These steps are for CoolFocus 5. You can still book appointments in CoolFocus 3. Reminders now send from CoolFocus 5 only.
Send today's reminders (2 minutes)
1. Open Scheduler → Reminders in CoolFocus 5. The Send Reminders button in CoolFocus 3 now opens this page too.
2. At the top, choose the day, such as Tomorrow.
3. Check the appointments you want to remind, or select all of them.
4. Click Send Reminders, look over the message, and click Send Reminders again.
▶ Watch: Send a Reminder Right Now (46 seconds)
Is your center on Plus or Premium? Then CoolFocus 5 already sends reminders automatically, so you don't need to send them by hand. To see whether a client's reminder went out, open the appointment and look at Messaging.
Why we moved reminders
We're moving CoolFocus texting to a new texting service, so your texts keep reaching clients reliably and keep meeting the phone carriers' rules for business texting. CoolFocus 3's reminder screen can't send through the new service, so reminders now send from CoolFocus 5, which is built for it. Sending from CoolFocus 5 also means:
When a client replies YES or NO, her appointment changes to Confirmed or Canceled for you, and her reply shows up in Inbox.
On Plus and Premium, reminders go out on their own, even on mornings when the front desk is busy.
Appointments booked in CoolFocus 3 get reminders too.
We know this changed in the middle of your week without much warning, and we're sorry about that. If something doesn't look right, chat with us from the Help button and we'll go through it with you.
For administrators: 3 things to check
All three are in CoolFocus 5 under Settings (the gear) → Scheduler Settings → Reminders.
1. The wording
Manual Send tab: this is the message staff send from the Reminders page. Read it once and make sure it's what you want clients to read, then click Save Manual Send Reminder.
Automatic Reminders tab (Plus and Premium): each reminder has its own message. Our starting message reads: "Hi {FirstName}, this is a reminder of your {AppointmentType} appointment on {LocalDate} at {LocalTime}. Reply STOP to unsubscribe." If you'd rather not include the client's name or the appointment type (for example "Ultrasound"), take those words out, then click Save Automatic Reminders.
2. The timing (Plus and Premium)
On the Automatic Reminders tab you'll find two reminders: 24 Hour Reminder and 1 Hour Reminder. Delete one you don't want, or change its timing, then click Save Automatic Reminders.
3. Asking clients to confirm
The starting message doesn't ask clients to reply. To ask, add "Reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel." to the Manual Send message and to each automatic reminder.
On Plus or Premium, open the Preview tab to see exactly what a client will get.
▶ Watch: Set Up Automatic Reminders (85 seconds, administrators)
Common questions
I clicked Send Reminders in CoolFocus 3 and it opened CoolFocus 5. Is that right?
Yes. Sign in if CoolFocus 5 asks you to, and you'll land on the Reminders page.
CoolFocus 3 showed me an empty reminder list.
That meant CoolFocus 5 was already sending reminders for those appointments. Your clients still got their reminders. They just came from CoolFocus 5.
A client got our old wording, or a 1-hour reminder we turned off.
Reminders that were already waiting to go out kept the settings they had when they were lined up. That's on us, and we're fixing it for every center so your current settings are always used. If you see it happen, chat with us and we'll clear those reminders for you right away.
How do I know a reminder went out?
Open the appointment and look at Messaging. You'll see each reminder with Scheduled, Sent, Skipped or Failed. If a reminder was skipped, the reason is shown there, such as no phone number or not OK to text.
Where do client replies go?
Into Inbox. To see every confirmed appointment in one list, open Inbox → Confirmed Appointments.
▶ Watch: When a Client Replies to a Reminder (80 seconds)
What's the difference between a confirmation and a reminder?
A confirmation goes out when the appointment is booked. Reminders go out before the appointment.
▶ Watch: Confirmations and Reminders: What Goes Out When (79 seconds)
Can I still use CoolFocus 3 for the rest of my scheduling?
Yes. CoolFocus 3 is here until January 31, 2027. Only reminders moved.
Need a hand?
Chat with us anytime from the Help button. If you'd like, we'll walk through your reminder settings with you on a short call.
Full setup details: Appointment Reminders — Settings & Sending