This guide helps you find a mismatch in timing, wording or delivery, then check the result. Start with an existing reminder and a permitted patient record so you can see how the setup works in practice.
This guide is for the team member who manages appointment communications. A Full Access user should handle clinic settings and wording changes. Staff with the appropriate access can check patient preferences and communications. Jane's email notifications guide explains the clinic-wide settings.
1. Check the clinic's reminder settings
Open Settings → Reminders & Notifications. Choose Edit or Add Reminder. Email reminders are available on all plans; SMS availability depends on plan and region. Jane currently lists SMS for Legacy, Practice and Thrive. See Jane's setup guide.
Check these fields before saving:
| Setting | What to check |
|---|
| Enabled | The reminder is active. |
| Send Reminder | The number of hours or days before the appointment. |
| Delivery Method | For an Email/Phone reminder, choose Email if you intend to send email. Phone creates a staff call list, not an automated call. |
| Subscribed by Default | The default for new patient profiles. SMS still requires consent. |
| Patient selectable | For Email/Phone reminders, whether patients can choose that option in their profile. |
Use View Preview for SMS. A Do Not Text flag prevents appointment texts.
2. Choose timing around your clinic's policy
Start with the point at which a patient needs to act. If your cancellation policy asks for advance notice, a reminder arriving after that deadline gives them little chance to change the booking within the policy.
Write down each reminder's channel and timing. Check whether it gives patients enough time to contact the clinic and whether your team can respond during those hours. Adding messages is a decision to review, rather than an automatic fix for missed visits.
Review the timing with your team after checking delivery and patient feedback.
3. Check an existing patient's preferences
Before assuming the clinic default covers everyone, open an authorised patient's profile and inspect the Reminders widget. Use its pencil icon to check the subscription settings. Jane's email-reminder troubleshooting guide walks through this check.
For SMS, confirm the number is in Mobile Phone. Changing the default does not subscribe existing profiles, and opting in later does not send reminders whose scheduled time has already passed. See Jane's SMS troubleshooting guide.
Check preferences with the patient where needed. Do not change them just to make the reminder list look complete.
4. Review the message patients will receive
A Full Access user can edit reminder wording under Settings → Language and preview email types under Settings → Emails. Keep Jane's appointment fields intact when editing. SMS has a character limit, so check the actual preview rather than pasting an entire email into the text field. Follow Jane's language customisation guide.
Make the next step easy to find. For example, this invented line could be adapted for an email reminder:
If you need to change your appointment, call [clinic phone number]. Please check our cancellation policy before changing your booking.
Replace the placeholder and make sure the policy is accessible. Use only contact methods your team actually monitors.
Do not ask patients to reply “CONFIRM” to confirm an appointment. Jane's email notifications guide says patients cannot confirm appointments through email or SMS. A booking notification or reminder is different from a patient confirmation.
5. Check delivery before adding another reminder
Use a recent, authorised record to inspect Patient Profile → Communications. Check the recipient, message, time and status. Jane's Communications Log guide explains the entries. For an individual booking, the email troubleshooting guide also points to History & Status on the appointment.
| What you find | Next check |
|---|
| No expected reminder | Check the clinic switch, the individual reminder and the patient's subscription. For SMS, check whether the patient opted in before the send time. |
| Bad Recipient Email or Bounced | Verify the address and review Jane's email troubleshooting steps. |
| Bad Recipient SMS | Check the Mobile Phone field and Do Not Text flag. |
| SMS Failed or Undeliverable | Follow Jane's SMS troubleshooting guide. A carrier unsubscribe can differ from the preference shown in Jane. Respect the patient's choice. |
|
If the cause remains unclear, use Need Help? in Jane to contact support. Keep patient details in the clinic's approved systems.
Finish with a recorded check
Before calling the setup complete, record the reminder types and timing, check an existing profile's preferences, and inspect a recent message. Preview the patient wording and confirm that its contact method works. If you cannot verify delivery yet, leave that check pending.
Then review the four no-show checks to decide whether another part of the booking workflow needs attention. Use the no-show rate calculator when you have attendance counts for the same scope and period. Delivery records help diagnose communications; attendance records tell you which visits were missed.
Sources
Jane instructions checked October 3, 2026:
Rob SaricCo-founder & CEO at Caretrics