✨ When You Need This Guide
You’re in the right place if you’re:
Trying to change when appointment reminders go out
Needing to edit reminder settings for existing patients
Wanting to send a one-time appointment reminder manually
Unsure how to disable or switch reminder types (like text vs. email)
This guide walks you through how to manage both automated and manual appointment reminders.
🔧 What You’ll Need First
Make sure you:
Have access to the Automation page via the gear icon
Know your preferred reminder templates and timing
Have the patient name handy if you’re sending a manual reminder
📌 What This Covers (And What It Doesn’t)
This article helps you:
Adjust the timing and type of automated reminders
Add multiple appointment reminders
Send a manual, one-time reminder via text or email
Ensure Appointment Types are set up for general reminders
It does not cover how to edit the content of the reminders—check our Editing Appointment Reminder Templates guide for that.
✅ Customize Automated Appointment Reminders
Click the gear icon ⚙️ Located at the top right of your Aloha account.
Go to the “Automation” page This is where you control all time-based automations.
Scroll to the "Appointment Reminders" section
Choose your communication preferences
For each reminder, choose to Send SMS, Send Email, or Disable the message. These settings tell the system what format to send the reminder.
Set the timing
Use the “When” drop-down to set how far in advance of the appointment the reminder should go out (e.g., 1 day before, 2 hours before, etc.).
Want to send more than one reminder?
Click the blue “Add Appointment Reminder” button.
Choose the timing and template for each additional reminder.
For example, set reminders to go out 48 hours and 2 hours before an appointment, depending on your needs.
Click "Save" to apply your changes 💾
🚨 Critical Step: Turn On Reminders for Appointment Types
To ensure these reminders are set up for a specific appointment, you must ensure the Reminders toggle is enabled under the integration settings.
Go to the Gear Icon ⚙️ at the top right.
Select Integrations.
Click Edit Appointment Type Settings.
Review the list of appointment types. Ensure the Toggle under the Reminders Column is ON (checkmark) for every appointment type that should trigger these reminders.
Side Note: IF an appointment type is toggled ON for both Reminders and New Patient, they may receive reminders from both the General Reminders and the New Patient Campaign. So make sure only one is selected if you don't want patients receiving reminders from both.
✉️ Send a One-Time Manual Appointment Reminder
Sometimes you just need to nudge a single patient without changing your whole system. Here’s how to do it:
🔹 To Send a Manual Text Reminder:
Go to the Conversations page
Search for the patient using the search bar
Type your message in the new message bar
Send now or schedule it for later using the clock/calendar icon
🔹 To Send a Manual Email Reminder:
Go to Contacts > Send Bulk Message
Choose Send Email Only
For Recipient Criteria, select Search by Name
Choose a saved message template or write a custom email
Send now or schedule it for later
💡 Troubleshooting Tips
Problem | What to Check |
Patients aren’t receiving reminders | Make sure the right templates and timing are selected under Automation |
Want to stop email or text reminders | Set that reminder to DISABLE in the drop-downs |
Reminder went to wrong patient | Double-check recipient details in manual send |
🎉 You'll Know It Worked When:
Patients get the right message at the right time before their appointment
You see outgoing reminders logged in the Messages section
A patient confirms or shows up because of a reminder you sent!
💬 Need Help? We're Here!
Have questions or something not working?
Message us via the in-app chat
We reply within 30 minutes during business hours
Your Account Manager can help with custom workflows or templates
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