A confirmation call has one job: get a clear yes, a clear reschedule, or a clear cancel. Say who you are, say the date, time and place, ask for one answer, and offer a way to change it. It should take under 30 seconds. The scripts below cover the live call, the voicemail, an automated message and the text that backs them up.

Confirm 24 to 48 hours ahead. Earlier than that, people forget they were called. Later, and an empty slot cannot be refilled. A second, shorter reminder the morning of the appointment is optional and works best by text. Wording for texts is in how to confirm appointments by text, so this page concentrates on the voice.

The live call, word for word

"Hi, this is Carla at Eastside Dental, calling for Mr. Lindqvist. Is now an okay time for 30 seconds?"

[If yes] "I am calling to confirm your cleaning on Thursday, November 12 at 9:30 in the morning at our Maple Street office. Will you be able to make it?"

[If yes] "Wonderful. Please arrive ten minutes early to fill out the update form. If anything changes, call us at 555-0142 or reply to our text. See you Thursday."

Four details to notice. The caller states her name and the business before anything else. She asks permission for 30 seconds, which is respectful and gives a busy person an easy way to say "call me back." She gives the full date, time and location in one sentence, because that is the information being confirmed. The question is a closed yes or no, not "Is that still good for you?" which invites a long answer.

When the answer is not yes

They need to reschedule.

"No problem at all. I can offer Monday the 16th at 2:00 or Tuesday the 17th at 8:30. Which is better?"

Offer two specific slots instead of asking when they are free. The reasoning is the same as in the phone script for scheduling appointments: a choice between two is easier to answer than an open question.

They want to cancel.

"Thanks for telling me. I have freed up the slot. Would you like me to find another time now, or would you rather call when your schedule is clearer?"

Do not argue and do not guilt. A cancellation you hear about 24 hours ahead is a slot you can fill, which is the whole reason you called.

They are not sure.

"I will hold it until tomorrow at noon, and then release it so someone else can use it. Can I text you a link to confirm or change it?"

Set a deadline. Without one, "not sure" turns into a no-show.

The voicemail

"Hi, this is Carla at Eastside Dental with a reminder for Mr. Lindqvist. You have a cleaning Thursday, November 12 at 9:30 a.m. at our Maple Street office. Please call 555-0142 or reply to the text we just sent to confirm or change it. Thank you."

Keep it to about 20 seconds, say the number once clearly and leave nothing private on a message that someone else may hear. For a medical or legal office, leave only the office name, a callback number and the date and time, and skip the reason for the visit. Send the text right after leaving the message so the person has a quick way to answer. The voicemail-then-text pattern is also what you do after a call to a sales lead, as in follow-up email after voicemail.

An automated confirmation message

Some offices use an automated line for confirmations, with the caller pressing a number. The wording that works is short and puts the action first:

"This is an automated reminder from Eastside Dental. Mr. Lindqvist has an appointment on Thursday, November 12 at 9:30 a.m. To confirm, press 1. To reschedule, press 2. To speak with someone right away, press 3."

Anyone who searches for the "press 3 to speak with someone" line is looking for exactly this. Always provide that third option. An automated reminder with no route to a person is the one that people resent, and it generates the angry callback that costs you more than the reminder saved. If you use an AI voice for the call instead of a recording, the call should say it is an AI assistant. Recorded and AI-voice calls to mobile phones fall under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which requires prior consent; a client who gave you the number for the appointment has generally given it for a reminder like this, but adding a sales offer to the message changes that, so keep confirmations to the appointment. Say who is calling and why in the first sentence, the way the Federal Trade Commission's Telemarketing Sales Rule asks sellers to do on sales calls before any pitch. A confirmation is not a sales call, but the plain opening is good practice either way.

Who should call, and when

  • Call during business hours. The FTC's rule lists calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. as abusive for telemarketing, and it is a sensible window for any call.
  • Try twice. If there is no answer, leave a message the first time and send a text. Try a second call the next morning only if the appointment is within 24 hours.
  • Log the result in one place: confirmed, rescheduled, cancelled or no answer.

The three-line log

After each call, write down the status, the new time if it changed, and any note about the person. At the end of the day the list gives you the open slots to offer to the waitlist. Offices that skip the log redial the same people twice, which is where the complaints begin. If the person still fails to come, follow the steps in how to reduce no-shows for appointments and the note in the client no-show email template.

Common mistakes

  • Reading the script flatly. Say it like you would say it to a neighbor, with the details slowly.
  • Asking "Do you still want your appointment?" which sounds like a challenge.
  • Leaving out the address. People with two offices go to the wrong one.
  • Forgetting to say what to bring or how early to arrive.
  • Calling from a number the person cannot call back.

If nobody in your business has time for these calls, or for the callbacks they set off, that is a problem a phone line can solve. Rocketship's AI receptionist (Launch plan and up) answers your existing number once it is forwarded to a Rocketship line, which costs $5 a month, and can book the meeting on a call; it says it is an AI assistant. Pricing has the details.