Viewing your appointments

From the main sidebar, click Appointments to see all your bookings. The appointments view shows every booking in chronological order with the client's name, phone number, date, time, service, and status.

Appointment statuses

  • Confirmed — the appointment is scheduled and active. The client received a confirmation SMS if SMS reminders are enabled.
  • Pending — the booking was made but not yet confirmed. This can happen with manual bookings you have not reviewed yet.
  • Cancelled — the appointment was cancelled, either by you or automatically when a client replied NO to the confirmation SMS.
  • Completed — the appointment date and time have passed.

Agenda view

Click Agenda in the sidebar for a timeline view of your day. This is the most useful view when you are in the field — it shows your jobs in order from earliest to latest, with all relevant client details visible at a glance.

Pro tip: Use the Agenda view on your phone
The Agenda page is optimized for mobile. Save the link to your home screen for a quick view of your day without logging in each time.

Creating appointments manually

You do not have to wait for clients to book online. You can create appointments directly from the dashboard — useful when a client calls in or you want to pre-schedule recurring jobs.

1

Click the + New Appointment button

From the Appointments page, click the button in the top right corner.

2

Enter the client details

Fill in the client's name, phone number, date, time, and service. The phone number is important — it's how the reminder SMS will be sent.

3

Save the appointment

Click Save. The appointment appears in your dashboard immediately. If SMS reminders are configured, the client will receive an automatic confirmation text.

Editing and rescheduling appointments

To edit any appointment, click on it in the Appointments list to open the detail panel. From there you can change any field — client name, phone, date, time, or service.

Rescheduling

To reschedule, simply edit the date and/or time fields and save. ApptGuard does not automatically send a reschedule notification via SMS — if you want to notify the client, you should contact them directly or use the manual SMS feature from their client profile.

Rescheduling best practice
Always contact the client before rescheduling their appointment, especially if the change is within 24 hours. Clients do not automatically receive a new SMS when you reschedule — they only receive the configured reminder SMS at the scheduled time before the new appointment.

Cancelling appointments

There are two ways an appointment can be cancelled:

Cancel from the dashboard

Open the appointment detail and click Cancel Appointment. The status changes to Cancelled and it remains visible in your records for historical tracking. Cancelled appointments do not count toward your monthly appointment limit.

Client-initiated cancellation via SMS

When a client receives a confirmation SMS, they can reply NO to cancel. ApptGuard automatically updates the appointment status to Cancelled and notifies you. You can configure this behavior under Settings → Reminders.

Cancellations are not deleted
Cancelling an appointment removes it from your active schedule but keeps the record in your system. This is intentional — it lets you track cancellation history. If you want to completely remove an appointment, use the Delete option (not Cancel).

Setting up SMS reminders

SMS reminders are the most effective feature for reducing no-shows. When a client books an appointment, ApptGuard automatically sends them a reminder message before the scheduled time.

Configuring reminders

Go to Settings → Reminders to configure your reminder setup. You can set:

  • Number of reminders — how many reminders to send before the appointment (1 reminder on Starter, 2 on Growth, 3 on Pro)
  • Timing — when to send each reminder (e.g. 48 hours before, then 24 hours before, then 2 hours before)
  • Message template — the exact text of the reminder message (Growth and Pro plans)

Template variables

When writing a custom reminder message, you can use placeholders that get replaced with real values automatically:

  • {clientName} — the client's name (e.g. "Jane Smith")
  • {date} — the appointment date (e.g. "July 15, 2026")
  • {time} — the appointment time (e.g. "10:00 AM")
  • {businessName} — your business name

Example message: "Hi {clientName}, this is a reminder that you have an appointment with {businessName} on {date} at {time}. Reply YES to confirm or NO to cancel."

Confirmation and cancellation

When a client replies YES, ApptGuard logs the confirmation. When they reply NO, the appointment is automatically cancelled and you receive a notification. You can also configure what happens when an unknown reply is received.

Screenshot: Settings — Reminders tab Reminder count, timing sliders, and message template editor

Handling no-shows

A no-show happens when a client does not show up for their appointment and did not cancel in advance. Here is how to handle them effectively:

Mark an appointment as a no-show

Open the appointment and change the status to No-Show. This keeps the record in your system while marking it clearly so you can identify repeat offenders.

Add a note to the client profile

Go to the Clients section and find the client. Add a note like "No-showed on July 15, 2026" to their profile. This is visible every time you open their record.

Preventing future no-shows

The most effective way to reduce no-shows is to require confirmation via SMS. Enable the "require YES reply" option in Settings, which means unconfirmed appointments are flagged in your dashboard. See the no-show prevention guide for more strategies.

Blocking dates and times

If you need to take a day off, go on vacation, or block specific time slots, you can prevent clients from booking during those times.

How to block dates

Go to Settings → Booking and find the "Blocked Dates" section. You can add individual dates (e.g. a specific holiday) or date ranges (e.g. a week-long vacation). Blocked dates do not appear as available on your booking page — clients will see those days as unavailable.

Adjusting hours for a specific day

If you want to work shorter hours on a specific day rather than blocking the whole day, create a manual appointment for the time you want to protect. This fills the slot so clients cannot book it.

Holiday tip
Block major holidays in advance at the start of each year. It only takes a few minutes and prevents you from getting booking requests on days you are closed.

Reviewing booking history

Your full appointment history is always available in the Appointments view. Use the filter options at the top to narrow by date range, status, or client name. This is useful for:

  • Looking up a past client's appointment details
  • Reviewing how many appointments you completed in a given month
  • Identifying clients who frequently cancel or no-show
  • Reporting your revenue for a time period

Best practices for appointment management

  • Check your Agenda view every morning to confirm your day's schedule and spot any gaps.
  • Respond to cancellations quickly — when a slot opens up, you can fill it by contacting clients on a waitlist.
  • Keep client notes updated — note anything important about a client (gate code, dog in yard, preferred contact time) in their profile so it appears every time they book.
  • Review your no-show rate monthly — if it's over 10%, consider requiring upfront deposits via the invoicing system.