Editing message templates

The messages your clinic sends, such as confirmations, reminders and follow-ups, are all driven by templates you can edit so they sound like you.

Editing a template

1. Go to Settings > Messaging (owners only) and find the message's card. Messages are grouped by stage: Booking, Reminders and aftercare, Cancellations and no-shows, Rebooking, and Marketing.
2. Inside the card, press Edit on the email or sms version.
3. Change the Subject (email only) and the wording, then press Save email message or Save sms message.

A version with your own wording shows a Custom badge; press Reset to default inside it to go back to the built-in wording.

If your email editor shows a formatting toolbar, it includes Bold, Italic, Bulleted list, Numbered list, Link and Line break. Press Enter to start a new paragraph, or Shift+Enter for a new line within the same one. Placeholders appear as labelled chips, such as Patient first name: add one from the Insert menu, which lists only the details that message can fill in, and remove one with Backspace as if it were a single character. Pasting from Word or Gmail keeps bold, italic and lists and drops fonts, colours and sizes. Use Preview your emails to send yourself a test and see how it looks in a real inbox. Text messages stay plain text.

Placeholders

Templates use placeholders that are filled in automatically for each patient, such as the patient's name, the appointment date and time, and your clinic name. Write the template once with placeholders, and every message comes out correctly personalised.

For example, a reminder template might greet the patient by name and state their appointment time, with both pulled in automatically when the message is sent.

The birthday email has one extra placeholder, {birthday_offer}. If your birthday discount is switched on, put this where you want the offer to appear and it is filled in with the patient's unique discount code. Leave it out and the offer is added to the end of the email automatically. You can also place it in your birthday SMS wording to include the same offer sentence. It does not create an offer in other messages.

Each channel has a Send this message by email or Send this message by sms switch. Your wording does not switch the channel on. For supported texts, Send this SMS from lets you use the replyable phone number or your configured clinic name. Patients cannot reply to named texts; they are given a contact number for help and opt-outs. Wording that asks for a reply uses the phone number.

Good practice

• Keep messages short and clear, especially for SMS where length affects cost.
• Leave placeholders exactly as written so they are replaced correctly.
• Include the essentials: who you are, when the appointment is, and how to get in touch.

A little care here makes your automated messages feel personal rather than robotic.