The HoopAI platform sends notifications at every stage of the appointment lifecycle — when a booking is made, before it happens, after it occurs, and when it is changed or cancelled. Each notification type is fully customizable per calendar, and you can reach contacts and staff through email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in-app alerts.
Notification types
The platform supports six distinct notification events:
| Notification | When it fires |
|---|
| Appointment booked (unconfirmed) | Immediately when the booking is created with unconfirmed status |
| Appointment booked (confirmed) | When the appointment is confirmed or the status changes to confirmed |
| Reminder | A configurable time before the appointment |
| Follow-up | A configurable time after the appointment |
| Reschedule | When the appointment date or time is changed |
| Cancellation | When the appointment is cancelled or marked as no-show |
Accessing notification settings
Notification settings are configured per calendar:
- Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings.
- Find your calendar and click Edit.
- Select the Notifications tab in the calendar editor.
- Choose a notification type from the list on the left.
- Select the channel tab (Email, SMS, WhatsApp, or In-App) and configure the message.
Email notifications
Under each notification type, the Email tab lets you:
- Select a pre-built email template from your saved templates, or write a custom subject and body
- Choose which recipients receive the email: Contact, Guests, Assigned User, or Additional email addresses
- For reminders and follow-ups, set one or more trigger times (for example, send a reminder 24 hours before and again 1 hour before)
You can add multiple reminder timings by clicking + Add another timing in the reminder configuration. This allows layered communication — a longer-lead reminder plus a same-day reminder.
Use the appointment custom values (such as {{appointment.start_time}}, {{appointment.title}}, and {{contact.first_name}}) inside email templates to personalize every message automatically.
SMS notifications
The SMS tab under each notification type mirrors the email configuration. Select recipients, choose or write a message template, and set timing for reminders and follow-ups. SMS messages must comply with carrier requirements, so keep them concise and include an opt-out path if required by your region.
WhatsApp notifications
WhatsApp notifications follow the same structure as SMS but require pre-approved message templates from Meta. Select an approved template from the dropdown in the WhatsApp tab. WhatsApp is useful for markets where it is the primary communication channel and recipients have opted in.
In-app notifications
In-app notifications alert your team members inside the HoopAI platform without sending external messages. Use the In-App tab to select which users receive alerts and when. This is most useful for the assigned user receiving a heads-up when a new booking arrives or when an appointment is rescheduled.
Confirmation best practices
For a standard appointment workflow, a recommended notification configuration is:
- Booked (confirmed) — Email to contact confirming their appointment details and location
- Reminder — Email + SMS to contact 24 hours before
- Reminder — SMS to contact 1 hour before
- Follow-up — Email to contact 1 hour after with any post-appointment information or next steps
- Cancellation — Email to contact confirming the cancellation and offering a way to rebook
Disabling the confirmation email for contacts is not recommended. Contacts who do not receive a confirmation may not show up or may contact your team to verify their booking, creating unnecessary support volume.
Workflow-based notifications
For more advanced scenarios — such as conditional reminders, multi-step follow-up sequences, or cross-channel campaigns triggered by appointment outcomes — use Automations > Workflows. The Appointment Status trigger fires whenever an appointment’s status changes, and the Customer Booked Appointment trigger fires on new bookings. These triggers give you full workflow builder capabilities for appointment-driven communication.
See the Automations section for guidance on building appointment workflows. .png?fit=max&auto=format&n=EQK5eX9kTD8NzWwA&q=85&s=878008bf159fcc4964d0c0d508b6e400)