Appointment communications

• Efficiency is key... Whether a small organisation servicing a few clients, or a larger provider with clients numbering in the thousands, streamlining your ability to communicate efficiently and effectively at scale around appointment or service bookings is a core operational function.
• ... but don't forget CX. For individuals or families of those receiving services, providing timely reminders on a regular basis is critical to delivering a high standard of client experience. It ensures they're informed of what the service is due to be delivered, the time and location it will be occurring and with whom.
• The little things count. These types of communication provide individuals with reassurance around what's going on with their services, and that your organisation is responsive to any changes or requests. From your perspective, automating these processes enables your staff to focus on creating more value for your customers.
• Know before you go. Capturing a client's intention prior to delivering a service greatly reduces the risk of 'no-shows' and saves you time and effort.
• It all adds up. All of these factors point to SMS being an effective channel for any appointment/service-centric communication, as it has high delivery rates and enables clients to easily respond.

To enable the following experiences it's key that you have access to your appointment/service booking data:

• At a minimum, you will need the date of when each appointment is scheduled to be delivered.
• The related contact information (mobile phone numbers) of the person who is to be reminded of the upcoming service and empty placeholders to capture client responses.
• To provide a better experience, having both the client and support worker's first names, time and location of each appointment.
• The appointment status, and a description or name of the service, ensures that the communication is as clear and detailed as possible.