Use this article when you want to send appointment reminders to clients. For setting up reminder wording, automatic rules, languages, and confirmation replies, see Appointment Reminders — Settings & Sending.
You can send a one-time confirmation when staff book a visit, or send a batch of reminders from Scheduler (common for front desk each morning or week).
CoolFocus does not send appointment reminder texts to clients who have not agreed to receive texts. Missing permission means the text is skipped, not sent.
Make sure these are in place so texts can deliver:
On Settings → Inbox Settings → Numbers, the number you use for reminders has SMS routing / Use for Reminders turned on (status should say Enabled for reminders).
Clients who should receive texts have a valid mobile number and are marked OK to text in CoolFocus (with your organization’s SMS consent requirements completed when applicable).
You have permission to open Scheduler (ask a system administrator if you do not see it).
Reminder message wording is already set under Settings → Schedule → Reminders (Manual Send template for batch send). Full setup steps: Appointment Reminders — Settings & Sending.
When staff book from Scheduler (quick create, full booking panel, or staff booking mode), a Client notifications section appears:
Send confirmation email
Send confirmation text
Both default as unchecked. Nothing is sent, and the appointment is not enrolled in scheduled reminders, unless staff check one or both boxes for that visit.
A checkbox may be disabled when it cannot be used yet:
Email — client has no valid email on file
Text — no valid mobile number, client is not OK to text, or your organization has no texting number ready
If automatic reminders are not enabled for the organization, staff still see that scheduled reminders will not run—but the immediate confirmation checkboxes can still send right away when eligibility is met.
Use this option when you want to text a list of upcoming appointment reminders yourself.
Open Scheduler from the main navigation.
Open the Reminders tab.
Stay on Send (other tabs are Rules for setup and History for past sends).
Use the filter bar:
Date — Selected Day, Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week, or Custom
Status categories such as:
All — upcoming appointments in the date range
To Send — have not received a reminder yet
Pending — reminder sent; still waiting on a reply
Confirmed / Rescheduled / Canceled — as labeled
History — past appointments
Has phone — only rows with a phone number
Ok to text — only clients marked OK to receive texts
Location, resource, and appointment-type filters from Scheduler also narrow the list when you have them set.
Review the grid (who is on the list, phone, OK-to-text indicators).
Check individual appointments, or select all currently listed.
Select Send Reminders (shows the selected count).
In Confirm Send Reminders, review the preview:
One appointment — edit that exact message if needed
Several appointments — review the template (or per-recipient previewed text)
Confirm Send Reminders.
Read the result summary (queued, skipped, failed). Open any failed or skipped row on the appointment Messaging section if you need the reason.
Before an SMS reminder goes out, the client generally needs:
A valid mobile number on the appointment or linked client
Permission to text (OK to text / SMS consent as your organization requires)
For automatic/scheduled enrollment, SMS reminders enabled on that appointment when your rules and booking choices require it
If permission or contact info is missing, CoolFocus skips the text instead of sending it. Manual sends that use Ok to text filtering keep non-consented clients off the list.
For delivery warnings after a send attempt, see Understanding Text Message Delivery Warnings.
Open any appointment’s detail panel and find Messaging.
You will see:
Whether email and SMS (text) are enabled for that visit
A history of confirmation and reminder messages (automatic or manual)
Channel (SMS or email)
Status: Scheduled, Sending, Sent, Skipped, Cancelled, or Failed
Scheduled or actual send time
Failure or skip reason (for example not OK to text, no phone number, or SMS reminders disabled)
When CoolFocus sends an appointment reminder text (automatic rules or manual Send Reminders), the outbound message is also recorded in Inbox so staff can see it went out and handle replies in one place.
CoolFocus does not auto-assign a reminder conversation to whoever pressed Send.
Batch and scheduled reminders are often sent by a receptionist, volunteer, or coordinator who should not own every reply
The sender may not have Inbox access
Assigned to should mean who owns the next reply, not who bulk-sent reminders
You can still open the conversation and assign it (for example to the client’s advocate) when someone should own follow-up. Leave it Unassigned when any available staff member can pick it up.
Day-to-day Inbox habits: Getting Started in the Inbox and Managing Conversations & Sending Messages in Inbox.
No reminder texts go out at all — Confirm texting number is purchased, compliance is complete, and Use for Reminders is on. See Purchasing Your Text Number.
Staff checked Send confirmation text but nothing sent — Client needs mobile + OK to text, and your org needs a ready texting number.
Row shows Skipped — Open appointment Messaging for the reason; fix consent or phone, then resend manually if appropriate.
Client replied CANCEL and stopped texts — STOP is the standard opt-out keyword; clients who reply cancel-style words on reminders can affect texting. See Texting Compliance Requirements and delivery warnings guidance.
