Appointment reminder SMS from Google Calendar, without integration
Send automatic appointment reminder SMS from Google Calendar, Outlook or Calendly: paste the iCal link, check the preview, switch it on. Templates for practices and salons.
Copy your calendar’s private iCal link (Google Calendar: “secret address in iCal format”), paste it in the TopSMS dashboard under Calendar reminders and choose how many hours before to remind. TopSMS finds the client’s mobile number in each appointment and sends the SMS; cancelled appointments are skipped, moved ones rescheduled. €0.084 per SMS to Germany and Austria.
The appointment is already in your calendar. What is missing is a text message to the client the day before. You do not need new booking software or a developer for that: TopSMS reads your calendar through its iCal link and sends the reminders itself.
Step 1: copy the iCal link
| Calendar | Where to find the link |
|---|---|
| Google Calendar | On a computer: Settings, pick the calendar on the left, Integrate calendar, “Secret address in iCal format” |
| Outlook, Microsoft 365 | Outlook on the web: Settings, Calendar, Shared calendars, Publish a calendar with all details, ICS link |
| Apple iCloud | Share the calendar as a public calendar and copy the webcal:// link |
| Calendly, Cal.com | Use the link of the Google or Outlook calendar the bookings are written to; a tool’s own ICS export works too |
The private link is a key to read your calendar. TopSMS stores it encrypted and does not show it again after saving. If you reset the secret address in Google Calendar, the old link stops working for us as well.
Step 2: the phone number in the appointment
Write the client’s mobile number anywhere in the title, description or location:
Anna Müller 0151 12345678Numbers without a country code are read with your country (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia or Slovakia). Landlines are skipped because they cannot receive SMS. The name comes from the text before the number or from a Name: line. Without a name, “Hi {name},” simply becomes “Hi,”.
Step 3: text, timing and preview
The default text:
Hi {name}, a reminder of your appointment at {firma} on {date} at {time}. If you cannot make it, please let us know.Choose the lead time between 1 and 72 hours (default 24). No SMS go out between 21:00 and 08:00: a reminder that would fall into the night is sent at 08:00 if the appointment is after 10:00, otherwise at 18:00 the evening before. “Load calendar” shows the next 10 appointments with the number, name, exact text and send time, without sending anything. Then save, and the reminders run on their own.
Templates by trade
| Trade | Text |
|---|---|
| Practice | {firma}: reminder of your appointment on {date} at {time}. Please bring your insurance card. To reschedule call 030 1234567. |
| Salon | Hi {name}, see you on {date} at {time}! If something comes up, please call 030 1234567. {firma} |
| Workshop | {firma}: we expect your car on {date} at {time}. Please bring the keys and service book. Changes: 030 1234567 |
| Tutor | Hi {name}, a reminder of our lesson on {date} at {time}. If you cannot make it, please tell me a day ahead. {firma} |
Nobody can reply to an SMS sent under a business name, so include a phone number or link for rescheduling.
Service message, not advertising
A reminder about an appointment the client booked is a service message about an existing appointment. Keep offers and discounts out of it; with them, it becomes marketing, which needs consent. Contacts marked as opted out in TopSMS and blacklisted numbers are skipped automatically.
Price
The feature has no monthly fee. You pay only for the SMS sent: €0.084 per SMS to Germany, Austria and the rest of the EU, €0.040 to Czechia and Slovakia, excl. VAT, from prepaid credit that never expires. Create a free account and try the preview with your own calendar.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to install anything in my calendar?
No. You paste one iCal link in the TopSMS dashboard. TopSMS only reads the calendar; nothing is written to it.
Where do I put the client’s phone number?
Anywhere in the title, description or location of the appointment, for example “Anna Müller 0151 12345678”. Only mobile numbers are used. The name is taken from the text before the number or from a “Name:” line.
What if an appointment is cancelled or moved?
The calendar is read every 15 minutes. Cancelled or deleted appointments are not reminded, moved ones get a new reminder time, and one appointment never gets more than one SMS.
Does it work with Calendly?
Calendly writes bookings to the Google or Outlook calendar it is connected to, so use that calendar’s iCal link. Add a phone number question to the booking form so the number ends up in the event.