Templates / SMS Appointment Reminders from Google Calendar

SMS Appointment Reminders from Google Calendar

Intermediate   Apps: Google Calendar, Twilio  ·  Setup: 15 minutes

Every no-show is dead revenue, and appointment-reminder SaaS charges per seat per month for what is: read tomorrow's calendar, text each client. This workflow runs at 6pm daily, finds tomorrow's appointments, pulls the client's phone number from the event, and sends a Twilio SMS. Twilio costs about a cent per text; the workflow is free.

Download workflow JSON (free) Setup guide

What this workflow does

  1. A Schedule Trigger runs every day at 18:00.
  2. A Google Calendar node fetches tomorrow's events.
  3. A Code node extracts the client phone number (from the event description or location field) and builds the reminder text with the appointment time.
  4. A Twilio node sends the SMS to each client.

Setup guide

  1. Import the JSON into n8n (Workflows > Import from File).
  2. Connect Google Calendar and select your bookings calendar.
  3. Put each client's mobile number in the event description as 'phone: +15551234567' (or adapt the Code node to your convention).
  4. Connect Twilio with your Account SID and Auth Token, and set your Twilio number as the sender.
  5. Activate the workflow - reminders go out this evening for tomorrow's appointments.

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FAQ

Where does the client's phone number come from?The Code node looks for 'phone: +1...' in the event description. If you book via Calendly or a form, store the number there when creating the event - or adapt the regex to wherever yours lives.
Can clients confirm or cancel by replying?Yes - add a Twilio Trigger workflow that receives inbound SMS and updates the calendar event or alerts you in Slack when someone replies CANCEL.
What does Twilio cost?Roughly $0.008 per SMS in the US/Canada plus about $1.15/month for the phone number. A clinic sending 300 reminders a month pays under $4.

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