How to Add SMS Reminders to Acuity Scheduling Appointments

Acuity Scheduling (part of Squarespace) includes built-in SMS reminders, but with some significant limitations: you can only send one text per appointment, messages are capped at 300 characters, and clients cannot reply to the reminders. This guide shows you how to add more powerful SMS reminders to any Acuity Scheduling booking using Remindlo.

The approach is simple: Acuity syncs events to Google Calendar. Remindlo monitors your Google Calendar and automatically sends SMS reminders for every appointment that includes a phone number. You can also connect Acuity to Remindlo directly via Zapier.

What You Need

• An Acuity Scheduling account on any paid plan (Emerging, Growing, or Powerhouse).

• A Google account with Google Calendar.

• A Remindlo account - create one for free.

• Acuity connected to Google Calendar (we cover this below).

Acuity Scheduling's Built-in SMS Reminders: What to Know

Acuity Scheduling includes text message reminders on its Standard/Growing and Premium/Powerhouse plans. While there are no extra per-message fees, the feature comes with some notable restrictions:

• Only one SMS reminder per appointment - Acuity sends a single text message per booking. You cannot schedule multiple reminders (for example, one the day before and another a few hours before). Research shows that multiple touchpoints are more effective at reducing no-shows.

• 300 character limit - your message is capped at 300 characters, and that limit includes toggled fields like your business name and appointment type. Special characters and emojis count as more than one character. If you exceed the limit, your message gets cut off.

• Automatically assigned sender number - text messages are sent from a number assigned by Acuity, not a number associated with your business. Clients may not recognise the sender.

• One-way messaging only - if a client replies to a reminder, they receive an automated response telling them to contact you by other means. There is no way to see or manage client replies within Acuity.

• Not available on free trials - SMS reminders are only available on paid plans and cannot be tested during the free trial period.

• Opt-in required - clients must explicitly opt in to receive text reminders. Acuity only sends SMS for appointments that are marked as opted in.

These limitations mean that if you want to send multiple reminders, use a recognisable sender number, or let clients reply to messages, you need an alternative approach.

The Alternative: Acuity → Google Calendar → Remindlo

Here is how it works:

1. Acuity syncs events to Google Calendar - this is a built-in Acuity feature available on all paid plans.

2. Remindlo monitors your Google Calendar - it automatically detects new events and reads phone numbers from the event details.

3. SMS reminders are sent automatically - Remindlo sends personalised text reminders before each appointment, from a dedicated phone number that your clients can reply to.

This gives you multiple reminders per appointment, no character restrictions on messages, a dedicated sender number, and two-way messaging.

Method 1: Connect via Google Calendar Integration

This is the recommended approach. It takes about 5 minutes to set up, and then everything runs on autopilot.

Step 1: Connect Acuity to Google Calendar

If you have not already done this:

1. Log in to your Acuity Scheduling account.

2. Navigate to Integrations in the left sidebar.

3. Under Sync with Other Calendars, click Google.

4. Click Connect to Google Calendar and follow the prompts to authorise access.

5. For each Acuity calendar, select which Google Calendar it should sync to using the dropdown menu.

6. Click Save.

Once connected, every new Acuity booking will automatically appear in your Google Calendar. Cancellations and rescheduled appointments sync too.

Step 2: Make Sure Phone Numbers Are Captured

Acuity collects client phone numbers by default through its intake forms. To verify:

1. Go to Appointment Types in Acuity.

2. Edit the relevant appointment type.

3. Under Intake Forms, check that a Phone field is present and set to required.

When someone books, their phone number will be included in the Google Calendar event details, which is exactly where Remindlo looks for it.

Step 3: Connect Google Calendar to Remindlo

Follow our detailed guide to connect your Google Calendar to Remindlo:

→ How to Integrate SMS Reminders into Google Calendar

The guide covers connecting your calendar, enabling autopilot, and customising your reminder messages with dynamic variables like {{first_name}} and {{business_name}}.

Step 4: Done - Remindlo Handles the Rest

Once connected, Remindlo runs on autopilot. For every new Acuity booking that includes a phone number, Remindlo will automatically:

• Detect the event in your Google Calendar.

• Extract the client's phone number from the event details.

• Schedule multiple SMS reminders based on your configured timing (e.g. 24 hours before, 2 hours before).

• Send personalised text messages from a dedicated phone number.

• Remove scheduled reminders if the event is cancelled or rescheduled.

Method 2: Use the Remindlo Google Calendar Add-on

If you prefer more hands-on control, you can use the Remindlo sidebar plugin directly in Google Calendar. This add-on lets you:

• Manually assign contacts to events.

• Set a default country prefix for phone number normalisation.

• Choose which campaign each event type belongs to.

For setup instructions, see the add-on section of our Google Calendar guide:

→ Google Calendar Add-on (Sidebar Plugin) Setup Guide

Method 3: Connect Directly via Zapier

If you prefer a direct connection without Google Calendar as a bridge, you can use Zapier to link Acuity Scheduling and Remindlo. With Zapier, you can set up a Zap that automatically adds a contact to Remindlo every time someone books through Acuity.

→ Set up Zapier integration

This method gives you the most flexibility: you can map specific Acuity fields to Remindlo contact fields, trigger different campaigns based on appointment types, and combine it with other automations across 8,000+ apps.

Comparison: Acuity Native SMS vs Remindlo

Tips and Best Practices

• Send two reminders - one the day before and one a few hours before the appointment. This is the most effective pattern for reducing no-shows, and something Acuity's native SMS cannot do.

• Include your business name - since Remindlo sends from a dedicated number, adding your business name in the message helps clients immediately recognise who is texting.

• Use dynamic variables - personalise messages with {{first_name}}, {{business_name}}, and {{business_phone}} for a professional touch.

• Disable Acuity's built-in SMS - once Remindlo is running, you may want to turn off Acuity's native text reminders to avoid clients receiving duplicate messages from different numbers.

• Test with a sample booking - book a test appointment through your Acuity link using your own phone number to verify the full flow works before going live.

Troubleshooting

Acuity events not appearing in Google Calendar

• Check that Acuity's Google Calendar integration is connected. Go to Integrations → Sync with Other Calendars and verify the Google Calendar connection.

• Make sure you selected the correct destination calendar for each Acuity calendar in the sync settings.

• New events typically sync immediately, but allow a moment and refresh your Google Calendar.

Phone numbers not detected by Remindlo

• Ensure the phone field is included and required in your Acuity intake forms.

• Check that the number includes a country code (e.g. +44 for UK). You can set a default country prefix in the Remindlo Google Calendar add-on. Then we'll add it automatically if you forget to add it yourself.

• Open the event in Google Calendar and check that the phone number appears in the event description or notes.

Reminders not sending

• Verify your Remindlo account is active and the Google Calendar is connected.

• Check the Remindlo dashboard for sync status and any error messages.

• Make sure the event is far enough in the future for reminders to be scheduled (past events are ignored).

Duplicate reminders from Acuity and Remindlo

• If you are using both Acuity's native SMS and Remindlo, clients may receive messages from two different numbers. Disable Acuity's text reminders under Notifications → Text Reminders to avoid confusion.

Need Help?

If you run into any issues setting up SMS reminders for your Acuity Scheduling appointments, contact us at [email protected]. We are happy to help you get everything connected.