Reminders: A Primer
Introduction
Reminders play an integral part in the on-going success of a practice. They are not always the easiest thing to understand though. This primer provides an overview of how reminders are created and sent by our software.
How are reminders created?
Reminders are created based on actions. When a medical record is created for an item, the actions assigned to that item define how many reminders should be created, what type they should be (e.g., email, SMS, etc.), and when they should be sent.
For example, let’s assume Item A has the following reminder actions assigned to it:
- Create email reminder 2 weeks before due
- Create SMS (text) reminder 1 week before due
- Create email reminder 1 week after due
If a medical record is created for Item A on January 1, 2021, and Item A is due again in 12 months, the three reminders would be created as follows:
- Reminder 1 (email) to be sent on December 18, 2021
- Reminder 2 (SMS) to be sent on December 25, 2021
- Reminder 3 (email) to be sent on January 8, 2022
What time are reminders sent?
Reminders are sent to clients each morning at 8:00am local time (based on the practice’s timezone).
What's included in the reminder message?
If the reminder being sent is an email, then that email will include all of the reminders for all of that client’s pets that have a send date that is the current date. In other words, the client will only receive one email containing reminders for all of his/her pets with a send date that is the current day.
Here’s an example of what that might look like:
Name | Due For | Due |
Fluffy | Rabies | February 15, 2021 |
Fluffy | Bordetella | February 15, 2021 |
Max | Rabies | February 20, 2021 |
Max | Bordetella | February 20, 2021 |
Max | Dental Exam | March 1, 2021 |
The items might have different due dates, but they are included in the reminder if they have the same send date as described above.
The content of your email reminders can be customized using letter templates. Learn More.
How can I track reminders sent out or due to be sent?
There are two primary ways to review which reminders have been sent, and which are scheduled to be sent. First, you can review the communication log in the patient’s history, or in the client’s profile. All automated reminders will be automatically logged there. Second, you can review the various reminder reports that are available under the “Communications” tab in the Reports module.
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