Automated appointment reminders help reduce no-shows and keep pet owners informed without the manual effort of sending reminders individually. Once you create appointment reminder rules, Animana will automatically send SMS text message or email notifications to pet owners based on the appointment types, appointment columns and timing you specify. You can send reminders before the appointment, but also afterwards, for example for aftercare instructions or a request for feedback.
Before you start
- You need the “reminders” permission to create and manage reminder rules. User permissions can be adjusted by a practice administrator in Settings > General Settings > Role Management.
- Communication templates must be created in the Content Designer before you can use them in appointment reminder rules. Templates must be created with the “appointment” context to appear in the reminder rules.
- Each rule you create will send a separate reminder. Be mindful of creating too many rules that could overwhelm pet owners with notifications.
- If no rules have been set up, reminders will not be sent automatically, but you can still send them manually from the diary.
- No reminders will be sent for appointments with the status “cancelled”.
- Reminders after the appointment are only sent for appointments with the status “Done”. Set appointments in the diary to “Done” if you use rules for reminders after the appointment.
Step-by-step instructions
- Go to Settings > General Settings > Appointment Reminder Rules.
- Click Create new rule.
- Enter a name for your reminder rule in the “rule name” field. Choose a descriptive name that helps you identify the rule’s purpose (e.g., “Wellness check 1-day reminder” or “Surgery preparation instructions”).
- Select which appointment types this reminder should apply to:
- Choose all appointment types to send this reminder for every appointment.
- Or select specific appointment types from the list (you can select multiple).This is box titleTip: Create separate rules for appointment types that need different instructions. For example, wellness checks might need a reminder about bringing a stool sample, while surgery appointments need fasting instructions.
- In the “Appointment Columns” field, select which appointment columns this reminder applies to:
- Select all appointment columns to send this reminder for appointments in every column, including columns you add later.
- Or select one or more specific appointment columns from the list. Appointments in columns you do not select will not receive a reminder from this rule.
This is box titleTip: Do you use an appointment column for internal appointments, such as admin or blocked time? Leave that column unselected.
- Select the animal species for which this reminder should be sent. Tick all the animal species to send this reminder to all species.
- Choose a communication template from the “template” dropdown. SMS and email templates are shown separately:
- Select an SMS template to send a text message.
- Select an email template to send an email.This is box titleNote: Only templates created in the Content Designer with the “appointment” context will appear in this list. Make sure the template contains the right information for this appointment type.
- In the “When to Send” field, select when the reminder should be sent:
- “Immediately when booked” – Sends as soon as the appointment is created. Tick the box below if you want a reminder to be sent immediately with the new appointment details after rescheduling an appointment.
- “1 day in advance” – Sends 1 day before the scheduled appointment.*
- “2 days in advance” – Sends 2 days before the scheduled appointment.*
- “3 days in advance” – Sends 3 days before the scheduled appointment.*
- “1 week in advance” – Sends 7 days before the scheduled appointment.*
- “1 day after” – Sends 1 day after the appointment, only if the appointment has the status “Done”.*
- “2 days after” – Sends 2 days after the appointment, only if the appointment has the status “Done”.*
- “3 days after” – Sends 3 days after the appointment, only if the appointment has the status “Done”.*
- “1 week after” – Sends 7 days after the appointment, only if the appointment has the status “Done”.*
- Click Create Reminder Rule to activate the rule.
The new rule will now appear in the table on the Appointment Reminder Rules page.
To edit a rule, click the pencil icon next to it. To enable or disable a rule, use the toggle in the table in the column “Active”.
* The “Reminder send time” field on the Appointment Reminder Rules page (Settings > General Settings > Appointment Reminder Rules) controls the time of day at which all scheduled reminders are sent. This applies to all appointment reminder rules except “Immediately when booked.”
More about this
How many reminders will a pet owner receive?
Pet owners will receive one reminder for each rule that applies to their appointment. For example, if you have:
- A rule that sends reminders for “all appointment types” 1-day before.
- A rule that sends reminders for “wellness checks” 1 week before.
A pet owner with a wellness check appointment will receive both reminders.
