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Appointment reminder software

Appointment reminder software that cuts no-shows automatically

Appointment reminder software sends timezone-aware SMS, WhatsApp and email reminders the moment an appointment is booked, lets patients confirm or reschedule with one reply, and keeps the calendar accurate on its own. Capra adds reminder templates that patients act on, delivery status per message, no-show (DNA) tracking per clinician and site, and sync with the calendar and EHR you already use.

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The problem

Every empty slot costs more than the appointment

Patients forget, book too far ahead, or find rearranging harder than not turning up. Manual phone rounds don't scale, and the gaps add up across a month.

1 in 23

GP appointments missed in England

Patients did not attend 16 million GP-practice appointments in 2025, about 1 in 23 of those booked.

Source: NHS England, 2026

£30

Estimated cost of each missed GP appointment

NHS England has estimated that every missed general practice appointment costs around £30, before anyone counts the wait for the next patient.

Source: NHS England, 2019

No-show cost calculator

What are missed appointments costing you?

Put in your own numbers to see what no-shows add up to each month and year. It is your estimate from your figures, not a promise of what Capra will deliver.

Appointments per week
No-show rate%
Average value of an appointment£

Your estimate, from your own figures. It is not a forecast of what Capra will deliver.

Your estimate
Missed appointments a month
52
Cost of no-shows a month
£3,120
Over a year
£37,440

For context: in a Cochrane review, attendance rose from 67.8% to 78.6% when patients received a text message reminder, and in an Imperial College London study non-attendance was 38% lower among patients who got one. See the sources.

How it works

Sending reminders in three steps

Most teams connect their channels, sync calendars and import patients within a few days.

Connect your calendar and channels

Two-way sync with Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook / Teams, then link SMS, WhatsApp and email.

Set your reminder rules once

Choose timing, channel and template per appointment type. Capra sends each reminder at the right local time.

Patients reply, the schedule updates

A YES confirms, a reschedule request threads into your inbox, and the calendar reflects it instantly.

Reminder software, in detail

Everything the front desk used to do by phone

Automation, wording, reply handling, delivery and tracking that share one patient record, so a reminder is never out of step with the schedule.

Reminders that go out on their own

Trigger reminders and confirmations from booking, rescheduling and cancellation events. Set the timing, channel and template per appointment type, and Capra handles the rest at the right local time.

  • Event-based automation for bookings, changes and cancellations
  • Timezone-aware delivery on SMS, WhatsApp and email
  • Reusable templates with variable substitution
See it in a demo

Reminder messages patients act on

The wording decides whether a reminder is read or ignored. Capra's templates put the clinic, the clinician and the time in the first line, give the patient one clear action, and change tone for the three-day reminder, the day-before nudge and the follow-up after a missed visit. Browse and copy them from the reminder templates library.

  • Clinic, clinician, date and time in the first line
  • One action per message: confirm, reschedule or book
  • Templates for three days before, the day before and after a DNA
See it in a demo

Reply to confirm, reschedule or cancel

Patients answer on whichever channel the reminder arrived on. Every reply threads back to their record in one shared inbox, so a “can I move it?” never gets lost.

  • Reply-to-confirm updates the appointment instantly
  • One shared inbox across every channel
  • Complete communication history on the patient record
See it in a demo

Delivered, not just sent

A reminder shown as sent is not the same as a reminder that arrived. Capra registers your practice number with the carriers where that is required, shows delivery status per message, retries failures and falls back to the next channel, so the front desk knows which patients were actually reached.

  • Delivery status per message, not just sent
  • Carrier registration handled so texts are not filtered
  • Retries and fallback from WhatsApp to SMS to email
See it in a demo

Track your no-show (DNA) rate

No-show rate by clinician, site, appointment type and day of the week, with the reminder rule beside each number. When Monday mornings at one site run high, you add a reminder to that appointment type and watch the next month, without a spreadsheet.

  • No-show (DNA) rate by clinician, site and appointment type
  • Confirmed, rescheduled and missed, month on month
  • Reminder rules changed from the report
See it in a demo

Two-way calendar sync, so reminders are always right

Keep Google Calendar or Microsoft Teams / Outlook as your source of truth. Changes flow both ways, with per-user privacy controls, so a reminder never points at a slot that moved. The schedule in your EHR or practice management system is connected during onboarding.

  • Two-way Google & Microsoft (OAuth) calendar sync
  • Per-user calendar privacy controls
  • EHR and practice management schedules connected during onboarding
See it in a demo
Configured for you

Reminder rules set up for how your clinic books

Capra is role-based and configurable; your onboarding lead sets these up with you before the first reminder goes out.

