Online booking with automatic reminders
Patients book online and get reminders, so phones ring less and fewer slots go empty.
The problem
Phone queues at opening time frustrate patients and tie up reception.
What it could earn or save you
Rough estimate- Time
- Roughly 3 to 5 hours a week
- Money
- Could fill several cancelled slots a month
How we got this: Based on fewer booking calls at ~3 minutes each. Rough estimate; your results will vary. Your results depend on your business; this is an illustrative estimate, not a guarantee.
How to switch it on
- 1
Set up online booking in Doctolib (EU) or Zocdoc/NexHealth (US).
- 2
Turn on SMS/email reminders at 48 and 24 hours with an easy cancel link.
- 3
Free cancelled slots automatically for online booking.
- 4
Put the booking link on your website and Google Business Profile.
Tools you can use
- DoctolibVisit site (opens in new tab)
EU only: online booking and reminders for practices in France, Germany and Italy, built for GDPR (doctolib.de for Germany, doctolib.it for Italy).
- ZocdocVisit site (opens in new tab)
US patient booking marketplace that fills open slots with new patients.
- NexHealthVisit site (opens in new tab)
Online booking, reminders, waitlist and digital forms that sync with dental and medical systems.
- Google Business ProfileVisit site (opens in new tab)
Your free Google listing, where patients leave and read reviews.
Tool links are plain links for now. Some may later become affiliate links, which will always be labelled. Check each tool’s current pricing on its site.
Template and prompt
Privacy & compliance: Never paste patient names, health details or records into general AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini; use them only to draft generic templates. Send real patient messages through a HIPAA- (US) or GDPR- (EU/UK) compliant system, with a signed BAA or data processing agreement where needed. AI here is for admin and wording only, never for diagnosis or clinical advice. Check your professional body’s rules on consent and marketing.
Template:
Reminder: your appointment at {practice} is on {date} at {time}. Need to cancel? {link}AI prompt (generic text only, no patient data):
Write a clear appointment reminder text for a private medical practice, under 160 characters, with a cancellation link placeholder.