AI prompt: appointment reminder text for home services
A copy-and-paste AI prompt that writes the reminder text a plumber, HVAC company, electrician, roofer, painter or other home services business sends before a scheduled visit: only the day and time window you type in, plus any technician, prep, reschedule and opt-out lines you typed, and nothing invented — no "we'll be early" promises, exact arrival times, upsells, review asks, discounts or urgency.
When to use it
A job is already on the calendar and you want one short reminder text the day before (or that morning) that repeats the day and arrival window exactly as you set them, and only includes a technician name, prep note, reschedule line or opt-out when you typed them in yourself — never an invented early arrival, upsell or review ask.
- Copy the prompt below.
- Replace every
{{VARIABLE}}with your own details (see the list under the prompt). - Paste it into the AI chat tool you already use.
- Read the result against the checklist before you use it.
The prompt
You are helping a home services business write the reminder text message (SMS) it sends to a customer before a scheduled appointment. The text repeats only the day and time window the business typed in. It must never invent an earlier or exact arrival time, "we'll be early" promises, upsells, add-on offers, review asks, discounts, urgency, or any name, price, date, time or phone number that is not in the details below.
DETAILS
- Business name: {{BUSINESS_NAME}}
- Type of business: {{BUSINESS_TYPE}}
- Customer's first name: {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}
- What is scheduled (copy word for word): {{JOB}}
- Day (copy word for word): {{DAY}}
- Time window (copy word for word): {{TIME_WINDOW}}
- Technician line (copy word for word), or "none": {{TECH_LINE}}
- Before-the-visit line (copy word for word), or "none": {{PREP_LINE}}
- Change or reschedule line (copy word for word), or "none": {{CHANGE_LINE}}
- Closing line (copy word for word), or "none": {{CLOSING_LINE}}
- Opt-out line (copy word for word), or "none": {{OPT_OUT_LINE}}
This message must have exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines. After those lines, stop. Do not add any other line.
LAYOUT
Write the text with each part on its own line. Do not leave any blank lines. Square brackets are instructions only — never copy the bracket text, never write field labels, and never write the word "none".
Line 1 (required, exact words, nothing else on this line):
Hi {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}, this is {{BUSINESS_NAME}} with a reminder: your {{JOB}} is scheduled for {{DAY}}, {{TIME_WINDOW}}.
Then add these lines only when the matching DETAIL is not the word "none". If a DETAIL is "none", skip it with no substitute line:
- Technician line, word for word (only if TECH_LINE is not "none")
- Before-the-visit line, word for word (only if PREP_LINE is not "none")
- Change or reschedule line, word for word (only if CHANGE_LINE is not "none")
Closing line (required, always include, after the lines above):
- If the closing line in DETAILS is not the word "none": copy it word for word.
- If the closing line in DETAILS is the word "none": write exactly one short, plain sentence such as "See you then." Do not mention times, arriving early, upsells, extra services, reviews, discounts, payment or urgency.
Last line (only if OPT_OUT_LINE is not "none"): the opt-out line, word for word, alone on the last line.
RULES FOR THE TEXT
1. Use only the details above. Do not invent or change any day, date, time, time window, name, price, phone number or link, and do not write any number that is not in the details above.
2. Do not add anything the business did not say: no "we'll be early", no "we may arrive sooner", no exact arrival time, no upsell or add-on offer, no review ask, no discount, no urgency, no "please be on time", and no invented reschedule process or opt-out.
3. Never write the word "none". Never write labels such as "technician line", "closing line" or "opt-out line". Say each thing once and do not repeat any sentence.
4. Plain words, short sentences, no emojis, no hashtags, no exclamation marks.
5. The finished text has exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines. Count them before you answer.
Before you answer, check: the text has exactly {{LINE_COUNT}} lines; line 1 matches the exact sentence above; every copied line is word for word; you did not invent a time, promise, upsell, review ask, reschedule process or opt-out.
Return only the finished text message and nothing else.What to fill in
- {{BUSINESS_NAME}}
- Your business name, as customers know it.
- {{BUSINESS_TYPE}}
- What you do and where, in a few words.
- {{CUSTOMER_NAME}}
- The customer's first name.
- {{JOB}}
- What is scheduled, in a few words, e.g. water heater install or furnace tune-up. The AI copies it word for word.
- {{DAY}}
- The day of the visit, written the way you want the customer to read it, e.g. tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10.
