Take the manual work out of client communication. With splose, you can automatically send SMS and email messages for confirmations, reminders, reschedules and cancellations- hands off.
This guide will show you how to set up appointment templates, customise them with placeholders, link them to services, and make sure your clients get the right message at the right time without lifting a finger.
Ensure your clients can receive automated communications
Before you get started setting your templates up, make sure your clients have the correct communications preferences.
To ensure automated messages are delivered, check the following:
Clients have the correct timezone
Client must have their correct timezone set up on their profile. If you have clients across different timezones, go to their profile and Edit the timezone
Clients have valid contact details and communication preferences
Client must have communication preference set to Email, SMS or both
The phone number must be a mobile number (not landline)
SMS credits are available
Go to Settings → SMS Settings
Top up if needed
Templates are switched on and attached
Go to Settings → Templates → Appointments
Make sure templates are enabled
Then check Settings → Services to confirm the correct templates are attached to each service
You can change the communication preferences for all clients by going to Settings → Workspace → Details → Default appointment communication preferences
This change will only apply to new clients- unless you tick the ‘Apply to all existing clients and override current contact preferences’ checkbox before saving.
What about secondary mobile numbers?
Only the first mobile number linked to a client or their associated contacts will receive system-generated messages.
To send a message to a secondary number:
Link the number to a Contact (make sure it's a mobile number-type and the first listed one), then
Add them as an Associated Contact under the client’s profile
Tick the box for Appointments so they’ll receive communications
Only the client's mobile number can reply via two-way SMS replies.
Set up your appointment templates
Head on over to Settings → Templates → Appointments to get started.
Once you’ve opened the Appointments templates section, you can start building templates that suit the way you run your services. From confirmation messages to reminders, each template can be customised with placeholders and linked to specific services- saving you time every time you book.
💡 Along with creating specific templates for different services, you can also toggle SMS and Email on or off for each appointment template type. This gives you more control over how and when you communicate with clients.
Types of appointment templates
You can create different templates for different types of services. For example, set different templates for in-clinic sessions, and separate ones for Telehealth.
Confirmation templates
Automatically send a confirmation when an appointment is created or booked online. The email includes a calendar invite so clients can easily add the appointment to their schedule.
You can also attach standard forms like intake or consent forms that don’t require customisation.
Reminder templates
Remind clients about upcoming appointments with SMS or email.
You can:
Send reminders up to 7 business days in advance
Send reminders as close as an hour before
💡 You can attach multiple reminder templates to a service
Reschedule templates
Notify clients when an appointment is rescheduled (must be done via the Reschedule button). The updated email includes a new calendar invite link. Manually changing the appointment time won't trigger this message, only the Reschedule button will.
Cancellation templates
Let clients know when their appointment is cancelled.
If you're using two-way SMS, avoid using the word "Cancel" in your messages- clients who reply with "Cancel" will unsubscribe from future texts.
Instead, say something like:
“Reply Y or N”
“Contact the clinic to cancel”
If a client has already unsubscribed, they can reply Start to opt back in.
Set up your appointment templates
Go to Settings → Appointment Templates
Click + New template, or Edit an existing one
Create your SMS and email content using placeholders
You can use placeholders for:
Business and location details
Patient and practitioner names
Appointment info
Forms
When you attach a form to an appointment template, it’ll be automatically generated in the client’s file.
Take it a step further by setting up:
Form reminders → to prompt clients to complete the form
Form notifications → to notify selected team members when a form is submitted
Want to get forms automations set up? Learn more here →
Adding Telehealth links
To include a Telehealth link in the email:
Use the placeholder from the Appointment dropdown
Highlight the placeholder → click the link icon → paste the same placeholder in the URL field (this ensures it’s clickable)
For mobile providers (provider travel)
If you visit clients off-site, use the provider travel placeholder. It will pull the address saved in the appointment. If the travel address isn’t added at the time of booking, this field will be blank.
Tip: Preview your SMS and email before saving to check formatting and placeholder use.
Attach templates to services
You can assign specific templates to services- perfect for tailoring your communications based on session type. For example, one set of templates for recurring consults, another for Telehealth.
To attach a template:
Go to Settings → Services
Edit the service
Under Appointment notifications and reminders, select the templates you want to use
Click Save
💡 Add multiple reminders to appointments so a client can be automatically notified closer to their appointment date
‼️ If you add a Telehealth link to a service after the appointment is created, it won’t send retroactively. To be safe, add Telehealth placeholders to reminder templates as well.
SMS character limits and message segments
splose SMS messages follow standard telecom rules, which affect how long your message can be before it splits into segments.
Character sets and limits:
Standard GSM characters: 160 characters per SMS
Longer messages: Split into 153-character segments
Messages with special characters or emojis: Limited to 70 characters (67 per segment after splitting)
Characters that reduce your limit:
Emojis
Accents (é, ü, ñ)
Currency symbols (€, £, ¥)
Symbols like { } [ ] ~ |
Tips to avoid extra costs:
Stick to basic characters (A–Z, numbers, standard punctuation)
Avoid emojis and symbols unless necessary
Use an online SMS segment calculator to check message length before sending
Costs:
1 SMS credit per outbound segment
0.5 credits per inbound segment
Let us take the manual work off your hands- just set your templates up once, and splose will handle the rest.