so can have insights on how best to serve your customers to keep them coming back and referring you to their friends.

Want more functionality than just appointment reminders via SMS text message? Our software also allows you to send messages via voice phones call and emails as well. Reminderly is an all-in-one appointment reminder solution regardless of your business or your client's needs. If you’re not sure how to word text messaging reminders for your business, we have plenty of articles with ready-made text message template ideas that you can apply by simply filling in your company name and pressing send.

We also offer language support in English, Spanish, and more so that you can reach meet your customers where they’re at, and communicate effectively to anyone who is interested in your services. Another key feature that could help grow your business is our real-time customer feedback tools, allowing you to make necessary changes and pull positive customer experiences as proof for others about how well you do business. If a customer leaves you a bad review, Reminderly alerts you immediately, you can respond to them directly in the software to resolve any issues.

At the end of the day, your business is about making money, and giving customers a positive experience so that they’ll come back again and again. With Reminderly, we give you all the tools to retain and interact with customers from a convenient and user-friendly dashboard that we’re sure you’ll love. Give us a look today or send us a chat and we’ll talk with you more about how Reminderly can work for your industry.

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