Service appointment text templates for every moment of the visit

A customer waiting for a service visit has a small set of questions: is it booked, is it still on, when exactly, are they late, and what do I owe. Every one of those that goes unanswered becomes a phone call to your office, or a locked door when the tech arrives.

A good appointment text answers exactly one of those questions, in one screen, before the customer thinks to ask it. The templates below cover each moment of a visit. Copy them, put in your own details, and keep them short.

Our guide to field service customer communication covers the policy side: which moments to message, by which channel, and who owns it. This page is the copy.

Before you send anything: consent and opt-out

Texting customers is regulated, and the rules depend on what the message is and how it is sent. A few points from the federal rule, 47 CFR 64.1200 on eCFR, as of October 2026:

• Texts sent with automated systems to mobile numbers generally need the recipient's prior express consent, and marketing texts need prior express written consent.
• A customer can revoke consent in any reasonable way. Replying "stop," "quit," "end," "revoke," "opt out," "cancel" or "unsubscribe" counts.
• Revocations must be honored within a reasonable time, not more than ten business days.
• A single text confirming the opt-out is allowed, as long as it only confirms and contains no marketing.

State laws can add to this. This is not legal advice. Ask a lawyer how it applies to your messages, and get consent at booking in plain words: "We'll text you about this appointment. Reply STOP to opt out."

Rules that make every template work

• Name the company first. The customer may not have your number saved.
• One message, one job. A reminder that also sells a maintenance plan reads as marketing, and may be treated as one.
• Give a time, not a word. "This afternoon" is not a time. "Between 1:00 and 3:00" is.
• Say what you need from them. Gate code, dog inside, clear access to the panel.
• Keep it to one screen. If the customer has to scroll, the important line gets missed. Every template below is two or three short sentences.

Placeholders are in square brackets. Replace them before sending.

1. Booking confirmation

Sent when the job is booked. It answers "is it really booked?"

[Company]: You're booked for [service] on [Day, Date], arrival [start] to [end]. Address: [street]. Reply C to confirm or call [phone] to change. Reply STOP to opt out.

2. Reminder, 24 hours before

Sent the day before. It answers "is it still on?" and catches the customer who forgot. A missed reminder is one of the causes of a high no-show rate.

[Company]: Reminder, your [service] is tomorrow, [Day], arrival [start] to [end]. Please make sure someone 18+ is home and [access note]. Need to change it? Call [phone].

Short version for repeat customers:

[Company]: See you tomorrow, [start] to [end], for [service]. Call [phone] to change.

3. On my way, with an ETA

Sent when the tech leaves the previous job. It answers "when exactly?" and narrows the arrival window to a time. This is the ETA notification.

[Company]: [Tech first name] is on the way and should arrive around [ETA]. Please [access note, e.g. put pets away / open the gate].

If you want to show the tech's first name, decide that as a company policy, and keep it the first name only.

4. Running late

Sent the moment you know the window will be missed, not when it already has been. It answers "are they coming?"

[Company]: Sorry, our earlier job ran long. Your new arrival is [new start] to [new end]. If that no longer works, reply R and we'll call to reschedule.

When the delay is short and inside the window, you usually do not need this text. When it pushes past the end of the window, send it before the window opens if you can.

5. Rescheduled by you

[Company]: We need to move your [service] from [old day/time] to [new day], arrival [start] to [end]. We're sorry for the change. Reply OK to keep it or call [phone] to pick another time.

6. Cancelled

[Company]: Your [service] on [day] is cancelled as requested. To book again, call [phone] or visit [booking link].

7. Could not get in

Sent from the driveway, when the tech cannot reach anyone.

[Company]: [Tech first name] is at [street] for your [start] appointment but can't get in. Please call [phone] in the next 15 minutes so we can keep your visit.

Set the wait time as a company rule, and say it in the text so the customer knows how long they have.

8. Invoice and pay link

[Company]: Your invoice for [service] at [street] is ready: [amount]. Pay securely here: [pay link]. Questions? Call [phone].

9. Review request

Sent shortly after the job is done, while the visit is fresh. One ask, one link.

[Company]: Thanks for having us today. If [Tech first name] did a good job, a short review helps a lot: [review link]

10. Opt-out confirmation

The one message you may send after a STOP. It must only confirm.

[Company]: You won't receive more texts from us. Call [phone] if you need anything.

How to adapt them

• Match your window rules. If you promise two-hour windows, every template that states a window should say two hours. A text that contradicts what the office said on the phone causes the call it was meant to prevent.
• Send late texts by rule, not mood. Decide the threshold, such as "more than 15 minutes past the window end", and send every time it is crossed.
• Read them on a phone. Send each template to yourself before using it. If you have to scroll, cut it.
• Track what they prevent. Count calls asking "where is the tech" and doors not answered before and after. The change is the value of the texts.

Which of these CrewLink sends

CrewLink, in early access, sends texts to US and Canadian mobile numbers at these moments: when a booking is confirmed, 24 hours before, when it is moved or cancelled, when the tech is on the way (with an ETA), when an invoice is sent, and a review link 30 minutes after the job is done. When a tech's job runs long and the rest of their day is re-flowed, the affected customers are texted. The other templates here, such as could-not-get-in, are for your team to send by hand.

Common questions

What should an appointment reminder text say?

Your company name, the service, the day and the arrival window, anything the customer must do to give access, and how to change the time. Keep it to one or two short sentences. Send it about 24 hours before.

How do I write an on my way text?

Name the company, give the tech's first name if that is your policy, give an ETA as a time rather than "soon", and add any access request such as putting pets away. Send it when the tech leaves the previous job, not when they are already at the curb.

What should a technician running late text include?

An apology in a few words, the new arrival window, and an easy way to reschedule if the new time no longer works. Send it as soon as you know the window will be missed, ideally before it opens.

Do I need permission to text customers about appointments?

Generally, automated texts to mobile numbers need the customer's prior express consent under the federal rule, and marketing texts need written consent. State laws add to it. Get consent at booking, honor opt-outs, and ask a lawyer how the rules apply to your messages.