Why it helps
Missed appointments cost you a time slot you can't sell again. A clear confirmation and a reminder a day or two before help people remember, reschedule early and turn up on time. A fair, plainly worded cancellation policy means fewer awkward conversations when someone doesn't show.
Most booking systems for clinics, salons and studios can send messages automatically, but the default wording is often stiff. AI can write a set that sounds like you, short enough for a text, with placeholders your system fills in.
The prompt
Copy it, swap the bits in [square brackets], and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot.
I run a [type of business, e.g. physio clinic, hair salon, personal training studio] in [town], New Zealand. Write a set of short appointment messages in a warm, professional tone. NZ English. 1. Booking confirmation: date, time, who they're seeing, where to go, how to change it 2. Reminder [24 or 48] hours before: short, with a simple way to confirm or reschedule 3. Our cancellation and no-show policy, written plainly and fairly 4. A kind message after a missed appointment, offering to rebook - Keep messages 1, 2 and 4 under 300 characters each, so they work as texts. - Use [placeholders] for names, dates, times, staff and links. - Use my policy exactly as I've written it. Don't invent fees, notice periods or rules. - Don't mention the reason for the appointment, treatment details or anything about the client's health. My details: [address and parking, how to cancel or reschedule, your cancellation policy in your own words]
Then keep chatting
Make the no-show message gentler for a first-time client.
Write an email version of the confirmation with a bit more detail on what to bring.
Write a short message for when we need to cancel on them.
Write a sign for the front desk explaining the cancellation policy in 3 lines.
Step by step
- Write down your cancellation policy in plain words: how much notice you need, and what happens if someone cancels late or doesn't turn up.
- Note the practical details: address, parking, how to cancel or change a booking.
- Copy the prompt, fill in your business and details, and paste them in.
- Check the policy wording matches what you actually do, and that it's in your booking terms too.
- Paste the messages into your booking system's templates, using its own fields for names, dates and times.
- Make a test booking for yourself to see how the messages look on a phone.
Worked example
Example details are made up. Your results will vary, so always read and check before you use them.
Watch out for
- Don't paste client names, phone numbers, or any health or treatment details into AI; let your booking system fill in the names. Reminder texts can show on a locked screen, so keep the reason for the visit out of them. The Health Information Privacy Code 2020 applies (privacy.org.nz).
- Any cancellation fee needs to be clear to clients before they book, and fair. Check the Fair Trading Act and Consumer Guarantees Act guidance at consumerprotection.govt.nz.
- If your services are funded, for example by ACC or a health provider, check their rules on charging for missed appointments before you add a fee.
- Only send reminder messages to people who've given you their number for that purpose. Marketing texts have extra rules under the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act.
Go further
Set your booking system to send the reminder automatically, and track no-shows for a couple of months to see if it helps. Next, tidy up your client intake form so new clients arrive with the paperwork done, or set up a short review request for after appointments.
