Yes, but mainly for same-day and next-morning nudges. For reminders sent days in advance, an early email already does the job, so SMS earns its place as a second, closer-to-the-clock channel rather than a replacement for email.
Where SMS earns its keep
- •Same-day and next-morning nudges, where the gap between reminder and appointment is short enough that email's slower open rate matters.
- •Clients who do not check email casually, tradespeople, in-person appointments, anyone whose day is not spent in an inbox.
- •The last-mile reminder right before a session, on top of an earlier email confirmation, not instead of one.
Where it is not doing much extra
If your no-shows are mostly a memory problem days in advance, an early email reminder with a reschedule link already does the job; a text the morning of is closing a door that was already shut. SMS also does not replace the exit ramp that actually rebooks a slot, that is still the reschedule link, which a text message can carry just as well as an email can.
How it works in Schedulera
SMS reminders are opt-in per booking: a guest who leaves a phone number on your booking form gets a text reminder alongside the existing email one, no separate settings toggle needed. It runs through the same reminder cycle covered in automated reminders, just on a second channel. Recurring enrollments do not carry a phone field yet, so this covers standard bookings today.
The actual recommendation
Keep email as the reminder of record, it carries the full detail and the reschedule link cleanly, and let SMS be the short, close-to-the-clock nudge for clients who respond better to a text. Start free and turn both on; there is no reason to pick just one.