Appointment reminder texts that cut no-shows

The best evidence comes from the NHS and health research:

• A Cochrane review found text reminders increase attendance at health appointments compared with no reminder or a posted letter, and work about as well as a phone call (Cochrane). The evidence is rated low to moderate quality, and the review dates from 2013.
• A trial at Barts Health with the Behavioural Insights Team tested different wording. A text that said what a missed appointment costs the NHS cut missed appointments from 11.1% to 8.4%, a 23% drop compared with the standard reminder (GOV.UK).

The lesson for a salon, physio or groomer: the wording matters, as well as sending one at all.

1. Your business name, so they know who it's from.
2. The day, date and time.
3. What it's for, unless it's health related (see the note below).
4. How to cancel or move it. A link or a number to reply to.
5. Your cancellation policy in a few words, if you charge for no-shows.

One standard text has room for 160 characters. Longer texts are split into parts of 153 characters, and an emoji cuts the limit to 70 (Twilio). If you pay per text, keep it short and skip the emoji.

Each of these fits in one text. Swap in your own details.

Salon or barber

Hi Amy, reminder: cut and colour with Jo tomorrow (Thu) at 2pm. Can't make it? Reply or call 01234 567890 by 2pm today. Hair by Jo

Dog groomer

Hi Sam, Biscuit's groom is booked for Sat 9am at Muddy Paws. Need to change it? Call 01234 567890. Please give 24h notice.

Physio or dentist (no treatment details)

Reminder: your appointment at Bay Physio is on Wed 14 Oct at 10:30am. To cancel or rebook, call 01234 567890.

Tradesperson

Hi Mark, Dan from DR Plumbing here. We're booked to fit your boiler on Wed between 8 and 9am. Call 01234 567890 if anything changes.

For health businesses, keep the treatment out of the text. A phone can be seen by other people.

There's no single rule. Common choices:

• The day before, for most appointments.
• Two or three days before, for long or expensive bookings, so you have time to fill the gap.
• A confirmation when they book, with the cancellation policy.

Most booking systems let you choose the timing.

The ICO says a message to "confirm or remind them about appointments" is a service message, not direct marketing (ICO). That means you can send it without marketing consent.

But if you add anything promotional, like "10% off products this week", the ICO says the whole message counts as direct marketing, and the marketing rules apply. Keep reminders to the appointment. Send offers separately, only to people who agreed to hear from you.

You can charge for no-shows or take a deposit, but the terms must be fair. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, a term is unfair if it creates a significant imbalance against the customer (section 62), and written terms must be clear and in plain language (section 68).

The CMA's unfair terms guidance says:

• A deposit can be kept if you tell the customer at the earliest opportunity that it's needed, and exactly when it won't be refunded.
• Those conditions should be clear and narrow.
• A deposit should not normally be more than a small percentage of the price. A large non-refundable prepayment is more likely to be unfair.

In practice: put your policy on your booking page and in the confirmation text, and make the fee reasonable for what a missed slot costs you. This is a summary, not legal advice.

A simple salon cancellation policy:

Please give us 24 hours' notice to cancel or move your appointment. If you cancel with less notice or don't arrive, we may charge a fee of £[amount].

Prices checked on 18 October 2026.

We set up online booking for small businesses, including the confirmations and reminders your booking system supports, by email or text. You approve the wording and timing. We check any text-message limits or costs with you before reminders are switched on, and agree your cancellation rules with you before anything goes live.

• Online booking systems