> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.servicebooked.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Appointment confirmation calls

> Have the AI Receptionist call customers ahead of their appointment to confirm they're still coming — with SMS fallback when a call can't connect.

No-shows are expensive. Appointment confirmation calls have the AI Receptionist phone the customer a set number of hours before their appointment, confirm they're still coming, and quietly flag the ones who want to reschedule or cancel — so your schedule reflects reality before the day arrives.

It's a workflow recipe, configured alongside your other automations. You choose whether each confirmation goes out as an **AI phone call** or a plain **SMS**.

## Where to set it up

**Settings → Automations → Appointment confirmation request**.

This recipe is part of the **Growth and Pro** voice features. If you don't see it, confirm your plan includes the AI Receptionist.

## Configure it

* **How many hours before?** — when to reach out, from **3 to 720 hours** (30 days) ahead of the appointment.
* **Channel** — **AI phone call** or **SMS**.
* **Call window** (phone calls only) — the earliest and latest hour the AI is allowed to call, in your business time zone. Defaults to **9am–7pm**. A confirmation that comes due outside this window waits until the window opens — no 6am wake-up calls.
* **SMS message** — the text used for SMS confirmations *and* as the fallback when a call can't connect. Editable.

## What the customer experiences (phone call)

1. The call is placed inside your call window.
2. The AI greets them, identifies itself as an automated assistant, and confirms the details: *"I'm calling to confirm your \[service] on \[date] at \[time]. Does that still work for you?"*
3. **"Yes" / confirmed** → the appointment is marked confirmed, no further action.
4. **"I need to reschedule" / "cancel"** → the AI never changes the booking on the call. Instead, your team gets a task, and the customer gets an SMS with a secure self-serve link to reschedule or cancel themselves.
5. **No answer / voicemail** → an SMS confirmation goes out as a fallback.

Calls are capped at **3 minutes** and **bill against your monthly voice minutes**, same as inbound AI Receptionist calls.

<Note>
  The confirmation call speaks your org's [communication language](/settings/communication-language). In **bilingual** mode it opens in English and switches to French if the caller responds in French.
</Note>

## Outcomes you'll see

Each appointment records a confirmation status you can see on the calendar / appointment:

| Status                   | Meaning                                                     |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Confirmed**            | Customer said yes.                                          |
| **Reschedule requested** | Customer wants a new time — task created, manage link sent. |
| **Cancel requested**     | Customer wants to cancel — task created, manage link sent.  |
| **No answer**            | Didn't pick up — SMS fallback sent.                         |
| **Unclear**              | Couldn't determine — worth a manual follow-up.              |

The full call (transcript, recording, summary) is saved to the contact's timeline like any other AI Receptionist call.

## Why it never auto-cancels

A confirmation call confirms; it doesn't mutate your calendar. If a customer asks to cancel or move the appointment on the call, the AI hands them a secure manage link and flags your team rather than acting on a single spoken sentence. This avoids a misheard "no" wiping out a real booking, and it keeps a clear audit trail of who changed what.

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="The AI Receptionist" icon="phone-call" href="/phone-and-voice/voice-ai-assistant">
    How inbound AI calls work, and the voice minutes they share.
  </Card>

  <Card title="All workflow recipes" icon="book-open" href="/tasks-and-workflows/recipes">
    The other automations you can pair with confirmations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>