How to Send a Friendly Reminder to Customers

One of the most important aspects of running a business is making sure you are following up with your customers. Things often slip through the cracks during everyday life, and sometimes people forget about things they’ve booked or meetings they should be attending. That’s why sending a friendly reminder email and text to customers is so important. Friendly Reminder emails and reminder Text messages are great when it comes to making sure they don’t forget about their upcoming appointments or deadlines. A friendly reminder email will help you get more people in the door for your sale, while a friendly reminder text may be more convenient for some people who are not checking their emails regularly. It’s also important that you know which one would work better for your business. We will show you how to send friendly reminders to your customers and clients.

So here come some tips on how to send a reminder email or reminder text messages that work. We’ll also cover why they are necessary for any business, and which one is better – an email reminder or a text reminder.

What Is a Reminder Email?

A reminder email is a simple email sent to remind clients to take action in one way or another. They don’t have to be particularly creative. It’s important to keep reminder emails simple and focused. Anything else could distract coaching clients from what they need to do. The simpler they are, the more you can reuse the same emails over and over again for different clients.

When Should You Send Friendly Reminder Emails?

Friendly reminder emails are useful in many scenarios! If you take payment online, reminder emails are especially useful to let clients know when their invoice due dates are coming up. They’re also effective when customers are late to make a payment. You can also send reminder emails several times before an appointment. It’s up to you to decide what frequency is best, but here are some common appointment reminder settings coaches like to use:

24h before the appointment
1 hour before the appointment
15 minutes before the appointment
5 minutes before the appointment

You don’t have to set up all of these for your appointments. For example, it’s not necessary to send a 5-minute reminder if you already sent a 15-minute reminder. Reminder emails can also be used if clients haven’t filled out important documents. For instance, if they need to send files over before their first discovery session, it’s important to remind them to do so before the session takes place.

How to Write a Reminder Email

Reminder emails aren’t always easy to write. Some coaches may be scared of offending their clients, while others may be tempted to vent their anger and frustrations via reminder emails. Here are four tips to help you write effective reminder emails for any situation.

1. Don’t Apologize for Reminding Your Clients

Reminder emails are an important part of any coaching business. So, you shouldn’t apologize for sending one!

You should avoid writing things like:

I’m sorry to bother you, but I still haven’t received payment for this invoice.

It’s easy to think that clients will get annoyed by reminder emails. But the truth is that people are busy, and it can be incredibly liberating for a business to take ownership of those reminders.

When you’re reminding your clients, you’re taking one more weight off their shoulders. So why apologize for doing that?

2. Stay Polite and Avoid Embarrassing the Client

On the flip side of the coin, reminder emails shouldn’t be used to embarrass your clients or get angry at them.

We get it – it can be frustrating when you don’t receive a payment for a job well done. Be firm in your emails but stay polite. Put the focus on the invoice that didn’t get paid instead of the fact that the client hasn’t paid.

Here’s what we mean. Instead of writing:

“You still haven’t paid this invoice”

Try this instead:

“This invoice hasn’t been paid yet”

Both sentences communicate the same fact. But as a client, which one would you rather receive?

3. Keep Your Emails Focused

You should only include the necessary information in a reminder email. These emails aren’t the right time to ask your client how their family is doing or how they enjoyed their latest vacation. Write as much information as you need to so that you can get your point across, but no more than necessary.

4. Make It Easy for Your Client to Take Action

Reminder emails are designed to remind clients to do something.

For them to take action, you should make their lives as easy as possible. For instance, if you’re reminding them to fill out a form, make sure to include a link to that form.

Otherwise, they’ll have to waste time trying to find the original email you sent.

Remember that many people receive dozens of emails a day in their inboxes. The easier you make it to access what they need to work with you, the more likely they’ll enjoy your coaching services.

Appointment reminder emails

Every appointment reminder email should include information about where and when the appointment will happen.

For instance, if you’re meeting via Zoom, make sure to include a link. If you’re calling your client on the phone, remind them to have their phone charged and ready at the time of the call.

If you’d like, you can send a reminder email five minutes before the appointment with similar text to what you would write for a 1-hour reminder.

