Introduction to Appointment Reminder Setup
YAPI's Appointment Reminders send out automatically each day with a system you can set up easily. Familiarize yourself with YAPI's Appointment Reminder setup using the guide below; then when you're ready, move on to Setting Up Appointment Reminders.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Reminders Tab?
- Reminders Tab Overview
- More Options Window
- Setting Up Appointment Reminders
- Related Articles
What is the Reminders Tab?
Automated appointment reminders are set up within the Reminders tab of YAPI's Global Setup. The Reminders tab helps you manage:
- Which types of appointment reminders (email, text, or postcard) patients receive.
- Reminder frequency.
- The templates to use for reminders.
- Which reminders are excluded for selected operatories, procedures, or providers.
- Additional reminder settings outlined in the sections below.
You can access the Reminders tab by clicking the Setup & Manage icon 
in your YAPI Dashboard toolbar and selecting Global Setup.
Reminders Tab Overview
Appointment Reminders Via Email
This blue section contains settings for emailed Appointment Reminders and Save the Dates.
Save the Date (Email)
These settings control whether patients receive an email notification of their appointment booking and which template is used to send this Save the Date email.
First & Second Email Reminder Settings
Settings for two separate email reminders, how soon they send prior to a patient's appointment date, and which email templates are used for each reminder.
Postcard Reminder Settings
Settings for generating a postcard reminder, how soon it generates to the Mail Queue prior to a patient's appointment date, which postcard template is used, and whether it's generated for patients with an email address on file.
Enable Checkboxes
Checking the box in each section and clicking Save enables automated reminders of that type to generate (emails and postcards at YAPI housekeeping, texts as specific under Send At).
Don't Send Reminders If Already Confirmed
Keeps any further reminders from sending once a patient has confirmed their appointment except for the On Appointment Day reminder, which sends whether a patient is confirmed or not.
Appointment Reminders Via Mobile Text
This pink section contains settings for Save the Dates and Appointment Reminders and sent by text except for the On Appointment Day text.
Send At
Sets when Appointment Reminders and Save the Dates in the pink section send via text.
Only on Business Days
Sets text reminders to only send on business days. If a reminder is scheduled to send on a non-business day, the reminder will send on the previous business day instead. For more about this setting, see Introduction to the Only on Business Days Setting.
Visualize
Generates a chart showing when text reminders will send based on the patient's appointment date and your current settings.
Save the Date (Text)
These settings control whether patients receive a text notification of their appointment booking and which template is used to send this Save the Date text.
First & Second Text Reminder Settings
Settings for two separate text reminders, how soon they send prior to a patient's appointment date, and which mobile templates are used for each reminder.
Confirmation
In text reminders, patients are asked to confirmed by texting back "C" but YAPI can also read other responses as a confirmation. These settings display which words YAPI recognizes as a confirmation to confirm their appointment in Dentrix, Eaglesoft, or Open Dental. This section also shows which text template a patient automatically receives when they confirm via text.
On Appointment Day
These settings control the text reminder that sends the day of a patient's appointment, when it sends, and which mobile template is used.
Pre-Medicate Text
These settings control a text reminder that sends at 10AM the day prior to a patient's appointment reminding them to premedicate. For more about this reminder, see Setting Premedicate Text Reminders for Your Patients.
Providers
This setting can be used to exclude patients with selected providers from receiving automated appointment reminders. By default, these exclusions are off.
Best Practices
This is a deprecated feature that no longer shows our recommended best practices. Our recommendations are loaded by your installer and automatically show in the Reminders Tab when you first open YAPI.
More Options
Clicking Edit opens the More Options window, where you can set the start date for your reminders and configure additional settings. For more, see the More Options Window section below.
Simulate
Clicking Simulate allows your practice to simulate an email reminder, a text reminder, or both so you can see what reminders look like when patients receive them. You can also use this feature to test whether email and text communications are sending properly.
