Introduction
Set-Time Reminders are a type of Automated Message. This article only covers the unique conditions for activation of Set-Time Reminders. For information on creating, customizing, and troubleshooting Automated Messages (Including Set-Time Reminders), refer to the Automated Messages Master Article.
Got questions? View the FAQ’s section at the bottom of this article!
Set-Time Reminders let you send SMS/MMS, email, and push notifications to patients at a specific time of the day, either for upcoming or past appointments. For example, you can remind patients the day before their appointment at 8 PM, no matter when their appointment is scheduled. This can be customized for each provider and appointment type.
This article explains all the settings and features of the Set-Time Reminders function. To access the Set-Time Reminders Page, click on “Appointment Messages” and then “Set-Time Reminders” in the blue sidebar.
NOTE: These messages will NOT fire the day they are created. If you set up a 1 day before message to fire at 6:00 pm, it will take effect the NEXT day.
Customize Set-Time Reminder
Edit the settings of a reminder by navigating to Appointment Reminders → click a reminder message → Click the Edit button.
Edit Recipients by Appt Type
To choose your audience for this automated message, you must select the appointment types and provider in which the message will go to. Choose appointment type(s) from the drop-down menu labeled 'unselected appt types' and select the doctor(s) whose patients should receive the Set-time Message.
Highlight appointment type(s)on the left box by clicking them and then click the right arrow key in the middle. The appt type will now appear in the right box, indicating it has been selected.
Remove appt types by highlighting them on the right side box and selecting the Left arrow key in the middle
Warning: If your office has multiple doctors, make sure the correct appointment type is selected under the right doctor.
Set Appointment Status
Setting the status allows offices to target patients with a reminder based on conditions they've met. For example, If an office wants to send reminders to patients who have missed appointments, they need to specify the appointment status as "missed" in the Set Time Reminders settings.
The system will then automatically detect patients who have missed appointments and send reminders to them at the specified time.
Edit Send Time
Decide when the Reminder will be sent:
Choose Timing: Decide when the message goes to the patient. The reminder is scheduled by clock time and the number of days in relation to the appointment.
Timing Option: Choose to send the reminder before or after the appointment
Tip: Offices that want the reminder to go out on the same day as the appointment should set the reminder to (0) days before the appointment.
Set Client Status
Reminders can be targeted towards active, inactive or inert patients. Most reminders are going to go out for active patients, you have options if you feel creative.
Compose Message (SMS/MMS, Email, Push)
Utilize SKED’s message composer to write messages through SMS, Email, and Push/App notifications. You can insert custom data (using Placeholders) to personalize your messages. Learn more here: Composing Messages (SMS/MMS, Email, Push) Zendesk Article
Troubleshooting
Single Patient Not Receiving
Whenever a single patient is not receiving a message, it usually has to do with the timing of the reminder message, an incorrect phone number or settings enabled, or the wrong appointment type selected.
Sending at the Wrong Time
Appt reminders may be considered “sent at the wrong time” if the appt was updated to a different time after a message was sent. Offices may not intuitively understand that the message was sent based on previous appt times. Learn more about it in the Appointment messages: Generating vs. Sending section.
Note: If a message was sent, but it wasn't sent at the right time, this has nothing to do with Bandwidth. Bandwidth controls the sending of messages and not the timing, so if timing is the issue, then this must be due to settings within SKED.
Sometimes, appointment reminders work differently than anticipated because there is a faulty overlap between when the appointment was updated and when the message was supposed to be sent. This can result in the message not being sent at all or being sent at the wrong time. In this section, we'll describe why this is the case and how you can identify if this is the problem you're facing.
There are three data points to consider when troubleshooting an issue like this:
When was the appointment updated last?
When was the message generated? (added to queue)
When was the message actually sent?
Sending the Wrong Reminders
If the wrong reminder is being sent to a patient, it is most likely due to having the wrong provider or appointment type assigned to the client.
FAQs
How to start reminders on the same day?
After selecting the status and time, select “0 days before”.
How do I edit my reminder?
Click on the reminder's title, then click “Edit” in the top right corner. Be sure to edit any applicable delivery types: text, email, and/or push notifications.
Why can’t I save my reminder?
Here are the common reasons the Save button is grayed out: the message is missing a title, missing a send time, and/or the email/push notification is partially completed or removed (you’ll know by a red “!” next to the delivery type).
How Do I Test My Set-Time Reminder?
Add a test appointment to your schedule using a patient profile connected to your office phone number. Make sure the appointment matches the exact criteria of the reminder (appointment type, delivery method, and timing).
Example:
If your reminder sends at 12:00 PM the day before for all Adjustment codes:
If it’s before 12:00 PM today, schedule the appointment for tomorrow.
If it’s after 12:00 PM today, schedule the appointment for the following day.
Important Reminder
When first enabling a set-time reminder, it will not send the same day it is activated. It will begin deploying the next day.
If this is the first time you’re turning it on, schedule your test appointment at least two days out to properly test a day-before reminder.
How can I tell if a reminder is deploying properly?
Click on the message's title, then click Sent Messages at the top next to the page's title. This page will show you every patient that the message has been deployed to.
Can I see what a message looks like once it’s sent?
Yes, there are two ways to see what the patient received. You can click on the title of the message, then click on Sent Messages at the top, and click on the message, or you can go to the patient under Clients > Messages > Sent Messages and click on the message.
How to enable/disable a reminder?
You can click the check box in the Enabled column or click on the title of a message, click the Enabled checkbox at the top right corner, and click Save. Uncheck the box in the enabled column to deactivate it.