Friendly Reminder Example - Email

Appointment Reminder Email For 24h Before

Subject line: Appointment Reminder: [Name of Session] with [coach name] is on [date] [time]

Hi [client name],

This is a reminder that your appointment with [doctor name] for [client name] will be held on [date] at [time].

Your appointment will be via Zoom and will last [time]. Use this link to join the call:

[Zoom link]

Make sure to have Zoom installed on your device before our appointment time.

[Signoff]

Appointment Reminder Email For 1 Hour Before

Subject line: You have a [Name of Session] with [doctor name] in one hour

Hi [client name],

This is a reminder that your appointment with [coach name] for [name of session] starts in one hour, at [time].

Your appointment will be via Zoom and will last [time]. Use this link to join the call:

[Zoom link]

Make sure to have Zoom installed on your device before our appointment time.

[Signoff]

Here’s How to Send a Professional but Friendly Reminder by Text

Keep Character Count in Mind

One of the differences between reminder emails and reminder SMS messages is that an SMS is typically limited to 160 characters. As such, you’ll want to be very concise when it comes to what your reminder message says.

Don’t Use Too Many Capital Letters

Too many capitals in a text message can seem shouty and rude – or even spammy. Keep the capitals to a minimum and only use them to emphasize important points if at all.

Keep it Simple

Sometimes reminder messages can be a little too wordy and long, but you’ll want to keep them short-and-sweet with an SMS. Also, split reminder messages into paragraphs to make it easier for the reader to skim if you must use long ones.

Don’t go Emoji Overboard

It can be all too tempting to finish a text with a bunch of smiley faces but resist the urge when you’re sending a reminder text. Emojis can make the message seem a little over-friendly and unprofessional. Not to mention that they might not display the same way on all devices.

Use Niceties

Even though you’re going for short and sweet, it’s still important to use niceties in a text reminder. For instance, use words like ‘please’ and ‘thank you. Also remember to say ‘hello’, use the recipient’s name, and sign off from your brand.

Friendly Reminder Sample - Text

Hello (Name), this is a friendly reminder for your appointment with (Business Name) on (Date and Time). Please reply YES to confirm.
Hello (Name), this is a friendly reminder for your appointment with (Business Name) on (Date and Time). Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) to reschedule.
Hello (Name), this is a friendly reminder for your appointment on (Date and Time). Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) to reschedule. Thanks, (Business Name)
Hi (Name), this is a reminder for your upcoming appointment on (Date and Time). Please remember to bring (Important Documents) with you. Please reply YES to confirm. Thanks, (Business Name)
Hi (Name), this is a reminder for your upcoming appointment on (Date and Time). Please remember to bring (Important Documents) with you. Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) to reschedule. Thanks, (Business Name)
Hi (Name), this is a reminder for your upcoming appointment on (Date and Time) with (Consultant Name) at (Business Name and Address). Please reply YES to confirm.
Hi (Name), you have an appointment on (Date and Time) at (Business Name) with (Consultant Name). Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) to reschedule.
Hi (Name), this is a friendly reminder for your upcoming appointment with (Consultant Name) on (Date and Time). Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) to reschedule. Thanks, (Business Name)
To confirm your appointment with (Business Name) on (Date and Time), please click the link: (Link to confirm appointment). Please call (Phone Number) to reschedule.
Hi (Name), please confirm your appointment with (Business Name) on (Date and Time) by replying YES. Please call (Phone Number) to reschedule.
Hi (Name), we’re looking forward to seeing you on (Date and Time)! Please reply YES to confirm or call (Phone Number) if you need to reschedule. We’ll see you soon! Thanks, (Business Name)
Hey (Name), this is a friendly reminder for your upcoming appointment on (Date and Time) with (Consultant Name) at (Business Name). Please reply YES to confirm. We can’t wait to see you!

In Conclusion

Sending reminders is a great way of staying in touch with your customers without being too pushy, providing excellent customer service by being proactive, and saving your business from costly no-shows. Friendly reminders keep people on track and help prevent calendar mishaps. Sign-up today!