Reminders are automatic; these are the rest
Appointment reminders and confirmations should not depend on anyone remembering, and in Clinidiary they do not: they go out on their own. Our guide to SMS appointment reminders covers those. The templates here are for the messages a person decides to send:
- Welcome before the first visit. What to wear, what to bring, who they are seeing.
- Running late. Honest and early, so the patient can plan.
- Missed appointment follow-up. A kind check-in that makes rebooking easy. More on that in reducing no-shows.
- Checking in after treatment stopped. For the patient who stopped half-way. Personal, not a sales message; see bringing lapsed patients back.
- Six-month review recall. For long-term conditions and maintenance programs.
- On my way. For home visits, so the family is ready at the door.
- Holiday closure. When you close and when you reopen.
And four emails, for when there is more to say: thank you after the first visit, please complete your form, home exercise check-in and feedback request.
What makes a good clinic text
- One message, not three. A text over 160 characters is charged as more than one. Every template here fits in one or two.
- Their name, your name. "Hi Sarah, it is Tom from the clinic" reads like a person. "Dear patient" reads like a machine.
- One clear next step. Reply, call, or book online. Not all three.
- Kind on a no-show. Most missed appointments are forgotten, not rude. A warm message rebooks; a scolding one loses the patient. Your cancellation policy does the firm part.
Merge fields fill in the details
The templates use merge fields such as first name, appointment time and the clinic's phone number. When Clinidiary sends one, it fills each in for that patient and the appointment the message is about. Anything it cannot fill, such as a phone number your clinic has not entered yet, stays marked so you type it before it sends. A message never goes out with a gap in it.
Using the templates in Clinidiary
Open Settings, then Resources library, and press Add to my practice on the messages you want. They become your saved messages, which you can reword in Settings under Saved messages. In any conversation, press the saved messages button beside the reply box, pick one, and it drops in with the patient's details filled. Read it, change anything you like, and send.
Frequently asked questions
Are these message templates free?
Yes. Every template is on our resources page, and you can add any of them to Clinidiary in one click.
Can I change the wording?
Yes. Once added they are your practice's own saved messages. Change them to sound like you.
How long should a clinic text message be?
Under 160 characters where you can, which is one message. Say who it is from, what you need, and the one thing to do next.
Do these replace appointment reminders?
No. Reminders and confirmations are sent automatically. These templates are for the messages a person chooses to send.