This guide helps you solve common text messaging problems, from patients not receiving texts to understanding why a phone number or message might appear in red. Follow these simple steps to get your communications back on track.
✨ When You Need This Guide
This guide is your go-to resource when you encounter a hiccup with text messaging. Give this a read if:
A patient mentions they aren't receiving your text messages or reminders.
You're trying to figure out why a patient’s phone number is showing up in red.
Messages you're sending from Aloha are appearing in red.
Patients report getting duplicate reminders from different systems.
You need to know how to help a patient opt back into receiving messages.
What This Covers (And What It Doesn't)
✅ This article walks through the steps to check a patient's contact details, confirm their messaging status, and navigate phone carrier situations.
❌ This article does not cover how to manage duplicate notifications from external software, as Aloha doesn't have control over other systems' settings.
Prerequisites/You'll Need
Access to your Aloha account.
The patient's contact information.
✅ A 4-Step Plan to Solve Texting Snags
When a patient isn't getting your texts, follow these steps to find a solution together.
Step 1: Check the Basics in Aloha
Start by checking a few key things inside your Aloha account.
Confirm the patient's phone number. Make sure it’s entered correctly, includes an area code, and is a mobile number, not a landline.
Look at the message subscription status. Go to the CONTACTS tab and find the patient. If their phone number is red, it means they cannot receive your text messages. This restriction is usually in place for one of these reasons:
The patient opted out: They may have replied "STOP" to a previous message.
The number is a landline: Landline numbers cannot receive text messages.
The number is invalid: The phone number may be disconnected or typed incorrectly.
Check the delivery status. Look at the message history in Aloha. If the last message you sent is BLUE, then the message is showing as "delivered" on the Aloha end. If the patient didn't receive the message, the cause is likely on their end.
Look for a wider pattern. Are messages for your other patients also appearing in red? Red means the message was undelivered. If you see this happening for multiple patients, please contact our support team right away for assistance.
Step 2: Ask the Patient to Check Their Phone
If the situation seems to be only with a single patient, the next step is to help them check their device. It often helps to walk them through these steps over the phone.
Ask the patient to restart their phone. This simple step often clears up network connection interruptions.
Have them make sure their messaging app is updated to the latest version.
Step 3: Look into Phone Carrier Settings
If texts still aren't going through, the next step is for the patient to check with their mobile provider.
You can explain it to them like this: "It seems like we've tried all the quick fixes. Sometimes, phone carriers like Verizon or T-Mobile can accidentally flag numbers as spam. Could you give them a quick call and ask them to make sure messages from our office number aren't being blocked?"
Also, be aware that temporary carrier outages can sometimes delay messages until the carrier resolves the situation on their end.
Step 4: Still No Luck? Contact Our Support Team
If you have gone through the steps above and the patient is still not receiving messages, it's time for our team to help. Please contact our support team so we can investigate further.
💡 Common Questions
What You Might Notice | Why It's Happening | What to Do |
A patient's phone number is red in their contact profile. | The patient has opted out of receiving text messages from your office. | Ask the patient to text the word "START" to your office number. This will opt them back in. |
The text messages you send are appearing in red. | This can happen for a few reasons: a delivery failure, the number is a landline, or there's a temporary network disruption. | Try to resend the message. If it fails again, double-check that the number is a valid mobile number and not a landline. |
Patients are receiving duplicate reminders. | This usually happens when you had a prior system that is also set up to send reminders. Aloha cannot control settings in other software. | You will need to log into the other system and turn off its reminder notifications to prevent duplicates. |
🎉 You'll Know It's Working When
The patient confirms they have received your test message.
The patient’s phone number no longer appears in red in their contact profile.
A patient can successfully send a text message to your office number.
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
If you've tried these steps and are still stuck, our support team is ready to help. Contact us at 800-563-0469 or support@getaloha.com.
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