SMS reminders: how they work and how to switch them on
Slotora is free — SMS is optional and pay-as-you-go. Here's how to turn on text reminders and only ever pay for what you send.
What SMS reminders are
Text reminders land on your client's phone before their appointment — open rates are near 100%, so they're the single most effective way to cut no-shows. Email reminders stay free and unlimited; SMS is an optional paid extra because every text has a real network cost.
How the pricing works
The Slotora app stays completely free. SMS is pay-as-you-go: you buy a prepaid bundle of credits and each text you send uses one credit. There's no subscription and no monthly fee — you only ever pay for the texts you actually send, and credits never expire.
1. Top up your SMS balance
Go to SMS in your admin menu and buy a credit bundle (100, 500 or 1000). Larger bundles are cheaper per text. Payment is a one-off card charge via Stripe; your new balance appears straight away.
2. Turn on SMS reminders
In Settings → reminders, tick the SMS channel and choose your lead times (e.g. 48 hours and 2 hours before). You can also set a friendly sender name so the text shows your business name. Save, and that's it.
3. We handle the rest
Before each appointment we text your client automatically and take one credit per message. If your balance runs low we email you to top up, so reminders never stop unexpectedly. If you ever run out, email reminders keep going and SMS simply pauses until you top up.
Good to know
- One credit = one text message reminder or one form link sent by SMS
- Credits never expire and there's no monthly commitment
- Keep SMS switched off and your account stays 100% free forever
- Sender name works best as your short business name (up to 11 characters in some countries)