- {{TIME_WINDOW}}
- The arrival window you actually booked, e.g. between 8 and 10 AM. The AI copies it word for word and never narrows it to an exact time or promises an early arrival.
- {{TECH_LINE}}
- Who is coming, e.g. Your technician will be Luis, or "none" to leave names out. The AI will not invent a technician.
- {{PREP_LINE}}
- Anything the customer should do before the visit, e.g. Please clear a path to the water heater, or "none".
- {{CHANGE_LINE}}
- How to change the appointment, e.g. Reply R if you need to reschedule, or "none". The AI will not invent a reschedule process or phone number.
- {{CLOSING_LINE}}
- A short closing in your own words, e.g. Thanks for choosing us, or "none" to let the AI write a plain sign-off such as "See you then." with no times, upsells or review asks.
- {{OPT_OUT_LINE}}
- The opt-out line your texts use, e.g. Reply STOP to opt out, or "none" if your texting service adds its own.
Real example output
Fictional sample business. Bayside Plumbing & Drain, the customer, the technician, the date and the time window are fictional. They were made up to test this prompt; any resemblance to a real business or person is unintended.
Show the inputs used for Bayside Plumbing & Drain (fictional)
- BUSINESS_NAME
- Bayside Plumbing & Drain
- BUSINESS_TYPE
- plumbing company in Salem, MA
- CUSTOMER_NAME
- Karen
- JOB
- water heater install
- DAY
- tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10
- TIME_WINDOW
- between 8 and 10 AM
- TECH_LINE
- Your technician will be Luis.
- PREP_LINE
- Please clear a path to the water heater.
- CHANGE_LINE
- Reply R if you need to reschedule.
- CLOSING_LINE
- Thanks for choosing us.
- OPT_OUT_LINE
- Reply STOP to opt out.
What the model returned
Hi Karen, this is Bayside Plumbing & Drain with a reminder: your water heater install is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10, between 8 and 10 AM. Your technician will be Luis. Please clear a path to the water heater. Reply R if you need to reschedule. Thanks for choosing us. Reply STOP to opt out.
Model: Qwen3-4B-Instruct-2507 (Q4_K_M GGUF), llama.cpp server b12110, run locally, temperature 0.4. Tested on . Edits: None. The words are exactly as the model returned them, apart from removing spaces at the ends of lines. All 8 runs with this prompt and these inputs passed the automatic checks (the first line with the day and time window copied exactly, the technician, prep, reschedule, closing and opt-out lines copied exactly, each part on its own line, no blank lines, no other numbers or times, no invented early arrival, upsell, review ask, discount, urgency, technician, reschedule process or opt-out, no repeated sentences) and a manual read. We ran the same prompt for 8 runs each on four other fictional businesses: a painter with every optional line "none"; an HVAC company with a prep note, its own opt-out wording and nothing else; an electrician with a technician name and a call-to-reschedule line but no closing or opt-out; and a roofer with a reschedule line, its own closing and an opt-out. All 32 passed both checks. An earlier round of 4 runs per business (20 runs) on the same prompt also passed. The runs were word for word the same for each business; when the closing line was "none", the only words the model wrote itself were "See you then.", so the text is only as good and as true as what you put in. AI output varies between runs and models, so always review it before posting.
Check before you post
- The day and time window are the ones actually on your calendar. Check them against your schedule before the reminder goes out.
- Do not promise an early arrival or an exact time unless you can keep it. The prompt copies your window as typed and never narrows it.
- Any technician name is the person actually assigned. Leave TECH_LINE as "none" if the assignment might change.
- The reschedule line is a way you actually answer, such as a number someone picks up or a reply you watch for. Leave CHANGE_LINE as "none" rather than inventing one.
- No upsells, add-on offers, review asks or discounts in a reminder. Send those separately, if at all.
- Only text people who have agreed to get texts from you, and honor every opt-out. Check what your scheduling software already sends so the customer does not get two reminders.
- Before you switch it on, send a test to your own phone and read exactly what arrives.
Get the full set of local business prompts.
The pack has 40 prompts for Google review replies and review requests, Google Business Profile posts, ads, emails and social posts, plus a fill-in business context block. One-time purchase, $24.
Related tools
Zernio in the Digidle directory is one API for SMS, WhatsApp and social posts if you want to send texts like this from your own software. Retell AI builds AI phone agents, if you want calls answered by an agent. This example ran on a small open model on an ordinary computer: llmspeed previews local model speed.