SMS & Appointment Reminders
Praxi sends automated appointment reminders via SMS and email to reduce no-shows and late cancellations. You can customise timing, message content, channels, and opt-out handling.
Reminder Types
Praxi supports several reminder categories:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Confirmation | Sent immediately after booking to confirm the appointment |
| Pre-appointment | Sent ahead of the appointment (e.g., 24 hours, 1 hour) |
| Rescheduled | Sent when an appointment is rescheduled |
| Cancelled | Sent when an appointment is cancelled |
| Intake form | Prompts the client to complete intake forms before attending |
| Consent form | Prompts the client to complete consent forms |
Configuring Reminder Timing
- Navigate to Settings > Communication > Reminders
- Enable or disable each reminder configuration
- Set the timing: 24 hours, 1 hour, or a custom number of hours before the appointment
- Choose the channel: SMS, Email, or Both
- Link an SMS or email template to use for the message
- Optionally enable Skip Weekend Reminders to shift Saturday and Sunday reminders to the preceding Friday
- Save your settings
reschedule if needed, while a 1-hour SMS reminder helps with same-day attendance. :::
Reminder Sequences
For more advanced configurations, you can create a reminder sequence that sends multiple reminders at different intervals before an appointment. For example:
- 7 days before -- Email with appointment details
- 24 hours before -- SMS and email reminder
- 1 hour before -- SMS-only final reminder
Each step in the sequence can use a different channel (SMS, email, both, or portal notification). The portal channel is only available within reminder sequences, not in basic reminder configurations.
Sequences can be configured:
- Practice-wide -- applies to all appointments
- Per appointment type -- different sequences for different service types
- Per practitioner -- individual practitioners can have their own settings
When multiple configurations exist, Praxi resolves them using a priority hierarchy: Client preferences > Practitioner config > Practice-wide config.
Customising Message Templates
Each reminder can use a custom template. To edit templates:
- Go to Settings > Communication > Message Templates
- Select the reminder template to edit
- Use merge fields to personalise the message:
{{client_first_name}}-- Client's first name{{client_last_name}}-- Client's last name{{client_full_name}}-- Client's full name{{appointment_date}}-- Date of appointment{{appointment_time}}-- Time of appointment{{appointment_datetime}}-- Combined date and time{{practitioner_name}}-- Practitioner's name{{organisation_name}}-- Your practice name{{location_name}}-- Appointment location name{{location_address}}-- Location street address{{appointment_type}}-- Type of appointment
- Preview the message with sample data
- Save the template
Testing Reminders
Before going live, you can send a test reminder to yourself:
- Go to Settings > Communication > Reminders
- Click Send Test
- Choose SMS or email
- Enter your own phone number or email address
- Optionally select a template
- Click Send Test Reminder
Test reminders use sample data so you can see exactly how the message will appear to clients.
misuse. :::
Two-Way SMS
Clients can reply to SMS reminders using simple keywords:
| Reply | Action |
|---|---|
| 1, C, CONFIRM, YES, Y | Appointment confirmed; status updated in Praxi |
| 2, X, CANCEL, NO, N | Cancellation request created; staff notified |
| R, RESCHEDULE, CHANGE | Client directed to rebook |
| STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE | Client opts out of all SMS communications |
Replies are processed automatically via AWS secure messaging infrastructure and appear in the appointment record and your inbox.
and hosted in the Sydney (ap-southeast-2) region. All inbound SMS webhooks are verified using AWS SNS signature validation to prevent spoofing. :::
Client Reminder Preferences
Each client can set their own reminder preferences on their record:
- Preferred channel -- SMS, email, or portal notifications
- SMS reminders enabled/disabled
- Email reminders enabled/disabled
- Portal reminders enabled/disabled
- Quiet hours -- a time window during which reminders are not sent
- Reminder consent -- whether the client has consented to receive reminders
These preferences are respected by the reminder system. If a client has disabled SMS reminders, they will not receive SMS reminders regardless of your practice-wide settings.
If consent is not recorded, no reminders are sent for that client. :::
Consolidated Reminders
When a client has multiple appointments on the same day, Praxi consolidates them into a single reminder rather than sending a separate message for each appointment.
Reminder Analytics
View reminder performance at Communication > Reminders > Analytics:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total sent | Total reminders sent in the period |
| Delivered | Successfully delivered |
| Failed | Failed to deliver |
| Response rate | Percentage of reminders that received a reply |
| Channel breakdown | Sent/delivered/failed per channel (SMS, email, portal) |
Costs
SMS reminders are charged per message:
| Region | Cost per SMS |
|---|---|
| Australian mobile | Included in subscription (fair use policy applies) |
| International | $0.15 per SMS |
Email reminders are included at no additional cost.
Opt-Out Handling
- Clients can opt out of SMS reminders by replying STOP
- Opt-out status is recorded on the client record
- Opted-out clients still receive email reminders unless they opt out of those separately
- Staff are alerted when a client opts out so they can follow up if needed
cannot override a client's opt-out without their explicit re-consent. :::
Permissions
| Action | Required Permission |
|---|---|
| Configure reminder settings | Practice owner or practice manager |
| Edit message templates | Practice owner or practice manager |
| View reminder status per appointment | All authenticated users |
| Send test reminders | Practice owner or practice manager |
| View reminder analytics | All authenticated users |