How do I set up an appointment reminder?
By setting up a communication trigger using the "trigger event" Reminder, your patients will be sent a reminder prior to an appointment
There is a predefined template within WriteUpp, called Appointment reminder which can be used alongside the trigger event for this purpose. You can of course modify this to customise it to your requirements, or create a custom template to use.
Please note that in order to receive appointment communications, patients must have been opted in to these on the patient tab of the patient summary.
If you signed up after April 2019, this is one of the predefined communications within WriteUpp, both 7 days and 1 day prior to an appointment.
If you don't see this present in your current list and you'd like to set it up, just follow the steps below:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Scheduling -> Appointment Communication
Click on New Trigger at the bottom of the screen
Use the dropdown boxes to create your communication trigger, then Save:
Method - Would you like to inform them via SMS or email?
Message template - What message would you like to send as a reminder of the appointment?
Event - Reminder
If type is (optional) - Would you like the message to be sent for only a particular appointment type?
When? - 7 days, 5 days 3 days, 2 days, 1 day, 2 hours or 1 hour prior to an appointment
Make sure you set the Event dropdown to Reminder, in order to see the options for when to send your reminder. You won't see the When? options for any events other than reminders
Once this is set up, patients will receive a reminder prior to their appointment.
You can set up multiple reminders prior to an appointment. For example, you might want to send an email reminder 7 days prior to an appointment and an SMS reminder 1 or 2 days beforehand. To do this, simply follow the above steps to create two separate entries for the reminders you'd like to send.
You should also be aware that reminders are saved against the appointment at the time it is booked. If you set up a new reminder, any appointments already in the diary will not be sent that reminder. They will only be sent communications that were present at the time of booking, and if they are opted in on the patient summary to receive communications.
There is a predefined template within WriteUpp, called Appointment reminder which can be used alongside the trigger event for this purpose. You can of course modify this to customise it to your requirements, or create a custom template to use.
Please note that in order to receive appointment communications, patients must have been opted in to these on the patient tab of the patient summary.
If you signed up after April 2019, this is one of the predefined communications within WriteUpp, both 7 days and 1 day prior to an appointment.
If you don't see this present in your current list and you'd like to set it up, just follow the steps below:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Scheduling -> Appointment Communication
Click on New Trigger at the bottom of the screen
Use the dropdown boxes to create your communication trigger, then Save:
Method - Would you like to inform them via SMS or email?
Message template - What message would you like to send as a reminder of the appointment?
Event - Reminder
If type is (optional) - Would you like the message to be sent for only a particular appointment type?
When? - 7 days, 5 days 3 days, 2 days, 1 day, 2 hours or 1 hour prior to an appointment
Make sure you set the Event dropdown to Reminder, in order to see the options for when to send your reminder. You won't see the When? options for any events other than reminders
Once this is set up, patients will receive a reminder prior to their appointment.
You can set up multiple reminders prior to an appointment. For example, you might want to send an email reminder 7 days prior to an appointment and an SMS reminder 1 or 2 days beforehand. To do this, simply follow the above steps to create two separate entries for the reminders you'd like to send.
You should also be aware that reminders are saved against the appointment at the time it is booked. If you set up a new reminder, any appointments already in the diary will not be sent that reminder. They will only be sent communications that were present at the time of booking, and if they are opted in on the patient summary to receive communications.
Updated on: 20/06/2022
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