Timing

  • Three days before, the day before, the morning of
  • An extra reminder for long-lead bookings
  • Follow-up after a missed appointment

Channels

  • WhatsApp first, SMS and email fallback
  • Preferred channel and language per patient
  • Consent and opt-outs applied to every send

Templates

  • Per appointment type, clinician and site
  • Confirm, reschedule and booking links
  • Arabic and English versions where needed

Reporting

  • No-show (DNA) rate by clinician and site
  • Delivery, reply and confirmation rates
  • Which rule each reminder was sent by
Connects to

The calendars and systems your reminders follow

Calendars, SMS, WhatsApp and email are live today; your record or practice management system is connected during onboarding.

See every integration

Security & reliability

Built for healthcare, trusted with patient data

Defence in depth, from the first message to the last record. This is how we operate, not a badge.

Encrypted in transit and at rest

Connections use current TLS with HSTS, and stored data is encrypted with keys managed by our cloud provider.

Least-privilege, role-based access

Permissions come from defined roles, privileged access needs multi-factor authentication, and rights are reviewed regularly.

Monitored and logged

Security-relevant events are recorded, retained and reviewed so unusual activity can be investigated quickly.

Backed up and resilient

Critical data is backed up regularly and protected like production, with processes to restore service after a disruption.

Hosted where you need it

UK clinics are hosted in the UK by default; deployment in other regions, including the UAE, is available on request with the same protections.

Connected to your systems

Capra connects to the record, calendar, accounting, messaging and claims systems you already run; integrations are built with you during onboarding.

Works with the tools you already use, with human support in UK and UAE hours
  • Google Calendar
  • Microsoft Outlook & Teams
  • SMS (Twilio)
  • WhatsApp Business
  • Email (DKIM verified)
See every integration Read our security practices
FAQ

Questions, answered

How much can appointment reminders reduce no-shows?

Research shows reminders make a real difference. A Cochrane review found attendance rose from 67.8% to 78.6% with text message reminders, and in an Imperial College London study non-attendance was 38% lower among patients who got one. Capra's reminders are timezone-aware, and patients can confirm or reschedule with a single reply, which keeps schedules accurate.

What should an appointment reminder text say?

The clinic name, the clinician, the date and the time in the first line, then one clear action: reply YES to confirm, or tap to reschedule. Keep it short, send the first one two or three days ahead so the patient can rearrange, and use a different, warmer wording for the day-before nudge. Capra's reminder templates library has copy-ready examples for each.

Can we keep our existing calendar?

Yes. Capra keeps a two-way sync with Google Calendar and Microsoft Teams / Outlook, so appointments stay accurate in both places. Per-user calendar privacy controls let each team member decide what's shared.

Which channels can reminders be sent on?

Reminders and confirmations can be sent over SMS (powered by Twilio), WhatsApp Business, and email. Patients reply on whichever channel they prefer and every response threads back to their record.

Why do patient texts stop delivering?

Most often because carriers filter business texting from unregistered numbers, which is why a reminder can show as sent and never arrive. Capra registers your practice number where that applies, shows delivery status per message, retries failures and falls back to the next channel.

How do we track our DNA rate?

Capra reports your no-show (DNA) rate by clinician, site, appointment type and day of the week, alongside confirmations and reschedules, and shows which reminder rule each appointment was covered by. You change a rule from the report and compare the next month.

How long does it take to start sending reminders?

Most teams connect their channels, sync calendars, and import patients within a few days. Reusable templates and automation rules mean you can be sending your first reminders almost immediately.

Can patients reschedule or cancel from a reminder?

Yes. Patients reply on the channel the reminder arrived on, and a reply to confirm, reschedule or cancel updates the appointment automatically. Reschedule requests thread into the shared inbox, so your team can offer a new time without a phone call.

Can we change the timing and wording of reminders?

Yes. Reminder rules are set per appointment type, with your choice of timing, channel and template. Templates support variable substitution, so every message carries the patient's name, clinician and appointment details.

Do patients need to install anything to receive reminders?

No. Reminders arrive as ordinary SMS, WhatsApp or email messages on the number and address you already hold, and patients reply the same way. There is nothing to download or set up.

Explore more

Further reading

See Capra in action

Bring every patient conversation together.

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  • A walkthrough tailored to your team
  • Answers on setup, security & migration
  • No pressure, no obligation

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