Short answer
A good clinic reminder says who it's from, the date, time and place, and how to confirm, reschedule or cancel - and nothing sensitive. Leave out diagnoses, test names, treatments and doctor specialities that reveal a condition, because other people may see the phone. Every example below is fictional: the clinic, times and numbers are placeholders, and no real patient information is used.
What to include and what to leave out
Include
- The clinic's name
- Date, time and branch or address
- How to confirm, reschedule or cancel
- A phone number for questions
Leave out
- Diagnosis, symptoms or test names
- Treatment, medicine or procedure details
- A doctor's speciality if it reveals a condition
- Report results, or links to them without a secure login
SMS reminder examples
A reminder to an existing patient about their own appointment generally fits TRAI's service category: information for an existing customer about a service they use, sent with inferred consent. The template must be registered on DLT with the variable parts marked.
Reminder: your appointment at Your Clinic, Main Road is on 04-Oct at 10:30 AM. To reschedule, call 040-00000000. - Your Clinic
Your appointment at Your Clinic is today at 10:30 AM. Please arrive 10 minutes early and bring your previous prescriptions. - Your Clinic
How the first message could look as a DLT template, with variables for the parts that change:
Reminder: your appointment at Your Clinic, {#var#} is on {#var#} at {#var#}. To reschedule, call {#var#}. - Your Clinic
Customers generally can't reply to an alphabetic SMS header, so give a phone number or link for changes.
RCS reminder example
With RCS, patients can confirm or reschedule with one tap and open directions or the dialler, if their phone and network support RCS and your agent is launched. Each tap on a suggested reply is sent to your system. Your booking software or front desk still has to act on it.
Reminder: your appointment at Your Clinic, Main Road is tomorrow, 4 October, at 10:30 AM.
Confirm
Thank you, your appointment is confirmed. See you tomorrow.
Plan an SMS fallback for patients whose phones don't support RCS.
WhatsApp reminder example
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, reminders are sent as templates approved by Meta. Meta's utility category is for non-promotional messages specific to the user, such as a service they booked. Meta checks the category when you create the template. The patient must have opted in to receive WhatsApp messages from your clinic.
Hello, this is a reminder of your appointment at Your Clinic, Main Road on 4 October at 10:30 AM. Please choose an option below.
Keep offers out of reminder templates. Adding a health-check discount, for example, would make the message promotional.
Which channel for reminders?
| SMS | RCS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | Almost any mobile phone | Supported phones and networks only | Patients on WhatsApp who opted in |
| Confirm or reschedule | By call or link | One-tap replies | Buttons or chat |
| Registration | DLT header and service template | Verified and launched RCS agent | Approved utility template |
Timing and handling replies
- Timing: consider a reminder the day before, and a short same-day message for morning appointments. Avoid messaging late at night.
- Frequency: one or two reminders per appointment is usually enough. More can feel intrusive.
- Replies: decide who handles "Reschedule" and "Cancel" and how quickly. If replies aren't connected to your booking system, someone at the front desk has to follow them up.
- Shared phones: patients may share a phone with family, so keep reminders generic.
Planning appointment reminders for your clinic?
Tell us how patients book today and how you'd like them to confirm or reschedule. We'll help you choose between SMS, RCS and WhatsApp, and plan the DLT or template registration they need.
Discuss Appointment MessagingExplore each channel: Bulk SMS | RCS Messaging | WhatsApp Business API
Sources
Checked on 30 September 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm current requirements with the official source before acting.
- TRAI - TCCCPR (Second Amendment) Regulations, 12 February 2025 - service message definition (PDF)
- Meta for Developers - WhatsApp template categorization (utility guidelines)
- Meta for Developers - Get opt-in for WhatsApp
- Google for Developers - RCS for Business: send messages (suggested replies and actions)