This guide shows you how to use Conditional Logic in Aloha to send smart, personalized appointment reminders that automatically adjust based on whether a patient has already confirmed. It also clarifies how to handle family reminders, sending one message that includes the status for each family member who shares a number.
✨ When You Need This Guide
This guide is perfect for you if you're looking to:
Reduce no-shows by prompting unconfirmed patients to reply.
Thank confirmed patients with a personalized message.
Set up automated reminder campaigns that adapt to a patient’s status.
Ensure your reminders are smart and personal.
Send a single message for a family that includes the status for each person who shares the same phone number.
✅ What This Covers (And What It Doesn't)
✅ What this covers: How to use Conditional Logic to create an appointment reminder that sends different messages to confirmed and unconfirmed patients.
❌ What this doesn't cover: How to build a full campaign from scratch or how to troubleshoot general campaign issues.
Prerequisites/You'll Need:
Access to the Campaigns section in your Aloha account.
An existing reminder template, or the ability to create a new one.
✅ Set Up Conditional Logic for Patient Reminders
Conditional Logic allows you to create smart messages that change based on a patient's confirmation status. Follow these steps to build your custom reminder.
Create or Edit a Reminder Template
Go to Campaigns > Show Templates.
Click on an existing template or click +Add Template to create a new one.
Under the Type dropdown, select "Appointment Reminder."
Add Your Conditional Logic Tags
In the editor, make sure your content that will be repeated is placed between the {CONTACT} and {/CONTACT} tags.
Then, use the following code to create different messages for confirmed and unconfirmed patients: {IS_CONFIRMED} Thank you for confirming! {/IS_CONFIRMED} {NOT_CONFIRMED} Please reply YES to confirm. {/NOT_CONFIRMED}
This ensures:
Confirmed patients receive a kind thank-you (content between {IS_CONFIRMED}){/IS_CONFIRMED}).
Unconfirmed patients get a prompt to reply and confirm (content between {NOT_CONFIRMED} {/NOT_CONFIRMED})
You can also add other details like the patient's name and appointment time within the Replacement Strings to make the message feel more personal.
Add Your New Template to a Campaign
Go to Campaigns > Show Campaigns.
Click the name of the campaign where you want to add the reminder.
On the Edit Campaign page, click +Add Step.
Configure the Campaign Step
Name the step something that's easy to remember, like "Confirmation Reminder".
Next to Action, select "Send a Text Message" or "Send an Email".
A second dropdown will appear—select your newly created template
Choose timing under the “When” section:
Time (e.g., 30)
Unit (e.g., Minutes, Hours, Days)
Timing type (e.g., Before, After, Into Campaign)
📌 Example: “30 Minutes Into Campaign” sends the reminder 30 minutes after the campaign is triggered.
Click Save Campaign Step
Repeat the above to add additional steps as needed.
🎉 Your Campaign Is Now Smart and Active!
Your appointment campaign now uses real-time confirmation status to personalize each reminder. Patients get the right message, at the right time—with no manual follow-up needed.
💡 Common Questions
What You Might Notice | Why It's Happening | What to Do |
A patient replied "Confirmed" but didn't get the thank-you message. | The system only recognizes specific keywords for confirmation. "Confirmed" is not one of them. | To confirm an appointment, patients must reply with only the following words or phrases: confirm, y, yes, si, or sí. The system doesn't recognize variations like "confirmed" or "confirming." |
My message is only sending for one person in a family group. | The conditional logic tags might be set up incorrectly. | Double-check that your entire message is inside {CONTACT} and {/CONTACT} tags, and that your confirmation logic is set up as {IS_CONFIRMED}...{/IS_CONFIRMED} and {NOT_CONFIRMED}...{/NOT_CONFIRMED}. |
The patient got both the confirmation and unconfirmed message. | The tags might be formatted incorrectly or have extra spaces. | Ensure there are no extra spaces or characters within the tags themselves (e.g., {IS_CONFIRMED }). If the issue continues, contact support for a quick review of your template. |
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When
Your appointment reminders are automatically sending the right message to the right patient.
Confirmed patients receive a thank-you message.
Unconfirmed patients are prompted to reply and confirm their appointments.
You notice a reduction in the number of no-shows!
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
Our support team is always ready to help you with your Aloha account!
Phone: 800-563-0469
Email: support@getaloha.com
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