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How to send a series of transactional (smart) emails or SMS
How to send a series of transactional (smart) emails or SMS
Abbey Garland avatar
Written by Abbey Garland
Updated over a week ago

You might want to set up a series of emails for a few reasons. Some examples include:

  • Setting up a series of emails after a patient's first appointment.

  • Providing a patient with follow-up information that is specifically needed at different times in their recovery depending on their type of appointment. eg. stretches a patient needs to do 1 week after their surgery and then different stretches 2 weeks after their surgery etc. Your imagination is the only limitation here.

📣 Please note: Series of transactional (smart) emails are different to Automated Journeys. Smart series are triggered based on things that happen in Cliniko (and can be marketing or non-marketing), whereas Automated Journeys are marketing journeys that are typically triggered by subscribers joining a marketing list (i.e a Your website's Newsletter list, a Facebook lead list and so on).

Smart series are more powerful than Automated Journeys, and are the most comminly used tool to create series and automated email in general. But they can only go to people in your Cliniko account.


✉️ Sending an email series ✉️

☝️ Set up transactional (smart) emails

Click here for a more in-depth article on Transactional emails.

To set up your emails, go to send email, click on 'transactional' and select 'create an email'. Fill out the sections with the correct information. You will need to create a separate email for each email in the series.

  1. Name this email - Use a name that appropriately describes this email, and what step of the series it is.

    e.g New Patient Series - Email 1

  2. Write a subject line - This is the subject line that the recipient sees in their inbox. You will want to make it look appealing for them to open it. Here you can also add email variables. You can also add emojis as well by right-clicking in the text box and selecting 'emoji & symbols'.

    e.g Hi [patientfirstname], here's your follow-up information from your appointment with [practitionername]

  3. Who is it from? - You will need to insert who this email will be coming from. To fill out this section you will need to add the name of the sender in the left box and then the name that will appear at the front of the email in the second box. You can use personalised variables in these sections. From the drop-down menu you will select which domain it will be sent from. It is ideal to send these from your own domain. If you have not set this up yet, read this 👉🏻article👈🏻. If you need to use our domain name, you will want to use a different reply-to address by clicking the link and inserting your email.

  4. Add recipients to a list - Add to a list is not required in this scenario so select 'do not add to a list'

  5. Build your email - Once you select this you will see all the templates you can choose from including templates you have already created, which you can use as a starting point for your next email. You can use one of these by editing the content to suit the email you are creating. Here's some more information on how to build your email.

When you have finished with the email builder it will take you back to the create smart email page and you can select 'finish'.

🚨 IGNORE the pop up that says 'Ready to start triggering', Peptalkr does everything automatically for you. This message will disappear as soon as you trigger your first email.🚨

Now you are ready to set up the trigger for this email!!

✌️Set the trigger

Go to Triggers and click the + button in the top right.

Here is the 7-step process to fill out:

1 - Name this email trigger - You will call this trigger something that describes the reason this trigger is set.

💡EXAMPLE💡: New Patient Email Series - Email 1 (Immediately after appointment)

Select 'Automated recurring' to ensure this will send automatically when the trigger conditions are met.

2 - Is this a Marketing message? - No. This is not a marketing message. This message is being sent due to a patient's interaction with your business and is not intended for marketing purposes. If you believe it may be considered a marketing message and you were to select 'Yes', this email will only send to those that have opted in to receive marketing emails. Click 'next'.

3 - When should this email be sent? - Here you will select when you want the email to be sent. If it's for new patients after their first appointment you will select 'After the appointment'. You can select the exact time that this will happen by using the drop-down box. Click 'next'.

4 - Who should receive it? - Here you will have the options as to what filters can be set. You have the option of selecting what kind of appointment type, practitioner and other information to target the correct patients. In the case of New Patients, you will either select Appointment Type and then click on all initial and new patient categories that apply. Alternatively, you can select Total appointment count and choose 'exactly' from the drop-down menu and type 1 in the box to the right. This will target all patients after they have their 1st visit of any kind. Click 'next'.

