Five tips for writing clearer reminders for pet owners

4 mins

Picture a Thursday morning at reception. One owner phones to ask whether the text they received means they need to book. Another has turned up on the wrong day. A third has not replied, because nothing said how.

Reminders are among the most routine messages a practice sends, so they can get very little attention. Yet each one is a small conversation with the pet owner. A clear one can save your team a call, and an unclear one can create one.

Here are five ways to make your text and email reminders clearer, from the first line an owner sees to the automated messages you set up once and then forget.

A reminder about a due vaccination has a different job from one about tomorrow’s appointment. One asks the owner to arrange care, and the other helps them prepare for a visit already in the diary. Write each with that distinction in mind.

1. Make the purpose clear from the start

Use a recognisable practice name and put the reason for your message near the beginning. The pet owner should not have to read several paragraphs to work out why you are contacting them.

Phones and inboxes usually show only the start of a message, so the first line matters. For a text message, that means the opening words. For an email, it means the subject line and the first sentence, which many email apps show beside the subject. Keep the subject short and clear, and make the first sentence useful rather than a greeting. Use your practice management software’s merge codes to personalise it.

For example, an email about care that needs booking:

Subject: Time to book [patient-name]’s health check

Body: [patient-name] is due a health check. Contact our team to arrange a convenient appointment.

For an appointment already booked, be equally direct:

Subject: [patient-name]’s appointment: Thursday at 10.30am

Body: We look forward to seeing you at our [practice-location] practice.

The same idea works for a text message, where there is no subject line:

High Street Vets: [patient-name] is due a health check. Call us on [phone-number] or book online at [link].

These are writing examples. Before sending, check how your chosen system handles personalisation and how the message appears on a real phone and in a real inbox.

2. Use plain language and explain why it matters

Keep the message focused on what the owner needs to understand. Explain unfamiliar terms rather than assuming they are clear, and avoid making a routine reminder sound like a warning.

If you are asking someone to book a health check, briefly explain what the visit is for. If you are reminding them about an existing appointment, prioritise the date, time, location, and any relevant preparation.

For example:

It is time to arrange [patient-name]’s health check. This is an opportunity to discuss any changes you have noticed and ask our team questions about her care.

Have the clinical team review any wording about treatments, vaccination schedules, or preparation instructions. Avoid blanket statements such as “every pet needs an annual booster” or promises that booking an appointment will ensure good health.

A useful editing test is to ask a colleague: “What would you do after reading this?” If the answer is unclear, revise the message.

3. Personalise the useful details

Using the pet’s name is a good start. Useful reminder details include whether it relates to the right pet, the right care, and the right stage of the process. An invitation to book should not read as though an appointment already exists. An appointment reminder should identify the correct practice location.

Animana’s Content Designer supports templates and merge codes for personalising communications, and its automated appointment reminders can include the appointment location. Explore Animana’s Content Designer.

When reviewing your templates, check what happens if information is missing. A simple, complete sentence is better than a message containing an empty field or an unexplained placeholder.

4. Make the next step easy

Give each reminder one clear main action.

For care that needs booking, explain how to arrange an appointment. Include an online booking link where appropriate, or a clear telephone number. For an existing appointment, explain how to contact the practice if the owner needs to change it.

Do not ask someone to reply unless that channel is monitored and your team can handle the response.

Connected communication tools are another option to explore. For example, ezyVet integrates with Digital Practice, a separate provider, for messaging and reminders through WhatsApp, including two-way reminders. Check set-up, pricing, and terms with them directly. Learn about Digital Practice and ezyVet.

When assessing a tool, ask to see the whole exchange: what the owner receives, how they respond, where the reply appears, and what your team needs to do next. The message is only one part of the process.

5. Automate thoughtfully, then review

Automation works best when each message has a clear job. Decide which reminders are needed, when they should arrive, and which system is responsible for sending them. If your practice uses several communication tools, check for overlapping messages.

Animana supports automated appointment reminders by SMS or email, based on the appointment types and timing you set. Each applicable rule sends a separate reminder, so reviewing your rules matters, and Animana’s help article suggests that one or two reminders per appointment is usually enough. Read about Animana’s automated appointment reminders.

ezyVet includes automated confirmations and reminders, with prep instructions, so review how those are set up too. Explore ezyVet’s features.

Before activating a reminder, test it from the owner’s perspective:

• Is the pet’s name and appointment information correct?
• Does the message make sense on a phone?
• Do the links work?
• Is the next step obvious?
• Could another system send a similar message?

Keep reviewing after launch. Ask owners whether the messages are helpful, and ask reception colleagues which questions still come back. Where reporting is available, look beyond whether a message was sent and consider whether it prompted the intended action.

Test with your own reminders

A useful reminder leaves room for owners to ask questions or explain why they need help arranging care.

Animana offers built-in templates and automated appointment reminders, and ezyVet includes automated confirmations and reminders, with connected tools such as Digital Practice. When you compare practice management software, bring examples of your own reminders and ask how each would work in practice. See how IDEXX Veterinary Software fits your practice.

Quick answers

What should a reminder include?
The reason you are getting in touch, the date, time, and location for an existing appointment, and one clear next step.

Can practice management software send reminders automatically?
Yes. Animana supports automated appointment reminders by SMS or email, based on the appointment types and timing you set, and ezyVet includes automated confirmations and reminders.

How many reminders should a pet owner receive?
Each applicable rule in Animana sends a separate reminder, and Animana’s help article suggests one or two per appointment is usually enough.