SMS Lesson Reminders for Irish Driving Schools
Etisia adds SMS reminders, an optional cancellation link and review requests to a Google Calendar workflow that stays simple.
Up to 60 free SMS · Most users send their first reminder in under a minute
SMS Reminders, Google Reviews, Easy Cancellation
Why Learners Show Up to Text (Email Disappears)
Email gets buried. SMS lands at decision moment. 1 PM text "Lesson in 2 hours" = parent plans afternoon + picks up student on time. Parent books Monday for Thursday. Tuesday email buried in 50 messages. Thursday morning: completely forgotten. SMS at 1 PM hits exactly when they're thinking afternoon logistics. Suddenly aware + can plan. Teenagers booking their own: SMS = immediate attention. Email = ignored entirely.
Driving has high stakes. SMS feels supportive + reassuring + accountability. A friendly reminder can make the next lesson feel less daunting. Learning to drive is scary. Learners anxious about failing. Parents anxious about safety. A reminder such as "Your lesson is in 2 hours. You've got this!" = reassuring + supportive. A supportive tone can help nervous learners feel more prepared. SMS also makes the lesson concrete on the lock screen. A clear cancellation link lets learners who cannot attend release the slot early, while urgent changes use the monitored phone number.
Driving has hard deadlines: the test date. Learners have to complete their 12 EDT lessons before the test, so a missed lesson can push the plan back by a week or more. A reminder the day before, and another a few hours ahead if you add it, keeps the schedule intact. Reduces instructor stress (you know they're coming). For schools: full slots + consistent vehicle utilization + predictable cash flow. For independents: fewer wasted trips + more revenue.
How Etisia Fills Your Driving Schedule (Set Up in Less Than 45 Seconds)
Real SMS Messages Your Irish Driving Learners Receive
These are practical examples you can adapt directly. Select a card, preview the SMS, and copy the text.
Evening before lesson
4 hours before lesson
1 hour after lesson
Seasonal (test-prep season)
Sent Evening before lesson
Next step
Templates for every other situation
The full library covers confirmations, reschedules, cancellations and post-visit follow-ups, grouped by situation and ready to copy.
How much is an empty chair costing you?
Your average appointment
Your assumption - the no-shows caused by forgetting rather than a deliberate skip.
That's
walking out your door every year.
Per month
€0
Per week
€0
Wasted hours/year
0 hrs
Etisia brings them back.
Assumes half your no-shows come down to forgetting rather than a deliberate skip.
Annual savings
€0
Appointments recovered
0
Hours saved
0 hrs
Up to 60 free SMS. No credit card required.
Simple plans for small and midsize service businesses that don't want another complicated booking system
Keep Google Calendar as the main calendar your team works from. Etisia adds automatic reminders, review requests and an optional cancellation link, without a new booking system or workflow builder.
Starter
€20/month
Billed yearly · €240 (tax excl)
For solo operators who want reminder coverage fast, without rebuilding how appointments get booked.
- 100 SMS messages per month
- 1 Google Calendar
- Automatic + instant SMS on new bookings
- Instant confirmation SMS for new appointments
- 24/7 Monitoring
- Cancellation link + email alert
- 25+ templates with custom fields
- Import contacts from iOS, Android & vCard
- Full delivery logs & tracking
Pro
RecommendedUp to 60 free SMS
€33/month
Billed yearly · €390 (tax excl)
For busy businesses that want reminders and review requests included in one Google Calendar-first flow.
- 250 SMS messages per month
- 3 Google Calendars
- Automatic + instant SMS on new bookings
- Instant confirmation SMS for new appointments
- 24/7 Monitoring
- Cancellation link + email alert
- 25+ templates with custom fields
- Import contacts from iOS, Android & vCard
- Full delivery logs & tracking
- Review follow-ups where enabled
Team
€124/month
Billed yearly · €1,490 (tax excl)
For larger teams: unlimited Google Calendars, staff accounts and 1,000 SMS a month at a fixed price. Need more SMS than that? Talk to us.
- 1,000 SMS messages per month
- Unlimited Google Calendars
- 24/7 Monitoring
- Cancellation link + email alert
- Review follow-ups where enabled
- Multiple Google accounts if needed
- Setup help
- Priority support - we've got your back
Additional 50-SMS pack: €17.
Frequently asked questions
The practical details before you try Etisia.
Can I use different reminder wording for different lesson types?
Can the reminder go to a parent's mobile?
Can learners cancel a lesson from the text?
Can each instructor have their own calendar?
What is Etisia, and do my clients need an app?
Etisia sends automatic SMS appointment reminders from your Google Calendar. After a one-time setup, you keep booking in Google Calendar as usual, with the client’s mobile number in the appointment. You don’t open Etisia each time you book.
Your clients get an ordinary text message: no app and no account. Etisia isn’t a booking system, so clients keep booking with you the way they do now.
I use a booking system. Is Etisia for me?
Probably not, if your booking system already texts your clients. Etisia is for businesses that keep their appointments in Google Calendar, and for those still using pen and paper.
Still using pen and paper? Etisia is an easy first step. Keep your appointments in a free Google Calendar and write the client’s full name in each one, plus their mobile number the first time. That’s all Etisia needs, and your calendar gets tidier for it: every appointment shows who’s coming. The reminders go out in the background, so there’s nothing to open or send each day.
If your booking tool copies appointments into Google Calendar with the client’s mobile number in the event title, description or location, Etisia can send reminders from those events. Switch off the tool’s own text reminders, so clients don’t get two.
There is no direct connection to booking systems: Etisia only reads Google Calendar.
How do I set up Etisia?
Sign up with email or Google, connect Google Calendar (tick both calendar permissions), pick your appointment calendar, and choose Default settings or set your own times and wording. Tick the box to say you have your clients’ permission, and you’re done.
Default settings send one reminder the day before, with recommended wording that names your business.
Then use Add test appointment: Etisia adds an appointment with your name and number to the calendar and texts you its reminder straight away, free.
Can clients cancel their appointment from the reminder?
Yes, if you turn on the optional cancellation link. It’s off by default and available on every plan. Reminders and the booking message then include “Cancel at https://eti.is/aB3dE9.”
Your client opens the link, sees the appointment date, enters the mobile number the text went to and confirms. Etisia deletes the appointment from Google Calendar, stops its remaining reminders and emails you. The link only cancels: to move a visit, clients contact you.
If you delete an appointment yourself, its pending reminders stop.
Free Tools & Resources
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See your first reminder on your own phone
Fewer forgotten appointments, without texting anyone yourself. Send reminders from your own Irish mobile so clients recognise you and replies reach you, and try review requests free during the trial. Start with a test reminder to your own phone.
21-day free trial · Up to 60 free SMS · No credit card