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SMS Appointment Reminders for Irish Veterinary Clinics

Etisia adds SMS reminders, an optional cancellation link and review requests to a Google Calendar workflow that stays simple.

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Up to 60 free SMS · Most users send their first reminder in under a minute

SMS Reminders, Google Reviews, Easy Cancellation

Google Calendar
SUN
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09:00
Niamh Murphy (SMS sent ✅)
10:00
Ciara Walsh (SMS sent ✅)
11:00
12:00
Seán Kelly (SMS sent ✅)
13:00
14:00
Emma Ryan (SMS ready ✅)
Click
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087 654 321• (SMS sent ✅)
 14:02

The Silent Revenue Killer: Preventive Care No-Shows in Irish Vet Surgeries

Irish veterinary surgeries are VCI-regulated. Figures from a US veterinary software firm give a sense of how often vet appointments go unattended: PetDesk found an 11% average no-show rate across more than 250 vet clinics in 2014. At that rate, a practice booking 35 appointments a week would see about 4 of them go unattended (35 × 11% = 3.85). One missed annual wellness exam means a lost consult fee, a vaccine that isn't given on time, and diagnostics or follow-up care that never gets booked. When vaccine recalls are missed, compliance slips, and the preventive visits that bring pets back every year slip with it.

Veterinarian examining a dog in clinic
No-Show Rate

Average 11% no-show rate across 250+ vet clinics in 2014 (US PetDesk data)

Source: PetDesk, 2015

Revenue Impact

A missed consult loses its fee: 78% of 104 surveyed Irish vets charge €36–€55

Source: HLB Ireland, 2025

Operational chaos compounds revenue loss.

A no-show leaves a vet with idle consult time and wastes the staff prep behind it, and the fee for that slot is gone: in HLB Ireland's 2025 survey of 104 Irish veterinary professionals, 78% reported consultation fees of €36–€55.

Burnout and mental health topped the concerns vets named in the same survey, and a diary full of gaps and rebooking calls adds to the strain.

Owners who keep missing recalls can drift away from the practice.

Veterinarian examining a dog in clinic

SMS helps close the gap.

Recall reminders for vaccination due dates in Google Calendar help owners book before a vaccine lapses.

Work out your own numbers with the no-show calculator.

Veterinarian examining a dog in clinic

Why SMS Reaches Pet Owners When Email Doesn't

Pet owners care, but they forget. Emails disappear into spam. A text reading "Your pet's wellness exam is tomorrow at 14:00" lands on the lock screen at a time you choose, from a practice the owner knows. Email is easy to ignore; SMS is hard to miss.

A text lands on the lock screen. Email often waits unread in the inbox. Pet owners live on phones. Text lands on lock screen. Email lands in noise. SMS creates accountability-pet owners deal with changes 48 hours early, giving you time to fill slots. Email notifications hit when you're already en route, too late to respond.

SMS recall reminders are harder to miss than email. Add a booster due date to Google Calendar as a timed event with the owner's mobile number, in a recall calendar with its own wording, and Etisia texts the owner ahead of it, for example: "A vaccination booster is due on 12 April. Please call us to book." Email-based recalls get filtered as marketing junk; a text gives owners a timely prompt to book.

How Etisia Works: Protect Revenue in Less Than 45 Seconds

Etisia product demo - see how SMS reminders work with Google Calendar

SMS Messages That Drive Show-Ups & Compliance in Irish Vet Surgeries

These are practical examples you can adapt directly. Select a card, preview the SMS, and copy the text.

Appointment Reminder

24 hours before

Reminder: your pet's wellness exam with Dr. Morrison is tomorrow at 14:00. Please bring vaccination records.
Day-Before Nudge

Morning of (3 hours before)

Your pet's wellness appointment is today at 2 PM! Dr. Morrison will check their health and update vaccinations. Call 555-019• to reschedule.
Post-Visit Follow-Up

1 hour after

Thanks for coming in today! Book your pet's next booster with us and we'll text you a reminder before the appointment. 🐾
Rebooking Prompt

1 month before the due date (recall calendar)

A vaccination booster is due in April. Please call us to book an appointment.

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.

Browse the template library

How much is an empty chair costing you?

Your average appointment

Your assumption - the no-shows caused by forgetting rather than a deliberate skip.

%
~4 no-shows per week

That's

€0

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

Start free trial

Up to 60 free SMS. No credit card required.

Discover How One Salon Owner Reduced Missed Appointments.

Branka Pihler owns Fit Center, a beauty salon and spa in the town in central Slovenia. She knows well how clients who ghost appointments hurt a business, and she contacted us to do something about it. By setting up Etisia, Branka was able to reduce her missed appointments by 34% in just first month. During the following semester, Branka managed to book an extra 8 appointments per month, for an extra income of €3,000 per year!

"I am very grateful for the web app, as we have greatly reduced missed appointments and clients are also less late for appointments, which means more money, time and less nerves spent every month. The app is super easy and worth every penny! Thank you a hundred times!"

Branka Pihler
Branka PihlerVerified purchase
Fit center
2 years ago

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.

-17%

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
Start free trial
No credit card required
Save €78/yr

Pro

Recommended

Up 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
Start free trial
No credit card required

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
Talk to us
No credit card required

Additional 50-SMS pack: €17.

Frequently asked questions

The practical details before you try Etisia.

Should I always include the pet's name in reminders?
Etisia can't add each pet's name: the wording is set once per calendar, and Etisia fills in the day and time. Keep the pet's name in the event title for your own overview, and let the text say, for example, "Your pet's appointment is tomorrow at 14:00."
Can I automate vaccination recall reminders?
Yes, with a separate recall calendar. Add each vaccination due date as a timed event with the owner's mobile number, give that calendar its own wording and choose "1 month before" as the reminder time, for example: "A vaccination booster is due on 12 April. Please call us to book." Etisia fills in the date; it doesn't add the pet's name.
Can I send seasonal wellness reminders?
Yes, as a group message to existing clients, for example: "Spring flea and tick season is here. Book a wellness check: [link]" Etisia sends the same text to everyone you choose, without pet names, and skips owners who have opted out.
How fast is Etisia setup?
Setup: less than 45 seconds. Connect Google Calendar, add the owner's mobile number to each appointment, and Etisia starts sending reminders. Free trial.
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

No-Show Cost Calculator

Calculate how much missed appointments cost your business

SMS Template Generator

Create professional reminder messages in 3 clicks

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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.

Try Etisia free

21-day free trial · Up to 60 free SMS · No credit card