A confirmation that arrives at the wrong time becomes an ignored message. For an early-morning appointment the patient should be asked the day before, at a time when they still have the phone in hand. For an afternoon appointment, another time may work better. ChatSense’s agenda lets the clinic choose this, and also notifies the patient as soon as the slot is booked. This post complements our guide on reducing no-shows with WhatsApp confirmations.
Two ways to ask for confirmation
In the Confirmation and booking notice settings, the clinic chooses when the patient receives the request:
- A few hours before each appointment (the default), following the hours set on each service.
- The day before, all together, at a fixed time, for example 9 a.m. the previous day.
The reminder close to the appointment still goes out to everyone, including those who already confirmed.
Morning shift and afternoon shift
With the day-before option you can turn on “Different time for the afternoon shift”. The first time then applies to the morning, you set when the afternoon starts and the time at which afternoon patients are asked. So someone with an 8 a.m. appointment gets the request at one time and someone with a 3 p.m. appointment at another, each at the most useful moment.
Details that avoid out-of-hours messages
- Skip weekends and holidays: Monday’s appointments are confirmed on Friday.
- Ask again the same day: patients who did not reply can get a second question after the number of hours the clinic sets.
- Anyone booking after the day-before time gets the request right afterwards; anyone booking for the same day gets only the reminder.
Booking notice
The clinic can also turn on the booking notice: when a slot is booked, whether by the agent, the team, the public page or Google Calendar, the patient receives a message with date, time, professional and address, once per booking. Bulk imports do not trigger notices, on purpose.
What the team sees
In the reminder, the patient can tap “I confirm” or “I need to reschedule”, and the agenda reacts right away. In the week grid each appointment gets a badge: Confirmed, Awaiting reply, No reply (no-show risk, when less than 12 hours remain) or Asked to reschedule or cancel. The team is alerted in real time when the patient cancels and when 4 hours remain without confirmation. We do not promise a number of no-shows avoided: what ChatSense delivers is the process, with visibility so the team can act in time.
Frequently asked questions
Can I confirm everyone the day before?
Yes. Choose “The day before, all together, at a fixed time” and set the time.
Can I have different times for morning and afternoon?
Yes. Turn on “Different time for the afternoon shift”, enter when the afternoon starts and the afternoon confirmation time.
Does the confirmation replace the reminder?
No. The reminder close to the appointment still goes out to everyone, including those who already confirmed.
Is the booking notice sent on bulk imports?
No. Bulk imports do not trigger notices to patients.
Go further: see how ChatSense works for clinics, dental practices; compare it with other tools on the comparison page and check the plans and pricing.
Want to see this working in your business? Book a 30-minute demonstration with the ChatSense team.