Recall reminders — Remind clients when they're due, before they forget about you
Recall reminders contact clients when they're due for routine care or service, based on their last visit. The message names what's due and links to book. Clients who don't respond go on a list for staff to call.
By Julia Ja, Owner
Due for a spring AC tune-up
4 due- Homeowner · Oak AveTune-up last April · texted Apr 22Booked Sat am
- Homeowner · Elm StTexted Apr 22 · reminder sent May 6Reminder 2
- Homeowner · Pine StNo booking after 2 textsCall list
- Homeowner · Lake DrTexted Apr 22Waiting
Why it matters
The problem it solves
Routine care is easy to put off. Clients mean to book their cleaning or tune-up, but without a nudge the months go by.
Most software can produce a recall list, but someone has to run it and work through it. In a busy week that gets skipped. The clients who quietly drift away are the hardest ones to notice.
Example · illustrative
A heating and cooling company in late spring
- In late April, the system checks which customers had AC maintenance last spring and have nothing booked.
- A homeowner gets a text naming her unit and offering a tune-up before the summer heat, with a booking link.
- She books a Saturday morning slot from the link.
- A neighbor who didn't reply gets one more reminder later, then lands on the office's call list.
How it works
How recall reminders works
- Starts whenA client's next routine visit comes due, based on their history
- 1Step 1Find who's dueVisit history and due dates are checked, like the last cleaning, vaccine or furnace tune-up.
- 2Step 2Send the reminderA text or email names what's due and links to book a time.
- 3Step 3Follow up onceClients who don't book get one more reminder later.
- A person decidesCall the overdueStaff get a list of clients who still haven't booked and decide who to call.
Before · by hand
- Someone runs a recall report when there's time.
- Postcards go out late or not at all.
- Clients who fall behind are noticed only when they're long overdue.
With recall reminders
- Clients hear from you when they're due.
- Clients can book straight from the reminder.
- Staff spend their calls on clients who are overdue.
What we build
The parts of recall reminders
Your systems
- Dentrix
- Open Dental
- Tekmetric
- Shopmonkey
- ServiceTitan
- Twilio
What we build
1Due-date rules
The interval for each service, like hygiene recall, vaccines or seasonal maintenance, set by clinicians or service managers.
2History reader
Pulls last visits, due dates and future bookings from the practice or shop software.
3Reminder sequence
A first reminder and one follow-up, by text or email, naming what's due and linking to book.
4Booking link
Opens the right service in the booking tool, so the client doesn't have to explain why they're coming in.
5Overdue list
A list for staff of clients still not booked, with their last visit and what's due.
Your team decides
- Staff decide who gets a personal call.
- Clinicians or service managers set the due intervals for each service.
Industries it fits
What recall reminders looks like in each industry
Dental practices
Reminds patients when their hygiene recall is due and shows open hygienist times. Patients on a shorter periodontal interval are reminded on their own schedule.
Everything for dental practicesYour industry isn’t listed, or works differently? Describe it and get an answer in a minute.
Getting started
What you need first
We go through these with you in the audit, before anything is built.
Before we start
5 things to have ready- Practice or shop software with visit history, contact details and, ideally, due dates.
- The interval for each service, set by a clinician or service manager.
- Consent from clients to get reminders by text or email.
- A booking link or a phone number for each service.
- Someone to work the overdue list.
How a rollout runs
- 1Map the servicesWe list which services recur, their intervals and where due dates are stored today.
- 2Clean the listWe check contact details and remove clients who moved, left or asked not to be contacted.
- 3Connect and writeWe connect the software and booking tool and write the messages for each service with you.
- 4Send a small batchThe first reminders go to a small group, and staff check bookings and replies before the rest go out.
- 5Run on a scheduleOnce due dates read correctly, reminders run on their own and the overdue list arrives each week.
What to measure
How to know it's working
Weekly report · recall reminders
IllustrationClients due versus clients booked
Shows how many due clients actually come back.
Bookings from reminder links
Tells you whether the message and link are working.
Clients on the overdue list
A growing list means reminders aren't enough for that group.
Opt-outs
Shows whether the timing or number of messages is off.
Bad contact details found
Wrong numbers and bounced emails point to data that needs cleaning.
We measure the baseline before building, so the change can be compared afterwards.
When it’s not a fit
- It only works if visit history is in the software. Paper records or missing dates have to be fixed first.
- Clients who moved away or left on bad terms shouldn't be reminded. Clean the list before the first send.
- Due dates set too early feel like a sales push. Let clinicians or service managers set the intervals.
- Reminders only bring people back if there are open times. Check capacity before a large send.
Tool or custom build
Do you need a custom build?
Option A · a ready-made tool
An off-the-shelf tool may be enough
Most practice and shop tools include recall reports or reminders, and add-ons like Weave or Solutionreach send them for dental and medical offices. These fit when one interval per service is enough.
Option B · built around your systems
When a custom build is worth it
A custom build makes sense when due dates depend on mileage, treatment or plan. It also fits when data sits in several systems, or the overdue list should become staff tasks.
Not sure which fits?
What it typically costs
Typical ranges as of October 2026. Not a quote.
Ready-made tool, set up by us
An existing platform on your own account, configured for your business.
- Setup, one timepaid to Lorryn
- $500–$750
- Tool subscriptionpaid to the provider
- $25–$125 / month
Fits when your process matches what the platform already does.
Custom build
Built around how you work, with no platform subscription. You own it.
- Build, one timebasic version to full version
- $1,000–$3,000
- Running costshosting and usage, on your accounts
- ~$10–$50 / month
Fits when your systems, rules or exceptions don't match a ready tool.
Optional Automation Care: $125 · $250 · $375 / month
1, 2 or 3 hours of support a month, with monitoring and alerts included. Without it, you run it yourself after handover.
Typically works with Dentrix, Open Dental, Tekmetric, Shopmonkey.
Booking into or writing to your field-service, practice or shop software adds up to $500 to the ready-made tool (often a built-in feature) and $500–$1,500 to a custom build.
Your price depends on volume, the systems involved and how many exceptions need a person. Our team confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
Proof and who stays in charge
Who does what
The automation does the routine steps. A person makes the call.
- 1Find who's dueAutomated
- 2Send the reminderAutomated
- 3Follow up onceAutomated
- 4Call the overdueA person
Consent and privacy
Reminders go to existing clients who agreed to receive them, say they're automated and offer STOP. Patient reminders leave out health details and use vendors that sign a BAA.
FAQ
Questions about recall reminders
From your practice or shop software, like Dentrix, Open Dental, Tekmetric or ServiceTitan. If due dates aren't stored, it works them out from the last visit.
Yes. It follows the interval set for each client or service, so a patient on a shorter hygiene recall is reminded sooner.
No. It checks for a future appointment before sending.
It can build a mailing list for postcards or letters for clients with no phone or email on file.
Yes, if the client's language is stored or can be added. Each client then gets messages in that language.
Yes. Staff can mark a client as do not remind, and anyone who replies STOP is removed.
The reminder will be wrong too. We check a sample before launch, and staff correct dates in the software as usual.
Related use cases
Often built together
- SchedulingAppointment remindersSends appointment reminders by text or email and lets clients confirm or reschedule with a reply.
- SchedulingOnline self-bookingLets customers book, reschedule and pay online from your live calendar and booking rules.
- Customer communicationWin-back campaignsFinds customers who haven't returned and sends them a message based on their history.
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