A reminder at the right moment turns an empty chair into a kept appointment. But “just send reminders” with no plan wears patients out and barely moves the needle. Here’s the cadence that actually works in a Colombian clinic.
What’s the reminder cadence that actually works?
The most effective and least intrusive sequence is usually three touches: a confirmation at booking, a reminder 24 hours out, and a short nudge 2 hours before.
| When | Message | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| At booking | Appointment confirmation | Creates a record and captures consent |
| 24 hours before | Reminder + reschedule option | Gives room to move it if they can’t make it |
| 2 hours before | Day-of nudge | Stops last-minute forgetting |
The point isn’t the count — it’s that the messages land on a channel people actually read (in Colombia, that’s WhatsApp) and that rescheduling takes one tap. That’s what lowers the cost of no-shows without annoying anyone.
Why three and not ten?
Because more than three or four reminders starts to feel like spam: people mute the thread and you lose the effect entirely. The research on automated reminders points the same way — the BMC Ophthalmology study from Imperial College found reductions in non-attendance on the order of 30-50% with well-designed reminders. The lever is the design and the channel, not the volume.
What time should you send them?
At a sensible hour — never overnight — and far enough ahead that people can actually reorganize. The 24-hour message gives calm room to reschedule; the 2-hour one targets same-day forgetfulness. An AI agent like Bre runs this sequence on its own, so nobody on your team has to remember to send anything.
What about consent?
If the patient already authorized you to manage their appointment, the reminder sits squarely within that purpose and is valid. What you can’t do is cold-message someone who never authorized you — that runs into Ley 1581 (and, in Colombia, Ley 2300 on unsolicited contact). Bre records consent at the moment of booking, so the whole cadence stays compliant by default.
The detail that matters most
More than the perfect number of reminders, what converts is letting people reschedule in the same thread. When someone can’t attend, the difference between a no-show and a moved appointment is simply how easy it is to change. One tap to reschedule means the slot is freed in time and the patient comes back later — which is also why fast, two-way replies beat one-way blasts, the same logic behind the done-for-you approach.
If you’d rather not build and babysit this yourself, Brevia sets up the full reminder cadence for you — published pricing, 30 days free, no card, no lock-in. You can test whether it actually lowers your no-shows before paying a peso.