🧠 What you'll learn:
The difference between automated and manual follow-ups, when each approach makes sense, and how to use Cliniko medical alerts to trigger personalised follow-ups on a patient-by-patient basis.
Introduction to follow-up advice emails
Sending follow-up content after an appointment — aftercare advice, check-ins, product instructions — is one of the highest-value automations you can set up in Peptalkr. Patients appreciate the personal touch, and clinicians save time they'd otherwise spend typing individual emails.
But not every follow-up suits a fully automated approach. Some situations call for a bit of human judgement about who gets a follow-up and when. This guide covers both scenarios.
💡 Already set up the basics? The quick start tutorial walks you through a simple automated follow-up in 10 minutes. This article is for when you want more control.
Automated vs manual: which do you need?
Choose automated if... | Choose manual if... |
Every patient who receives a specific appointment type should get the same follow-up | You want to decide on a case-by-case basis who deserves a follow-up |
The content and timing is consistent (e.g. aftercare always sent 1 hour after surgery) | Timing varies depending on the individual patient or treatment outcome |
You want a true "set and forget" system with no ongoing admin | You have complex targeting that standard filters don't quite cover |
Example: aftercare instructions after every nail surgery appointment | Example: a personal check-in for a patient who had a particularly difficult session |
💡 Good news: Even the "manual" approach in Peptalkr is still largely automated — you just decide when to trigger it, rather than having it fire automatically for everyone.
The automated approach
A fully automated follow-up uses a Transactional Email + Trigger combination. Once set up, it runs without any further input — every patient who attends a matching appointment receives the follow-up at your chosen interval.
Timing options
You're not limited to one timing — you can layer multiple follow-ups for the same appointment type:
Timing | Best for |
1 hour after | Immediate aftercare instructions while the appointment is still fresh |
1–3 days after | A check-in on how they're feeling post-treatment |
1 week after | Recovery check-in following surgery or an invasive procedure |
1–6 months after | Longer-term product or program follow-up (e.g. "How are your orthotics going?") |
🚨 Each timing interval requires its own Transactional Email and Trigger. You can duplicate existing ones to save time.
Example setups
Surgery / invasive procedure
Setting | Value |
Trigger event | After appointment attended |
Timing | 1 hour later |
Filter | Appointment type = Surgery / Nail Surgery (etc.) |
Recall box | ❌ Do not tick — this isn't a recall, it should always send |
Subject line | Important aftercare information following your procedure today |
Orthotics / product dispense
Setting | Value |
Trigger event | After invoice marked paid |
Timing | 180 days later |
Filter | Invoice item = Orthotic Fitting (or relevant billable item) |
Recall box | ❌ Do not tick — this is a product check-in, not a rebooking recall |
Subject line | How are your orthotics going, [patientfirstname]? |
→ Follow the quick start tutorial to build these.
The manual approach: using medical alerts
When you want to decide on a patient-by-patient basis whether to send a follow-up, Cliniko's medical alerts are the key. They act as a tagging system — you add a tag to a patient during or after a session, and Peptalkr automatically sends the corresponding follow-up email at your chosen interval.
This gives you the control of a manual process with the efficiency of automation — the email is pre-built, the sending is automatic, but you decide who gets it.
How to set it up
Decide on your follow-up types — think about what timings you'd want. For example: a 1-week check-in, and a 2-week check-in.
Create a medical alert in Cliniko for each type — use short, memorable names like
fup-1wkandfup-2wk.Create a Transactional Email in Peptalkr for each follow-up type.
Create a Trigger for each, using the Medical alert added trigger event, and filter by the relevant medical alert name.
Set the timing to match — e.g. 7 days after the medical alert is added for your 1-week follow-up.
In practice: After a session, you or the practitioner simply opens the patient's file in Cliniko and adds the relevant alert (e.g. fup-1wk). Peptalkr does the rest — the follow-up email goes out automatically 1 week later.
Two variants of the manual approach
Depending on whether the follow-up should also function as a recall, you'll set up the trigger slightly differently:
Variant | When to use | Recall box |
Non-recall follow-up | Always send regardless of whether they've rebooked (e.g. recovery check-in, advice email) | ❌ Leave unticked |
Recall follow-up | Only send if they haven't already rebooked (e.g. manual nudge to book a follow-up appointment) | ✅ Tick it |
For full setup instructions for both variants, see:
Combining both approaches
Many clinics end up using both methods together. A common setup might look like:
Automated: Aftercare instructions sent automatically 1 hour after every nail surgery appointment
Automated: A 6-month orthotics check-in sent after every orthotics fitting invoice
Manual: A personal check-in triggered by the practitioner adding a medical alert for patients who had a particularly tough session
There's no limit to how many follow-up setups you can have. Start with your highest-value use case first, then build out from there.
FAQs
Should follow-up advice emails be marketing or non-marketing?
Should follow-up advice emails be marketing or non-marketing?
Clinical follow-up content — aftercare advice, check-ins, product instructions — is generally non-marketing. It's sent in relation to a specific appointment or invoice, not for promotional purposes. Set these as non-marketing.
If your follow-up includes a promotional element (e.g. a discount on their next booking), set it to marketing and ensure you include an unsubscribe link.
Do I need to tick the recall box for follow-up advice emails?
Do I need to tick the recall box for follow-up advice emails?
Generally no. The recall box suppresses the email if the patient has already rebooked — which makes sense for reactivation messages, but not for clinical follow-ups. Aftercare instructions and check-ins should always send regardless of whether the patient has another appointment scheduled. Leave the recall box unticked for these.
The exception is if your follow-up is functioning more like a recall nudge — e.g. a manual medical alert trigger specifically designed to prompt a patient to rebook. In that case, ticking the recall box makes sense.
Can I send follow-up advice as an SMS instead of email?
Can I send follow-up advice as an SMS instead of email?
Yes. For short, simple follow-ups (e.g. a quick check-in or a link to aftercare instructions), SMS works well. For content-heavy follow-ups like detailed aftercare sheets, email is more appropriate. The trigger setup is identical — just use the Send SMS tab instead of Email Triggers.
What if I need different follow-ups per practitioner?
What if I need different follow-ups per practitioner?
Use the Practitioner filter on your trigger to target patients of a specific practitioner. Create a separate email and trigger for each practitioner. This is especially useful for personalised check-ins that feel like they genuinely come from the treating clinician — including their name in the sender field and subject line makes a big difference.
Can I trigger a follow-up based on an invoice item rather than an appointment?
Can I trigger a follow-up based on an invoice item rather than an appointment?
Yes — use After an invoice is marked paid as your trigger event, then filter by the specific invoice item. This is ideal for product-based follow-ups like orthotics, compression garments, or any dispensed item that has a natural check-in point further down the track.
What to set up next?
Reactivate patients who go quiet → Set up reactivations
Recall cancellations → Set up a cancellation recall
Request feedback after appointments → Feedback emails
Learn about medical alerts → Using medical alerts in Peptalkr