Why aren't my email or SMS confirmations/reminders sending?

Email and SMS reminders or communications may fail to send for several reasons. HearLink provides tools to help identify and resolve delivery issues.

Common causes:

Invalid or missing contact information - Check the patient record has:

• A valid email address in the correct format (name@domain.com) for email communications
• A valid phone number in UK format for SMS communications

Duplicate or malformed details - Ensure there are no spaces, typos, or duplicate email addresses or phone numbers in the patient record.

Reminders disabled on appointment type - Verify that email and/or SMS reminders are enabled for the specific appointment type.

Wrong template or missing template - Check that the correct email or SMS template is assigned and exists.

Timing issues - Reminders are sent based on hours before the appointment. Verify the timing is configured correctly and hasn't already passed.

How to troubleshoot:

1. Check the patient's Communications tab - See if the message shows as "Failed" or "Skipped" with a reason
2. Verify the patient's contact details - Ensure email address and phone number are valid and properly formatted
3. Review appointment type settings - Confirm email and SMS reminders are enabled with correct timing
4. Test with a different patient - See if the issue is patient-specific or system-wide

Still not working?

If reminders still aren't sending after checking these items:

• Check the Patient Communication Log for any communication-related errors
• Contact HearLink support with specific examples (patient name, appointment date, expected send time)

Further reading:

• Set patient reminders
• Set patient confirmations