Confirmation texts are an essential part of any SMS marketing strategy. They will be just one of several types of text messages you send to customers to boost engagement and customer experience.
Take a closer look at the situations when you may want to use a confirmation message, their benefits, and some templates to get you started.
What are confirmation texts?
Before you can learn how to write confirmation text messages, you need to understand what they are.
As the name implies, confirmation texts simply confirm something to the customer. The most common example would be an appointment confirmation, but that is far from the only type of these messages. Order confirmations are another prevalent type.
The following are just some of the situations when you may send confirmation messages:
- Appointment reminders
- Canceled appointments
- Rescheduled appointments
- Order confirmations
- Delivery confirmations
- Class reminders
- Payment reminders
- Outstanding paperwork notifications
As you will notice, not all of the appointment confirmation texts are about an upcoming appointment. Some are also reminder messages as it gets closer to the appointment date. SMS appointment confirmations can also help share delivery information about products.
Tips for writing confirmation texts
As you write your confirmation text messages, try to keep the following best practices in mind:
- Include the date, time, and location (if an appointment).
- Include the option to cancel or reschedule (if an appointment).
- Include the product name (if a product confirmation).
- Include tracking information or a note that the client will receive that info soon (if a product).
- Keep them short.
- Personalize the message.
- Include a CTA.
- Include relevant links.
- Include relevant contact information (phone number for calls and texts, email address, etc.).
- Include the ability to opt out.
Benefits of confirmation texts
If you are unsure about using confirmation messages, consider some of the benefits of using them, whether you are texting smartphones or texting landlines.
High open rate
There are other methods of confirming orders or appointments, such as emails or phone calls. But opting for confirmation texts gives you the highest open rate, much higher than email or phone calls. For reference, texts have a 98% open rate.
This means that sending the confirmations via text is the best way to maximize your chances of customers seeing them.
Keep your schedule full
Assuming you time the SMS appointment confirmation correctly, sending them will increase the rate of patients who remember their appointments. This reduces your appointment no-shows, which is essential, as any no-shows cost you money in lost revenue.
This is especially true if you include the option to reschedule or cancel in the text message and send the text early enough that you have time to fill the spot if necessary. That is especially important for a service-based business.
Remind patients about paperwork or payments
You can also multitask with your appointment reminders. In the same message, remind the recipient about new patient paperwork they should fill in and bring with them. Or remind them about the payment that will be due. This helps ensure that the person will arrive at their appointment with everything they need, saving time. This reduces the resources related to the appointments that you need.
You can do something similar to share any other important details.
Save time with automation
Your SMS marketing solution will likely offer automation, including automated confirmation texts. Podium, for example, provides these types of automated text messages. This saves you time, as you can set up the template for the text and indicate what fields to pull information from. Then, you simply define what will trigger the text, and you’re set. There is no need to text confirmations manually to clients.
Boost client engagement
Sending clients confirmation texts is also an excellent way to boost engagement. This goes back to the high open rate, combined with the fact that people prefer to be contacted via text. Following customer preference is a vital part of how retention marketing works, as this can boost your ability to retain customers. Remember that the more frequently customers hear from your business, the more likely you stay in their minds.
Access available analytics
Depending on your solution, you will also get access to analytics, such as open rates and response rates. You may even be able to measure the reduction in appointment cancelations or customer queries to support after implementing confirmation texts.
Customers expect them
You should also keep in mind that customers have come to expect confirmation texts. If you don’t send confirmation before an appointment, they may wonder if that means the appointment is canceled or doubt whether they scheduled it in the first place.
If you don’t send a confirmation message after someone orders your product online, they may wonder if the order went through. This can lead to duplicate orders and the need to process refunds, frustrated customers, and extra work for your support team.
Confirmation text examples and templates
The following are a few examples that you can use as templates when crafting confirmation texts. For each category, we only include an example for a single industry. Still, most of the order and appointment confirmation text examples are easy to adapt to other industries as well. You can find templates for other messages in our SMS marketing guide.
Appointment confirmation text
Appointment confirmation text messages are among the most common types of confirmation texts that you will send. You will typically send these messages right after the customer makes the appointment. The following can easily be adapted to various industries, saving the need for multiple appointment confirmation text examples.
“Hi, [Name]. This is [company name]. We want to confirm your appointment at [location] at [time]. Please text back ‘yes’ to confirm. Feel free to call or text us to reschedule the appointment.”
Appointment reminder text
This is similar to the previous situation, but the difference is that you send an appointment reminder text a few days before the appointment. It is one last chance to confirm an appointment before the date arrives.
“Hi, [name]. This is [company name]. We look forward to seeing you at [location] on [date] at [time]. Please respond ‘yes’ to this text to confirm you will be attending. Text ‘no’ to cancel or reschedule your appointment.”
Order confirmation text
As mentioned, the other major type of confirmation text that you are likely to send is an order confirmation. This may include several potential text messages, as you can confirm the order, share shipping information, and share delivery confirmation. The following are examples of each situation.
“This is [company]. We have received payment for your order of [product], and you will receive a confirmation text shortly.”
“Hi, [Name]. Thanks for your order of [product]. Your product should ship within [time frame].”
“Hi, [Name]. Your order of [product] has shipped. Expect it to arrive by [date]. You can track your order at [tracking information].”
“Your [product] has been marked as delivered. We hope you enjoy your product. For assistance, including information on refunds or exchanges, contact us by replying to this message.”
Service confirmation text
This scenario is for companies that offer home services, such as pest control, cleaning, or landscaping. It is similar to an appointment confirmation text but with a slight twist. You may send a text as a reminder before the service and another after to confirm completion. The latter is especially common for services like landscaping that don’t require entering the home, as the client may not be present.
“Hi, [Name]. This is [company]. This is a friendly reminder that we have you scheduled for [service] on [date and time] at [address]. Please text ‘Yes’ to confirm your service appointment. Simply reply to this message with any questions.”
“This is [company]. We have completed your [service] on [date]. As a reminder, your payment of [amount] is due by [date].”
Appointment reschedule request
While you hope never to have to cancel or reschedule appointments, it is a fact of life that it will happen sometimes. You can send updates via confirmation texts to keep your customers informed.
“Hi [Name]. Unfortunately, we have to reschedule your appointment at [company] originally for [date] and [time]. Please text back or call us to reschedule. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
Reminder to schedule an appointment
Your confirmation texts may also include reminders to schedule an appointment, depending on your industry. For example, dentists may send reminders after six months to schedule a cleaning, or doctors may send requests to schedule patients’ annual checkups. Beauty salons can even use this for services that require touch-ups, such as hair coloring.
“Hey, [Name]. It’s been almost six months since your last dental cleaning. Just a reminder to text or call us to schedule your next cleaning and keep your smile in good health!”
Conclusion
Confirmation texts allow you to keep appointments filled and maximize the customer experience. Use them to confirm purchases or remind clients about upcoming appointments. You can even automate these messages with platforms such as Podium. Start today with a 14-day Free Trial.
The above examples will save you the hassle of creating your own templates from scratch and help deliver results.
