If you run a service-based business, missed appointments can frustrate both you and your clients. They waste time and resources, disrupt schedules, and harm client relationships. One way to reduce no-shows and save time and money is to send out an appointment confirmation: a message to a client after they book a service with essential details about their upcoming appointment.
You can choose various methods to confirm appointments, including an appointment confirmation email, an appointment confirmation text, or even app push notifications if you have the means.
Here’s what to include in your appointment confirmation messages and how to send them effectively to reduce no-shows and enhance engagement.
What to include in an appointment confirmation
Clear communication about appointment details can improve the customer experience. Appointment confirmation messages typically include all of the important appointment details a client needs to know, including:
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Company name. Whether you’re sending a text or email, include your business name so clients know who the message is from.
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Service information. Add essential information about the service to remind clients about the purpose of their appointment, like a personal training class or a home cleaning service.
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Appointment time. Send the appointment date and time. You can also include how long the service will likely take to set customer expectations.
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Location. Share the appointment location, whether it’s at your business address or a client’s residence.
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Instructions. Include any instructions, such as equipment clients should bring or relevant documents they should have, such as for a bookkeeping service.
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Contact details. Include contact information for your own business to give clients the opportunity to easily reach out if they have any questions.
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Cancellation policy. If you have one, consider adding your cancellation policy, such as requiring 24-hour notice or information about a cancellation fee.
Appointment confirmation email templates
- Virtual appointment
- Follow-up appointment
- Recurring appointment
- Upcoming consultation
- Rescheduled appointment
- Canceled appointment
Here are a variety of appointment confirmation email templates you can use as a starting point for your message:
Virtual appointment
Hi [Client name],
This message is to confirm your virtual [service] appointment with [Business name]. Please use the following link to access your virtual appointment at [appointment time and date]: [meeting link]. If you have any questions prior to our virtual meeting, please reach out at [contact details].
Thank you,
[Your name]
Follow-up appointment
Hello [Client name],
Your follow-up appointment for [service] is scheduled for [time and date]. Please arrive at [location] 10 minutes before your appointment to check in. We look forward to seeing you again.
If you have any questions, please let us know at [contact details].
Best,
[Your name and business]
Recurring appointment
Dear [Client name],
This message is to confirm your recurring [service] appointment with [Business name]. Your next appointment is on [date and time]. We look forward to seeing you at [location].
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Contact details]
Upcoming consultation
Hello [Client name],
Thank you for booking a consultation for [service] with [Business name]. We’re reaching out to confirm your appointment on [date and time] at [location]. Please arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled consultation to fill out a client intake form. We look forward to seeing you.
Thank you,
[Your name]
[Contact details]
Rescheduled appointment
Hi [Client name],
Your [service] appointment has been rescheduled to [date and time]. We look forward to seeing you at [location]. If you need to reschedule again, please let us know 24 hours before your appointment time to avoid a cancellation fee.
Best regards,
[Business name]
[Contact details]
Canceled appointment
Hello [Client name],
This email is to confirm you canceled your [service] appointment with [Business name]. To reschedule your appointment, please reach out at [contact details].
Best regards,
[Your name]
When to send appointment reminders
Appointment reminders are messages you send after an appointment confirmation email to remind the client about their upcoming appointment. Similar to appointment confirmation messages, appointment reminders help to reduce no-shows and avoid the frustration of missed appointments for both you and your clients.
You can send reminders anytime before a scheduled appointment, but send them sparingly so as not to overwhelm, pressure, or annoy clients. For example, you might send a reminder one week or even one day before an appointment. As with confirmations, you can use multiple channels to send reminders, including email reminders, reminder texts, phone calls, and app push notifications.
How to write appointment reminders
You can use many of the same elements of an appointment confirmation message in a reminder, including the appointment time, location, service information, and contact details in case of questions or potential cancellations.
Not all clients need or want appointment reminders, so make it easy for recipients to opt out of future reminders. For example, a reminder text to a client could be something like:
This is a friendly reminder of your [service] appointment scheduled on [date and time] with [Business name] at [location]. If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours before your appointment to avoid a cancellation fee. To opt out of future appointment reminders, click here or respond STOP.

Free Appointment Confirmation Templates
Lock in bookings with clear, ready-to-use messages for virtual, recurring, and consultation appointments.
Tips for appointment confirmation
- Write a clear subject line
- Use automation tools
- Avoid marketing language
- Improve your email deliverability
- Consider your communication channels
From automating the confirmation process to improving your deliverability, here are a few best practices when writing an appointment confirmation message:
Write a clear subject line
An effective appointment confirmation email starts with a clear and concise subject line that highlights the essential details. For example, “Auto Repair Appointment Confirmed” or “Confirmed: Hair Appointment” provide the key information. As long as it’s short and to the point, you can also include your business name or the appointment time or date in the subject line.
Avoid excessive punctuation, all capital letters, or words like “free” or “guaranteed,” as these can trigger spam filters.
Use automation tools
Manually sending confirmation messages to clients can quickly become time consuming and hard to manage, leading to scheduling errors or missed messages. Scheduling tools like Apntly, Meety, and Cowlender integrate seamlessly with your Shopify store and can help you manage appointments and send confirmation and reminder messages and emails.
Avoid marketing language
Different types of emails require different language and strategies. Appointment confirmation messages are not marketing opportunities. Focus solely on confirming the details, not upselling your products or services.
For example, obscuring important confirmation information by including a limited-time offer for a subscription package could result in ignored messages that end in missed appointments.
Improve your email deliverability
When sending appointment confirmation emails, consider email deliverability, which measures how well your emails are reaching the recipients’ inboxes. If you have poor email deliverability, your email appointment confirmation can end up unread or in a spam bin.
To improve your email deliverability, only send confirmations and reminders when necessary, use a different IP address for your confirmation emails than marketing emails, and send confirmation emails through a strong internet service provider (ISP) infrastructure with a tool like Shopify Email.
Consider your communication channels
Whether it’s emails, texts, social media DMs, or phone calls, weigh the pros and cons of different customer communication channels. Evaluate customer engagement metrics like open rate and unsubscribe rate to decide which communication channels work best for your customer base.
For example, you could discover that recipients typically opt out of text messages but open emails at a higher rate, meaning appointment confirmation emails are a better channel for your clients.
Appointment confirmation FAQ
What is an appointment confirmation?
An appointment confirmation is a message from a service provider to a client confirming a scheduled appointment at a future time.
How do I write an appointment confirmation message?
To write an effective appointment confirmation message, include key information like your business name, the appointment time and date, the location of the appointment, and contact details for your company in case clients have questions or need to reschedule.
How do I ask someone to confirm an appointment?
If you’re sending a message to clients to confirm an appointment, you can use language like “Please confirm your appointment now” or use a clickable link with call-to-action language like “Click here to confirm your appointment.”
Why are appointment confirmations important?
Appointment confirmations are important because they provide clear communication to clients about appointment details and reduce the risk of missed appointments.