How to Set Up Appointment Reminders in GoHighLevel

Why automated reminders outperform manual calls

Manual reminder calls have two problems. First, they take staff time that could be spent on higher-value work. A receptionist calling 20 appointment confirmations per day is spending 1 to 2 hours on a task that automation handles in zero minutes. Second, many people do not answer unknown numbers, making phone reminders less reliable than SMS which gets read within minutes of delivery.

SMS reminder sequences that include a confirmation request also give you earlier warning of cancellations. Someone who responds "R to reschedule" at 48 hours gives you two full days to fill the slot. Someone who simply does not show up leaves you with a gap you cannot fill.

Step 1: Configure your GHL calendar

Before building reminder workflows, make sure your GHL calendar is correctly configured. Go to Calendars in the left sidebar and click on your calendar name to open settings.

Connect your personal calendar under Calendar Settings, then Integrations. Select Google or Outlook and sign in. Once connected, GHL checks your personal calendar for existing events before allowing new bookings, preventing double-booking.

Set your availability hours, buffer time between appointments and how far in advance someone can book. If you need 30 minutes between each appointment for travel or preparation, set the buffer to 30 minutes. If you want to prevent same-day bookings so you have time to prepare, set the minimum scheduling notice to 24 hours.

Set the confirmation method to Email and SMS so every new booking triggers both a confirmation email and an SMS. This gives you the widest reach regardless of how the contact prefers to communicate.

Step 2: Set up the booking confirmation

The booking confirmation is the first message the contact receives after scheduling. It fires immediately on booking and sets expectations for the appointment.

Go to Automation, then Workflows, then Create Workflow. Trigger: Appointment Booked. Filter by your specific calendar if you have multiple. Add action: Send SMS. Set delay to 0. Write your confirmation message:

Add a second action: Send Email. Write a more detailed confirmation email that includes everything the contact needs to know before their appointment: what to bring, where to park, what to expect on the day. The email carries more detail than the SMS can hold.

Step 3: Build the reminder sequence

After the immediate confirmation, add reminder touchpoints before the appointment. The most effective structure for most businesses is three touches:

After the confirmation actions, add a Wait step set to: wait until 24 hours before the appointment start time. Use GHL's date-relative wait option rather than a fixed time delay. This ensures the 24-hour reminder always fires at the right time regardless of when the appointment was booked.

Add action: Send SMS with the 24-hour reminder:

Add another Wait step: wait until 2 hours before the appointment. Add action: Send SMS with a brief same-day reminder:

Step 4: Set up no-show follow-up

Create a separate workflow for no-shows. Trigger: Appointment Status Changed to No Show. Wait 3 hours. Send SMS:

Wait 24 hours. If no reply, send a final brief SMS. Most businesses recover 25 to 35 percent of no-shows with this two-touch sequence. The key is reaching out the same day rather than waiting until the next week when the moment has passed.

Step 5: Get the timing right

The 24-hour and 2-hour timing covers most service businesses well. There are a few adjustments worth considering for specific situations.

For longer appointments like a full-day consultation or a complex estimate visit, add a 48-hour reminder as a fourth touchpoint. The more time someone has invested in the appointment, the more reminders are appropriate.

For very short appointments like a 15-minute call, the 24-hour reminder is sufficient. The 2-hour reminder can feel excessive for a call that takes less time than preparing for it.

Always use business hours filtering on reminder workflows so messages do not go out at 6am or 11pm. Set the filter to your normal business hours under Workflow Settings. GHL will queue the message and send it at the start of the next business hours window if the calculated send time falls outside business hours.

Step 6: Customise messages for your business type

The templates above work for most businesses but specific industries benefit from more targeted confirmation content.

Medical and health professionals: Add intake instructions to the confirmation email. "Please complete your intake form before your appointment: [form link]. Bring your insurance card and a list of any current medications."

Home service contractors: Include access instructions. "Please make sure someone is home at the time of the appointment and that we have clear access to [relevant area, e.g. the attic or back garden]."

Coaches and consultants: Include preparation questions. "To make our time together as useful as possible, please take 5 minutes to think through: [2 to 3 relevant questions]. No need to send answers in advance, just come with your thoughts."

See our full workflows tutorial for how to combine appointment reminders with other automation sequences in a single workflow.