A salon chair sitting empty at 2 PM on a Thursday costs you the service price and the stylist's hour. You can't resell either. Most of that loss comes from three gaps: people forget, people mean to rebook and don't, and people never hear about the open slot you'd happily discount. Texting fixes all three, but only if the messages are short and well timed, and only if they come from a number carriers will actually deliver.
This post gives you the templates, a send-timing schedule, the cost math on Ready's Standard rate, and the registration steps that keep your texts from being filtered. The templates work for barbers, nail and lash studios, groomers, massage therapists, auto detailers and any shop that runs on booked appointments.
Ground rules before you copy anything
Every template below follows four rules:
- Name the business in the first line. "Hi Maria, it's Studio Lane" stops the "who is this?" reply and helps you pass carrier review.
- Stay under 160 characters. One plain-text SMS segment holds 160 characters. Past that, the message splits into 153-character segments, and each one is billed.
- No emoji in money messages. One emoji switches the whole text to unicode, which cuts a segment to 70 characters. A 140-character reminder with a single heart becomes 3 segments instead of 1.
- Include opt-out language in the first text to anyone and in every promo: "Reply STOP to opt out."
{first_name}, {time} and the other bracketed fields stand for whatever merge fields your booking tool or CRM uses. Check the character count after the fields fill in, because a long service name can push a reminder into a second segment.
Appointment reminder templates
These are the texts clients actually thank you for. For a deeper set with confirmation flows, see our appointment reminder SMS guide.
48 hours before:
Hi {first_name}, it's Studio Lane. You're booked for {service} with {stylist} on {day} at {time}. Reply C to confirm or R to reschedule. Reply STOP to opt out.
Same day, 2 to 3 hours before:
Hi {first_name}, see you at {time} today at Studio Lane. Running late? Just reply here and we'll let {stylist} know.
Missed appointment, sent the same afternoon:
Hi {first_name}, we missed you today at Studio Lane. Want us to find you a new time this week? Reply with a day that works.
The missed-appointment text doesn't scold anyone. People who are made to feel bad tend to quietly switch salons, and people who get a friendly reply-to-rebook usually just rebook.
Rebooking templates
Rebooking is where the real money is: a client who comes back every six weeks is worth far more than a one-time visit. Time the nudge to the service cycle, not to your calendar.
Cycle-based nudge:
Hi {first_name}, it's been about 6 weeks since your color at Studio Lane. Want me to hold a spot with {stylist}? Reply with a day and we'll send times.
Lapsed client (no visit in 90+ days):
Hi {first_name}, Studio Lane here. It's been a while! {stylist} has openings next week. Reply BOOK and we'll text you times. Reply STOP to opt out.
Post-visit thank-you plus rebook:
Thanks for coming in today, {first_name}! Want to lock in your next {service} now so you get your usual time? Reply YES and we'll book it.
Leave the booking link out of the first message to a cold or lapsed client. Ask for a reply instead, then send the link once they answer. Carriers filter unfamiliar first messages with links far more often than plain conversational ones. For review requests and birthday texts that fit the same visit cycle, our review, invitation and birthday templates cover those.
Promo and open-slot templates
Promos need marketing consent, not just the consent a client gave when they handed over a number to book. Add a checkbox at booking ("Text me openings and offers") and keep that record in your booking system. Our opt-in wording examples have copy you can paste in.
Last-minute opening:
Studio Lane: {stylist} just had a 3 PM open up today. First to reply gets it, plus 15% off. Reply STOP to opt out.
Slow-day offer:
Studio Lane: Tuesday blowouts are $10 off this month. Reply TUE to grab a time. Reply STOP to opt out.
New service launch:
Studio Lane now does lash lifts. Regulars get the first one at $45 through Friday. Reply LASH to book. Reply STOP to opt out.
Keep promos to two or three a month. A rebooking list is a relationship, and every unnecessary promo costs you some opt-outs.
When to send each text
These are typical windows, not rules. Adjust them to your clients' habits.
| Message | When to send | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder | 48 hours before | Time to rebook the slot if they cancel |
| Same-day reminder | 2 to 3 hours before | Catches the forgetful without being early |
| Missed appointment | Same afternoon | Still fresh; easy to reschedule |
| Thank-you + rebook | 1 to 2 hours after the visit | They're happy and holding their phone |
| Cycle nudge | 4 to 6 weeks (cuts), 6 to 8 weeks (color) | Matches when roots or length show |
| Open-slot promo | As soon as the slot opens, 9 AM to 7 PM | Urgency only works same day |
Ready enforces quiet hours based on the recipient's area: a text sent outside permitted local hours is held and goes out when the window opens, and it's charged only when it sends. That protects you from the 6 AM text you scheduled by accident. Campaigns, drip campaigns and automations wait up to 24 hours for the window; a one-to-one or API text is held only if the window opens within 6 hours, otherwise it is refused and must be resent; a one-to-one reply to someone who texted you in the last 24 hours goes out at any hour.
What it costs: a worked example
Assumptions for this example: an 800-client rebooking list, one plain-text message under 160 characters, and about 10% of clients replying with one-segment texts.
- Outbound: 800 × 1 segment × $0.0075 = $6, plus 800 × $0.0045 in carrier fees
- Replies: 80 × 1 segment × $0.0075 = $0.60, plus 80 × $0.0045 (replies you receive bill like sent texts)
- The same message with one emoji at 140 characters: 800 × 3 segments × $0.0075 = $18, plus 2,400 × $0.0045
That emoji triples the cost. If even two clients rebook a $90 color off the plain version, the send has paid for itself several times over.
The figures above exclude the optional compliance surcharge: litigator/DNC scrubbing and landline validation are each $0.003 extra per segment when switched on, and both are off by default. Pricing is on our pricing page.
Registration: do it once, do it right
Carriers filter unregistered business texting, so every sender needs 10DLC registration: a brand (your business) and a campaign (what you text about). In Ready this happens in-app:
- Register your brand with your legal business name and EIN, exactly as they appear on IRS paperwork.
- Register a campaign. Pick a mixed or marketing use case if you'll send promos as well as reminders. Your sample messages should be the actual templates you plan to send, opt-out line included.
- Make sure your website has a privacy policy stating you don't share mobile numbers or opt-in data with third parties, plus an SMS terms section.
- Describe how clients opt in (the checkbox on your booking form, for example).
The charge at submit is $25, which is your first month. After that it's $25/mo for registration and $2 per number each month. There's no setup fee, and most approvals take 2 to 7 days.
If you also sell products such as CBD balms or offer complimentary mimosas, keep them out of your sample messages, since alcohol and cannabis references trigger rejections. Our post on 10DLC rejections for SHAFT content walks through the rewrite.
While you wait, you aren't stuck. Your first 20 texts are free one-to-one sends (campaigns are paid from the first text), so use them to test your reminder wording before you register: the free texts end once a registration is paid for. An account can send up to 500 texts a month before registering, at the normal per-text rate. To send, you add a card and get a number, which is $2 a month with the first month charged when you get it.
The practical takeaway
Start with three texts: the 48-hour reminder, the post-visit rebook, and the cycle nudge. Those three cover most of the empty chairs, cost $0.0075 each plus the carrier fee when kept to one segment, and rarely annoy anyone. Add promos once you have marketing consent on file and a sense of how your list responds.
If you want to try it, create an account, send your first free texts to your own phone and a couple of regulars, and start your registration once the wording feels right.