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How to reduce appointment no-shows with automatic reminders

No-show reminders are automatic confirmations and prompts that Kalvo sends by text, email and call before an appointment. When a customer cannot make it, Kalvo captures a new booking on the spot, so fewer slots are wasted and your team spends less time chasing people by phone.

In short

  • Confirmations and reminders go out automatically by text, email and call.
  • Customers can reply to move an appointment, and Kalvo books the new slot.
  • Included with Kalvo from £49 per month, live in minutes on your current number.
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15 million

GP appointments are missed in England each year, costing over £216 million

Source: NHS England, 2019

What are no-show reminders and how do they cut no-shows?

No-show reminders are automatic messages that remind customers about a booking and make it easy to confirm, cancel or move it. Kalvo sends them by text, email and call at times you set, so people turn up prepared and empty slots get filled instead of sitting unused. Missed appointments are costly across every appointment-based business. In healthcare alone, more than 15 million GP appointments are missed in England each year, costing over £216 million. Clinics, salons, garages and trades all lose time and revenue in the same way when a slot goes empty with no notice. Reminders work because most no-shows are not deliberate. People forget, double-book or need a different time. A clear prompt a day or two ahead, plus a short nudge on the day, gives them the chance to confirm or rearrange while you can still offer the slot to someone else.

What does the reminder sequence look like?

The sequence starts with a confirmation when the appointment is booked, then reminders in the days and hours before it. Kalvo can send each one by text, email and call, and you choose the timing, so a customer might get a confirmation, a reminder the day before and a final prompt on the day. You decide how many reminders go out and when. A common pattern is a confirmation at booking, a reminder 24 hours ahead and a short prompt 2 hours before, but you can set whatever suits your business and your customers. Each message is clear about the date, time and place, and asks the customer to confirm or let you know if they need a change. Because reminders run automatically, your team does not have to make calls one by one, and nothing slips because someone was busy on the front desk.

What happens when someone needs to move an appointment?

When a customer replies that they cannot make it, Kalvo does not just cancel the slot. It offers other times from your availability and captures the new booking on the spot, by text, chat, email or call. The old slot frees up and you keep the appointment rather than losing it. This is the part that protects your revenue. A reminder that only lets someone cancel still leaves you with a gap. Kalvo turns a cancellation into a rebooking in the same conversation, so the customer leaves with a new time and your diary stays full. It works whether the customer replies by text, uses the website chatbot, sends an email or picks up the phone. Kalvo can run fully automatic, booking changes for you, or in approval mode, where it proposes the change and a member of staff confirms it before anything is set.

How do reminders fit with Kalvo answering your calls?

Reminders are one part of Kalvo, which also answers your phone, website chatbot and email on your existing number. The same system that books an appointment sends its confirmation and reminders, and handles the rebooking if plans change, so everything sits in one place rather than across separate tools. Because Kalvo already handles your incoming enquiries, it knows your availability, your services and the answers to common questions from your knowledge base. It can book new appointments, take messages, handle many calls at once and transfer a genuine emergency to a person when you have set that up. Reminders then close the loop on bookings you already have. WhatsApp is coming soon as another channel. You can go live in minutes on your current number, and all data is handled under UK GDPR.

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Common questions

Which channels do reminders use?

Reminders go out by text, email and phone call, and you can use any combination of the three. Customers can also confirm or reschedule through the website chatbot. WhatsApp is coming soon as a further channel. It all runs on your existing business number, so nothing on your side needs to change.

Can customers reply to reschedule?

Yes. Customers can reply to a reminder to say they need a different time, and Kalvo will offer other slots from your availability. They can do this by text, through the website chatbot, by email or on a call, and Kalvo captures the new booking in the same conversation.

When are reminders sent?

You choose the timing. A typical setup is a confirmation when the appointment is booked, a reminder the day before and a short prompt a couple of hours ahead, but you can set as many reminders as you want at whatever intervals suit your business and your customers.

Does Kalvo book the new slot itself?

Yes. When someone needs to move an appointment, Kalvo offers available times and books the new slot there and then, rather than just taking a message. You can let it do this fully automatically, or use approval mode so a staff member confirms each change before it is set.

What do no-show reminders cost?

Reminders are included with Kalvo, not a separate add-on. Plans are Starter at £49 per month for 100 minutes, Growth at £99 per month for 400 minutes and Pro at £199 per month for 1000 minutes. You can go live in minutes on your existing number.

Cut your no-shows with automatic reminders

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