Automate the rescheduling of cancelled appointments with ease. Simply select your recall intervals and who to target, and you'll be on your way.
What you'll need
Transactional emails are automated emails which send in reaction to Cliniko appointment activity.
Email triggers allow you to specify the who, what and when of your transactional email, giving you a granular level of control when it comes to targeting patients inside your Cliniko account.
The email template
Peptalkr comes with a number of pre-built appointment templates - including a Cancellation Recall template. You can use a template as the starting point for your transactional email, and customise the subject line, text and overall appearance of the email to suit your specific needs.
The timing
It's entirely up to you when you send a Cancellation Recall - but as a general rule, you will want to send a few. For example:
An immediate confirmation of cancellation
3 days after the cancellation if they didn't reschedule
10 days after the cancellation if they didn't reschedule
Each of the above intervals will require it's own Transactional email so that you can vary the wording between each email (or SMS) you send.
Check out our Blueprint for Patient Recalls for ideas about timing and wording.
Once you've decided your intervals, and which appointment types or categories to target - you can move onto the next step.
Step One: Create a Transactional email
You'll go the email manager tab, then the Transactional tab to complete this step.
Follow the steps in this tutorial to create your first Reactivation transactional email.
Subject lines
Here's some subject line ideas you can use across your reactivation emails:
Email #1 | Your appointment has been cancelled |
Email #2 | Reschedule your cancelled appointment |
Email #3 | Can we reschedule you, [patientfirstname]? |
Once you have created and pressed Finish on your Transactional email, it's time to connect a trigger.
Step Two: Connect an Email Trigger
You'll go the email triggers tab to complete this step.
Follow the steps in this tutorial to create and connect a trigger to the Transactional email you created in step one.
Trigger settings
When you create a trigger, you'll work through the steps to configure your trigger. Here are our recommended settings. Keep in mind this is an example only, adjust it per your specific needs.
Trigger name | Cancellation - 3 days |
Trigger type | Automated Recurring |
Marketing type | Non-marketing |
Triggering event and timing | After an appointment is cancelled |
Filters | *Select which appointment types or categories should be included or excluded if applicable* |
Frequency | Every time the conditions are met |
Template | The email you created in step one |
Things to note:
You can use cancellation reasons to adjust your email timing. e.g. you may exclude people who said they are 'Feeling better' or 'Away' from the 3 day recall, and create a 14 day recall just for them.
You can word your reactivations to appear as though reception is sending them.
Use [variables] to personalise the content inside your emails.
Step Three: Test and turn on!
Now is the time to test your trigger. Follow the steps in this tutorial.
Over time, monitor the performance of your reactivation emails (open rates, click rates and even online booking rates if you have integrated Cliniko bookings with GA4). Then adjust as necessary to improve your rebooking rate.
💡 Remember, the key to a successful recall is to provide value to the patient - i.e. you're doing some admin for them, saving them time. Word your emails in the most helpful, authentic way possible. Provide a way to reschedule such as the inclusion of a button that goes straight to your online bookings. Patients will appreciate the helpful nature of it which will contribute to stronger patient retention and a positive feeling about your practice.
FAQs
I can't see my email in the template dropdown during the trigger creation process
I can't see my email in the template dropdown during the trigger creation process
Do I need to recall those feeling better
Do I need to recall those feeling better
If a patient is 'feeling better' - perhaps now is a great time to request feedback! You could use this trigger to 'include' only patients who are 'feeling better' after a cancellation, and send them an email such as 'We're so happy to hear you are feeling better! Would you consider taking 2 minutes to leave us a review?'
What option do I select in the dropdown under the 'Is this a recall?' checkbox?
What option do I select in the dropdown under the 'Is this a recall?' checkbox?
You should choose to tick the 'is this a recall?' box - this will ensure we only send the reminder if they have not got an upcoming appointment (or attended one - if they attend one, the reactivation timing will be reset from the date of most recent visit - assuming you have a reactivation targeting the subsequent appointment type they have since had).
Each option has a slightly different function. Most people select 'Of any kind', but if you need to recall some appointments independently of the patient's other appointment activity, use another option:
Of any kind - as long as they have attended/have upcoming any appointment, do not send the recall.
Of the same category - as long as they have attended/have upcoming an appointment in the same category as the appointment that triggered this message, do not send the recall (great for multi-modality clinics).
Of the same type - as long as they have attended/have upcoming an appointment of the same exact type as the appointment that triggered this message, do not send the recall (great for highly specific appointment types that need recalling - such as an 'Annual review' or a surgery).