ℹ️ Who this tutorial is for
Do you want to reduce no-shows and give clients an easy way to reschedule when they forget an appointment? Peptalkr allows you to automatically send DNA (Did Not Arrive) recalls, saving your team time while improving client retention.
A DNA Recall is an automated communication sent to patients who missed their appointments without prior notice. These recalls can:
Remind patients of your DNA policy.
Encourage them to call the clinic for rescheduling.
Provide a quick link for them to book their next appointment.
Help prevent repeat no-shows by reinforcing attendance policies.
Peptalkr enables you to fully automate DNA recalls via email, SMS, or both, reducing admin workload while keeping clients engaged.
✋ We have different instructions if you want to reactivate patients that cancelled an appointment or simply haven't booked in a while.
📋 What you'll need to do
💌 Create a Transactional email
⚡️ Connect an Email trigger to it
💌 Transactional Emails | ⚡ Email Triggers |
Automated emails sent in relation to specific Cliniko appointments or invoices. Can be marketing OR non-marketing content. | Specify the who, what, and when of your transactional email, giving you complete control over patient targeting. Only used for Transactional email. |
📱 Wanting to send this as an SMS? Just skip ahead to Step Two - these instructions are applicable to both email and SMS.
🎨 The email template
Peptalkr provides several pre-built appointment templates, including various templates suitable for missed appointment recalls:
A "personal letter" template from their treating practitioner
A plain email appearing to come from reception
A simple notification of missed appointment template
When you create a transactional email, you can use any of these as a starting point for your follow up email, customising the subject line, sender details, email content and design to suit your needs - or create your own from scratch or any other template.
⏱️ The timing
Timing is crucial for DNA recalls. A layered approach works best. We recommend:
✔ Immediately after the DNA is recorded — A quick reminder and reschedule link.
✔ 1 day later — A follow-up if they haven’t booked.
✔ 3-5 days later — A final nudge before they lapse.
🚨 Important: Each interval requires its own 💌 Transactional Email and Trigger.
💌 Step One: Create a transactional email
Go to the Email manager tab > Transactional Emails to create your follow-up email.
🔗 Check out our guide to creating a transactional email if you have never done this before, or need a refresher on this this process.
Once you have created and pressed Finish on your Transactional Email and you see the Ready to start triggering message - it’s time to connect a trigger.
→ Did Not Arrive recall subject line examples
Here are some subject lines for common intervals:
Subject Line | |
Email #1 | You missed your appointment with |
Email #2 | Missed appointment - reschedule? |
Email #3 | Let’s get your care back on track |
→ Sender name and email
You can choose the Name and Email address that sends each email.
Reactivations are powerful when sent by the treating practitioner or admin/reception! But change it up for best results.
🔗 Check out our guide to setting a sender name and email here.
⚡️Step Two: Connect a trigger
Go to the Email triggers tab to complete this step (or the Send SMS tab if doing as an SMS).
🔗 Check out our guide to creating an email trigger if you have never done this before, or need a refresher on this this process.
→ Trigger settings
When you create a trigger, you'll be walked through the steps to configure your trigger to your specific needs.
To demonstrate, here are some examples of settings:
Example 1: Immediate notification of missed appointment
Setting | Value |
Trigger Name | DNA - Immediate Recall |
Trigger Type | Automated Recurring |
Marketing Type | Non-marketing |
Triggering Event & Timing | After an appointment is marked DNA; 15 minutes |
Filters | Select relevant filters if you want to narrow your targeting. Leave filters blank to target everyone. |
Frequency | Every time the conditions are met |
Template | Select the email you created in Step One |
Example 2: Two day follow up
Setting | Value |
Trigger Name | DNA Recall - 2 days |
Trigger Type | Automated Recurring |
Marketing Type | Non-marketing |
Triggering Event & Timing | After an appointment is marked DNA; 2 days ✅ Tick the recall box |
Filters | Select relevant filters if you want to narrow your targeting. Leave filters blank to target everyone. |
Frequency | Every time the conditions are met |
Template | Select the email you created in Step One |
✅ Ready to turn on
💡 Helpful Tips:
Consider adding an SMS recall alongside the email for urgent cases.
Keep the follow ups short terms - e.g. within the same week for best results.
Use [variables] to personalise the sender name, subject line and the content inside your emails to make them feel "not so automated".
🎯 Final Checks:
✔️ Test your email before enabling automation
✔️ Ensure your trigger is correctly targeting the right patients
✔️ Check delivery reports to monitor email success
🚀 That’s it! Repeat this process as many times as needed until you cover all scenarios where you wish to send a follow up.
Check out our Blueprint for Patient Recalls for ideas about timing and wording.
FAQs
Will the trigger send to past DNA's when I turn it on?
Will the trigger send to past DNA's when I turn it on?
The trigger will send to DNA's based on your trigger timing from the moment you turn it on, onwards. For example, if your timing is set to 1 hour after - then it will only send to DNA's in the last hour before turning it on + future DNAs.
If you set your timing to 2 days - then it will only send to DNA's in the last 2 days before turning it on + future DNAs.
Will the DNA recall send if they have booked in a replacement appointment?
Will the DNA recall send if they have booked in a replacement appointment?
If you have ticked the recall box during the trigger creation process, then it will only send if the patient has not scheduled or attended another appointment.