What can I use reminders after the appointment for?
With a reminder after the appointment, you can automatically send pet owners a message after their visit. You decide the content in the template. For example, aftercare instructions, a summary of the visit, a request for feedback, or a payment reminder.
When is a reminder after the appointment sent?
A reminder after the appointment is sent on the selected day after the appointment, at the time set in the “Reminder send time” field. With “1 day after”, the pet owner therefore receives the reminder the next day, even if the appointment took place late in the day. The reminder is only sent if the appointment has the status “Done” at that moment. If the appointment is still open, cancelled, or did not take place, no reminder is sent.
A new rule does not send reminders for appointments in the past. The rule only applies to appointments that took place exactly the selected number of days ago.
Can a pet owner add the appointment to the calendar on their phone?
Yes. For email reminders, Animana automatically attaches an .ics file. This is a standard calendar file containing the appointment details, such as:
- the date and time of the appointment
- the selected appointment location
- the name of the practice
The pet owner opens the attachment in the email on their phone or computer and adds the appointment directly to their own digital calendar, for example Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook. You do not need to set anything up for this. The .ics file is only attached to email reminders. SMS reminders and reminders sent after the appointment do not include an .ics file.
What happens if an appointment is rescheduled?
If an appointment is rescheduled and the reminder hasn’t been sent yet, the reminder will automatically adjust to the new appointment time. The same reminder rules will apply based on the new scheduled date and time.
If a reminder has already been sent before the appointment was rescheduled, a new reminder will be sent for the new appointment time (depending on the appointment reminder rules you have defined).
How do appointment locations work in reminders?
When creating an appointment, you can select a location in the “Location” field.
Using merge codes for appointment locations, you can automatically include the selected location in SMS and email reminders.
What if I need to stop a reminder from being sent?
If you need to prevent a reminder from being sent, you must remove the appointment rule from the system. Marking an appointment as completed or cancelled will not stop reminders, as some rules may be designed to send communications after appointments.
Do you want to prevent appointments in a specific appointment column from receiving a reminder? Then leave that column unselected in the “Appointment Columns” field of the rule.
Are reminders sent for cancelled appointments?
No. Reminders are not sent for appointments with the status “Cancelled”.
Can I see how many reminders have been sent for an appointment?
Yes. In the diary, click the menu icon (3 dots with 3 lines) in the top left corner of the calendar. There, you will see the column “times reminded”, showing the total number of reminders sent for each appointment (both automatic and manual).
If you click the number in the “Times reminded” column, you will see:
- An overview of sent reminders.
- The date and time each reminder was sent.
- The communication channel used, such as SMS or email.
This overview includes both automatic and manually sent reminders. Messages you send with a rule for reminders after the appointment are not counted in the “Times reminded” column.
Can I include appointment-specific instructions?
Yes. When creating your communication template, you can include specific instructions relevant to that appointment type. For example:
- Wellness check templates can remind clients to bring a stool sample.
- Surgery templates can include fasting instructions.
- Dental procedure templates can outline pre-procedure requirements.
Create different templates in the Content Designer for different scenarios, then use reminder rules to match the right template to the right appointment type.
Can I delete a template that’s being used in a rule?
You cannot delete a communication template if it’s currently being used in an active reminder rule. You’ll need to delete the reminder rule first before you can delete the template.
Can I send reminders immediately after booking?
When you select “Immediately after booking,” the reminder is sent as soon as the appointment is created in the system. This happens even if the appointment is scheduled for the same time it’s being booked.
For example, if a pet owner walks in and you book them for an appointment starting in 5 minutes, they could receive an immediate reminder. Consider whether this timing makes sense for your practice workflow, or if a different reminder timing would be more appropriate.
How do time zones affect reminder timing?
Reminder times are calculated based on your practice’s time zone as set in Animana. Make sure your practice time zone is configured correctly to ensure reminders are sent at the intended times.
What if I haven’t set up any reminder rules yet?
If you haven’t created any reminder rules, automated appointment reminders will not be sent. However, you can still send reminders manually from the diary whenever needed. Setting up reminder rules simply automates the process and ensures reminders are sent consistently.