More Options Window
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Start Reminders/Recall On |  |
Date Format |  |
Ignore Appointments |
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Additional Settings |  |
Ask to Arrive Early | ||
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Practice Email Notifications |  |
Mobile Nanosite |
Start Reminders/Recall On
This setting is the start date for both your Appointment Reminders and Recall Reminders and determines the day your reminders start going out to patients. Even if the Enabled checkboxes are selected in any of your reminder settings, reminders won't start going out until this date.
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Additional Settings
Displays five additional settings that apply to appointment reminders, which are all enabled by default:
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By default, all are opted-in: Automatically opts in all patients to receive reminders. This setting should NEVER but be disabled.
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Update appointment status in PMS: When selected, automatically updates patient appointments in your practice management software (Dentrix, Open Dental, or Eaglesoft) with a confirmed status when the patient confirms via YAPI.
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Multiple same day appointments - one reminder: When selected, patients with multiple appointments on the same day receive one communication for each reminder.
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Single reminder for all family members: When selected, reminders for family members with appointments on the same day are grouped together in a single message. For same-day text reminders, family members with appointments at the same time receive a reminder together; for all other reminders, one reminder is sent for all family members with appointments on the same day. This setting does not apply to Save the Dates.
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Use parent's email and mobile for minors: When selected, if a minor patient doesn't have an email or mobile number in your practice management software, YAPI sends the reminder to their parent instead. You can also choose what age you consider a minor to be; by default, it's set for anyone under 18.
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Practice Email Notifications
Displays two settings for sending email notifications to your practice, which are both enabled by default:
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Email practice when appointment is confirmed: When selected, YAPI sends you an email each time a patient confirms their appointment. These emails go to your Appointment Confirmation/Request address in the Practice Tab of your Global Setup.
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Email Practice Reminders Log: When selected, YAPI sends you one email each evening after housekeeping listing all the reminders that sent that day. This email goes to your Appointment Confirmation/Request address as well.
Tip: If you need to change your Appointment Confirmation/Request email address in YAPI, check out Changing Practice Contact Information Within YAPI.
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Date Format
This setting controls what format the date displays in patient reminders. For most practices, dates can display in numbers (Ex. 8/15/22) or written out with the day of the week included (Ex. Monday, August 15th, 2022). You may see slight differences in your Date Format options depending on the Windows calendar settings on your server, especially if your practice is outside the United States.
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Ask to Arrive Early
This setting allows YAPI to send reminders that show an earlier time than the patient's appointment. These Early Arrival Reminders can be set for individual patients or for a specific procedure. For more about sending Early Arrival Reminders, see Setting Early Arrival Appointment Reminders to Individual Patients and Setting Early Arrival Appointment Reminders for a Specific Procedure.
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Mobile Nanosite
When patients receive a text reminder, they can click on a link in the text to see appointment details on a Mobile Nanosite. This section controls additional items that can show on the Mobile Nanosite:
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Show appointment length: When selected, displays the patient's appointment length.
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Show appointment provider: When selected, displays the full name of the patient's provider.
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Use provider's friendly name: This is no longer a working feature. If Show appointment provider is selected, YAPI will always display the provider's full name.
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Show appointment note: When selected, displays the contents of the Appointment Notes from the scheduled appointment in your practice management software.
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Appointment cancellation policy section: When edited, displays your practice's custom cancellation policy.
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Extra section: When edited, displays additional text of your choosing, like a short financial policy.
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Appointment scheduling section: This is no longer a working section; do not enter text here.
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Patient balance section: When selected, displays your patient's outstanding balance. You can also select Show only if has balance to only show balances to the patients with a balance over $0.
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Ignore Appointments
YAPI can exclude reminders for appointments set in selected operatories or for specific procedures. This section controls those exclusions. For more about using these options, see Excluding Appointment Reminders for an Operatory or Procedure.
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Setting Up Appointment Reminders
Ready to set up and activate your Appointment Reminders? Check out our full article on Setting Up Appointment Reminders.
Related Articles
- Introduction to Automated Appointment Reminders
- Setting Up Appointment Reminders
- Customizing Appointment Reminders
- Setting Up Recall Reminders