5 - How often should they receive it? - Here you can select 'Every time the conditions are met' OR you could select 'Once ever'. If you select 'Every time the conditions are met' and you have selected all initial appointment types, the patient will receive this every time they make ANY initial appointment even if they have received this before. If you only want the patient to receive this once, you will select 'Once ever'. If you have filtered by appointment count you can select either option as it is guaranteed they will only receive this after their first appointment. Select 'next'.

6 - Which template should it send? - In this drop-down box you will need to select the transactional email you set up in step 1. Select 'next'.

7 - Summary - Make sure all of the information is correct and select 'finish'.

To create the next email of this series you can duplicate the trigger you have just done by clicking on the 2 overlapping squares as seen in this picture:

You will now fill out all of the information for the 2nd email in the series. Changes to make will include the name (step 1), when it is sent it is sent (step 3) as well as the template that needs to be sent (step 6). All other settings will remain the same.

Repeat this for every email in the series.

🎉 Congratulations! Your email trigger is now set up. When you are ready you will just need to change the status of the triggers to 'ON' by finding the triggers in your list and clicking 'OFF' until it turns green and says 'ON'.


📱Sending an SMS📱

💫 Go to 'Send SMS' and click the + button in the top right.

1 - Name this SMS trigger - You will call this trigger something that describes the reason this trigger is set.

💡EXAMPLE💡 New Patient SMS Series - SMS 1 (Immediately after appointment)

Select 'Automated reoccurring' to ensure this will send every time the trigger conditions are met. Click 'next'

2 - Is this a Marketing message? - No. This is not a marketing message. This message is being sent due to a patient's interaction with your business and is not intended for marketing purposes. If you believe it may be considered a marketing message and you were to select 'Yes', this email will only send to those that have opted in to receive marketing emails. Click 'next'.

3 - When should this SMS be sent? - Here you will select when you want the SMS to be sent. If it's for new patients after their first appointment you will select 'After the appointment'. You can select the exact time that this will happen by using the drop-down box. Click 'next'.

4 - Who should receive it? - Here you will have the options as to what filters can be set. You have the option of selecting what kind of appointment type, practitioner and other information to target the correct patients. In the case of New Patients, you will either select Appointment Type and then click on all initial and new patient categories that apply. Alternatively, you can select Total appointment count and choose 'exactly' from the drop-down menu and type 1 in the box to the right. This will target all patients after they have their 1st visit of any kind. Click 'next'.

5 - How often should they receive it? - Here you can select 'Every time the conditions are met' OR you could select 'Once ever'. If you select 'Every time the conditions are met' and you have selected all initial appointment types, the patient will receive this every time they make ANY initial appointment even if they have received this before. If you only want the patient to receive this once, you will select 'Once ever'. If you have filtered by appointment count you can select either option as it is guaranteed they will only receive this after their first appointment. Select 'next'.

6 - What should the SMS say? - Here you will need to write out what you would like the SMS to say. Here you can use personalised variations that will auto-fill depending on the patient's file information. In this SMS you will want to include a link to a website with the information needed. You could also link to a video on Vimeo for example if that is what you would prefer. It will look a little something like this:

✨Note: It is very typical that an SMS will be at least 2 messages. Your personalised variables can also affect this so be mindful of that. ✨

Once you have your SMS typed out you can select 'next'

7 - Summary - Make sure all of the information is correct and select 'finish'.

To create the next email of this series you can duplicate the trigger you have just done by clicking on the 2 overlapping squares as seen in this picture:

You will now fill out all of the information for the 2nd email in the series. Changes to make will include the name (step 1), when it is sent it is sent (step 3) as well as the template that needs to be sent (step 6). All other settings will remain the same.

Repeat this for every email in the series.

💥 YAY!!! You have set a trigger for an SMS. When you are ready you will just need to change the status of the trigger to 'ON' by finding the trigger in your list and clicking 'OFF' until it turns green and says 'ON'.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to message us.

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