The day before, in the morning. Reminder studies – and healthcare has run plenty – found no difference between 24 and 48 hours ahead; a second message helped only a little, and only the people who forget repeatedly. For a salon that means one text the day before, at a time when the client can still rearrange her day and you can still offer a freed slot to someone else.
What the studies say
Clinics have studied reminders for twenty years, because an empty consulting room costs more than an empty chair. Two papers are worth reading.
| Study | No reminder | With reminder | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cochrane 2013, review of 8 randomised trials, 6,615 people | 67.8% attended | text 78.6%, phone call 80.3% | A text works as well as a call, at 55–65% lower cost per attendance |
| Steiner 2018, 25 clinics, 54,066 patients | – | 1 day ahead: 5.3% missed; 3 days ahead: 5.8%; both: 4.4% | One message the day before is nearly as good as two |
The second study has one more useful finding: among patients who had often missed appointments before, two reminders cut no-shows from 24–25% to 20.5%. For everyone else the gap between one and two messages was under one percentage point. Two reminders are not a rule; they are a tool for specific clients.
Why the day before, not two days
A reminder has two jobs: get the client to show up, and if she can’t, get her to say so in time. The day before does both. She still has the appointment in mind the next morning, and if she texts back that she can’t make it, you have the whole afternoon to offer the slot to someone on your waiting list.
Two days ahead does only the second job. She cancels earlier, which is nice, but the client who didn’t forget on Wednesday can easily forget by Friday. That is why the studies found no difference: a longer lead adds time to cancel and takes away from remembering.
Two days make sense where you have a 48-hour cancellation window – colour, permanent make-up, lash extensions. There the reminder has to land before the window closes, or the client finds out she can no longer cancel for free only when it’s too late.
What time of day
Between nine and eleven in the morning, or shortly after lunch. In the morning the client has the day ahead of her and replies within the hour; if she cancels, you refill the slot the same day. An evening reminder gets read, but the reply comes the next morning – which is already the day of the appointment.
Two exceptions. For early appointments (8:00, 8:30) send the reminder the day before after lunch, not in the evening, so she has time to respond. And never before eight in the morning or after nine at night; a reminder that wakes someone up loses every point it was meant to score.
When to send two
- Long or expensive services. Three days ahead and the day before. The first is really a reminder of the cancellation window; the second is the usual one.
- New clients. They don’t have your rhythm yet, or your number saved.
- Clients who have already no-showed once. Exactly the group where the study found the biggest effect.
For regulars booking a routine cut, one is enough. More messages than needed is not service, it is nagging – and clients notice.
A confirmation is not a reminder
The message right after booking (“I have you down for Thursday 5 September at 10:00”) is a confirmation. It has a different job from the reminder: put the appointment in writing on both sides and state the cancellation terms before they apply. It does not replace the reminder the day before, even when the appointment is three days away; people forget from Tuesday to Thursday as easily as from one week to the next.
How I have it set up in Reeminder
The lead time is set once for every appointment – ours is the day before at 10:00 – and can be changed on any single booking. Quiet hours make sure a text for an early appointment doesn’t go out at night: anything due between nine in the evening and eight in the morning waits for the morning. Reeminder writes the message for every booking, watches the clock and helps you send it from your own number. You pay once, not every month – €15 after 14 free days.
Sources
- Gurol-Urganci I, de Jongh T, Vodopivec-Jamsek V, Atun R, Car J. Mobile phone messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2013, Issue 12, CD007458. 8 randomised trials, 6,615 participants; attendance 67.8% with no reminder, 78.6% with text reminders, 80.3% with phone calls; text vs none RR 1.14 (95% CI 1.03–1.26); text vs call RR 0.99; cost per attendance 55% and 65% lower than a phone call. Abstract viewed 2 September 2026.
- Steiner JF, Shainline MR, Dahlgren JZ, Kroll A, Xu S. Optimizing Number and Timing of Appointment Reminders: A Randomized Trial. American Journal of Managed Care 2018;24(8):377–384. 54,066 patients, 25 Kaiser Permanente Colorado clinics; text or automated call 3 days ahead, 1 day ahead, or both; missed appointments 5.8%, 5.3% and 4.4%; among high-risk patients 25.0%, 24.2% and 20.5%. Viewed 2 September 2026.
Frequently asked
Is a reminder better 24 or 48 hours before the appointment?
The evidence says it makes no difference to attendance. The day before has a practical edge: the client still has the appointment in mind the next morning, and if she cancels you have the afternoon to offer the slot to someone else. Two days ahead makes sense for long services with a 48-hour cancellation window.
What time of day should the reminder go out?
Between nine and eleven in the morning, or just after lunch. Not in the evening, because the reply comes the next morning and you lose the day, and never before eight. If an app sends reminders for you, set quiet hours so a text for an 8 a.m. appointment doesn't leave at two in the morning.
How many reminders should I send?
One. In a trial of 54,000 patients, a second reminder three days ahead cut missed appointments from 5.3% to 4.4%; among people who forget repeatedly, from 24% to 20%. Send two only to clients you know need them, and for long or expensive services.
Do reminder texts actually work?
Measurably. A Cochrane review of eight randomised trials (2013) reports attendance of 67.8% with no reminder and 78.6% with a text reminder – the same as a phone call, at 55–65% lower cost per attendance.
Want the app to write the reminders for you?
Reeminder is an appointment book that prepares a text for every booking and helps you send it from your own number. Free for 14 days, then €15 once – not every month.
Try Reeminder free