Enable SMS Appointment Updates

Enable sending SMS messages from the appointment book.

Before you begin

Permissions:
  • Set up and send patient SMS
  • Update Centre Settings
  • Set up and send patient SMS

About this task

If you want to send SMS messages to patients about updates to appointments or other appointment-related information, enable this option for your centre.

Procedure

  1. Select User iconuser > Settings iconSettings.
  2. Select Centre > Patient Messaging.
  3. Select the SMS from appointment calendar tab.
  4. From the Centre list, select the centre for which you want to enable SMS.
  5. To create a new template for the centre, click Add template.
    SMS from appointment calendar- Add template
  6. In the Template name field, enter a name for the template.
  7. In the message field, enter your message. To personalise the SMS, click + Add field and insert fields that are substituted for patient or other information from the patient records.
    Tip:
    Limit the template to fewer than 160 characters to ensure that the SMS message is sent as a single SMS to reduce costs. An estimate of the number of characters is displayed below the message. The actual character count may vary, depending on the data inserted for any fields.
  8. If required, create an appointment message template.
    Example SMS appointment message template
    1. Click Add template iconTemplate.
    2. In the Template name field, enter a meaningful name for the template.
    3. In the text field, type your message. To personalise the SMS, click + Add field and insert fields that will be substituted for patient or other information from Helix .
      Tip:
      Limit the template to fewer than 160 characters to ensure that the SMS message is sent as a single SMS to reduce costs. An estimate of the number of characters is displayed below the message. The actual character count may vary, depending on the data inserted for any fields.
    4. Click Save.
  9. Click Save.
  10. Toggle Enable SMS for appointment book messages on.

Results

SMS messaging for appointments is activated for the selected centre.

Any associated SMS appointment message templates are listed.
Example appointment book ad-hoc message

What to do next

If required, to create an additional template for the centre, click Add template iconTemplate and repeat the steps.

To delete an existing template, hover your mouse over a required template, click Delete iconDelete.

To send an SMS message from the appointment book, click Send SMS iconSMS patients. For more information, see Send SMS appointment updates.

SMS messages appear to the patient to come from the centre's specified Sender name. For more information, see SMS Sender Name.

If required, to edit a sender name, select Settings iconSettings > Patient messaging settings > Sender name. For more information, see SMS Sender Name.