Do you need SMS reminders if you have email?
Email reminders are free, SMS costs money. Which clients email misses, when SMS pays for itself, when you don’t need it and what to write in 70 characters.
In short
- Email misses clients without an address, those who never open it, and same-morning bookings.
- One SMS costs a few cents, one no-show costs the full treatment price.
- If clients who got the email still don’t show, a deposit helps more than another message.
Contents 7 parts
Email is free. Why pay for SMS?
A reminder the day before an appointment is one of the simplest ways to cut no-shows.Some clients don't turn up not because they don't want to, but because they forgot. They booked three weeks ago, and Tuesday arrived out of nowhere.
Email reminders are free in most systems. SMS costs money per message. So the honest question isn't “is SMS better” but “which clients does email fail to reach, and what do their no-shows cost”.
When an email reminder doesn’t reach the client
- You don't have the client's email. If a client booked by phone or you entered them yourself, you often only have a number. An email reminder simply never goes out.
- Nobody reads the email. Many people, especially older clients, open email once a week or less, but read a text the minute it arrives.
- The email lands in spam or “Promotions”. Even a well-sent email sometimes ends up in a folder the client never opens.
- The booking was made the same morning. A day-before reminder is no longer possible, but one two hours before can still help.
Simple maths
One SMS costs a few cents. One no-show costs the full treatment price, plus time nobody else could book.
How much no-shows cost in your case is worked out in A client didn't show up. What it costs you and how a deposit prevents it.
When you don’t need SMS
SMS isn't for everyone. Email may be enough if:
- clients book online themselves and all have an email address;
- new clients pay a deposit and no-shows are already rare;
- your clients are younger and use email and apps every day.
A good test: look at who missed appointments in recent months. If they were clients without an email or clients who booked by phone, SMS will help. If the no-shows got the email anyway, a deposit will help more.
When to send a reminder
- The day before. The main reminder. The client has time to cancel, and you have time to offer the slot to someone else.
- Two hours before. Useful for clients who book the same day or tend to forget at the last minute. Too late to cancel, but it raises the chance they turn up.
- A week before. Only for bookings made far ahead, for example a month in advance.
What to write in a reminder
An SMS has to be short. A message with accented letters, such as Latvian diacritics, fits one SMS only up to 70 characters; anything longer is split into two or more, each charged separately. So a reminder carries only the essentials: what, when and how to cancel.
Ready-to-use message
Reminder
Replace the parts in brackets with your own.
The cancel link matters more than it seems: the easier it is to cancel, the more likely the client does it in time instead of simply not turning up.
How it works in RINDIQ
Email reminders are included on every RINDIQ plan. SMS is added by buying a pack of 50, 100 or 300 messages, which works out at roughly €0.13 to €0.18 per SMS. You only pay for messages actually sent, and automatic top-up can keep you from running out.
The day-before reminder is on by default. In settings you can add reminders two hours and a week before, plus an SMS when a booking is confirmed. Messages go out in the client's language (Latvian or English), and the sender shows as “RINDIQ”. The system also forecasts roughly how many texts you'll send a month, so the cost is never a surprise.
Try RINDIQ free for 14 days
No card needed. You can set up your booking page and deposits in about 5 minutes.
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