Effortless Integration: Automating Your Appointment Reminders Using Excel and CSV Files

If your business already uses scheduling software to keep track of your appointments, you might worry about compatibility with your appointment reminder software. However, with Reminderly, it's easy to create appointment reminders in bulk using data that your scheduling system generates. The guide below explains how simple it is to automate appointment reminder messages using an Excel or CSV file.

Get The Necessary Data

While the format may vary based on your scheduling software, most major providers offer the option to download the appointment schedule as an Excel spreadsheet or a CSV file, which can be opened with Excel. These spreadsheets should include client information like name, contact number, and schedule information. Once you have the file downloaded, you're ready to integrate it with your software and start sending appointment reminders.

One-time Setup

Log In to Reminderly

Once you've logged in to your Reminderly account, you'll want to select "Create Reminders" from the menu on the left of your screen. This hub makes it easy to integrate with common scheduling software, such as Google calendar, Outlook, and more. Select "Excel/CSV File Upload" from the upper left to get started with automatic appointment reminders.

Map Your Appointment Reminder Data

If this is your first time uploading an Excel or CSV file to Reminderly, you'll need to tell the system how your data is organized. This is because spreadsheets generated from your scheduling platforms doesn't have a standard format. Don't worry, you'll only need to do this once. From the dropdown menus, specify which column a particular piece of data appears in--for example, date might appear in column B, with time in Column C, phone number in Column D, and so on. Once you've entered all the relevant data, click "Create" and our system will automatically parse the needed information.

Create Your Automated Appointment Reminders

Select "Create Reminders" from the left menu, choose "Excel/CSV File Upload" again, and select "Create Reminder Message." Now you can customize the message, and decide how long before an appointment it is sent, what time of day it sends to clients, and what the message says. Select the file you just uploaded from the "Calendars" dropdown menu, customize the wording, and hit Create.

Ongoing Process

Appointment Reminders Made Easy

With your data mapped in the system, generating appointment reminders in the future is as simple as downloading a new report from your scheduling software and uploading it to Reminderly. This process can be completed in a matter of minutes. Schedule management never felt so easy!

Upload Your Schedule Spreadsheet

With your data mapping done, you're ready to upload the Excel or CSV file you generated from your scheduling system. In the upper left menu of your Reminderly account, you'll see a new option to "Upload Schedule." Click there, then select the blue cloud icon next to the Report Name that you entered during the data mapping step. Select the file that you downloaded from your scheduling system, then click "Upload." Now you're ready to start sending appointment reminders.

View Your New Appointment Reminders

To see your new automated appointment reminders, simply click the "Messages" tab in the left menu, then select "Future Appointments (24 Hours)" to see the appointment reminders that will be sent to clients.

Manage Appointment Reminders With Reminderly

When you switch to Reminderly, you'll have access to a powerful, intuitive program that integrates with most common scheduling solutions. From one browser tab, you can send phone, email, and text reminders, check read and response rates, manage a waitlist to fill open appointments, and send surveys to gather customer feedback.

Get started today with a free two week trial, no payment information needed. You can also learn how to maximize your reminder service ROI with insights on our blog, like how to gather client feedback or when it's the best time to send appointment reminder messages.