SMS reply status

If you use SMS appointment reminders, the status of SMS messages is recorded in the Appointment Book and Service Recording.

If patients can reply to the SMS, their response is recorded and changes the SMS status. If patients can automatically cancel an appointment, their booking is removed.

In the Appointment Book, the abbreviated status of the SMS replies for all patients are recorded in the timeslot for each appointment. When you select a timeslot, the status of the SMS reply for that patient is displayed on the SMS appointment reminder tab.
Example timeslot in the Appointment Book with a confirmed appointment

In the Service Recording window, the status of the SMS replies for all patients with an appointment are displayed in the SMS Status column. When you select a patient, the status of the SMS reply for that patient is displayed on the SMS appointment reminder tab.

Table 1. SMS reply statuses
Appointment Book Service Recording SMS appointment reminder tab Description Action
[S] Sent Appointment Reminder SMS Sent

An SMS appointment reminder for this appointment has been sent to the patient, but no reply has been received.

If a patient replies with anything other than the expected response of Y or Yes, N or No (by default) or adds extra text, the status remains as Sent.

Depending on your processes, follow up with the patient or no action is required.
[C] Confirmed Appointment Confirmation Received An SMS appointment reminder for this appointment has been sent to the patient, and the patient has replied with Y or Yes and confirmed the appointment. No action is required.
[R] Rejected Appointment Rejection Received

An SMS appointment reminder for this appointment has been sent to the patient, and the patient has replied with N or No and declined the appointment.

Depending on your processes, either reschedule the appointment with or without patient input, or cancel the appointment.

If automated appointment cancellation is enabled, the booking disappears. View the SMS status in the clinical record or Report > SMS > Appointments Cancelled by SMS
[blank] blank blank No automated SMS was sent or the batch failed
Note: Only the first response is received by Communicare. For example, if a patient replies N to an SMS reminder and then changes their mind and responds Y, the second response is ignored.
Tip: To view any previous statuses or replies, double-click SMS Send Status.

Clinical record

The patient's reply is also recorded in their clinical record. To display the reply, on the Detail tab, select the SMS Message clinical item. Details of the SMS are displayed in the Qualifier pane:
  • SMS Phone Number
  • SMS Send Status - when the patient has replied, displays Replied (reply from patient), for example, Replied (Yes). If the patient includes text other than the expected response, it is recorded here. Other statuses are:
    • Pending - the SMS has not yet been sent
    • Sent Successfully
    • Send Failed - the SMS was not sent and an error is displayed

SMS reports

Use Report > SMS reports to monitor SMS messages:
  • Appointments Cancelled by SMS - lists appointments automatically cancelled
  • Batch Report Details - lists patient and SMS details for a particular batch
  • Batch Report Summary - lists numbers of SMS messages sent and whether they were successful