Free template · Self-Service

Patients reschedule themselves. Front desk gets the time back.

Patient texts RESCHEDULE, the agent finds open slots, confirms the new time, updates the calendar. Front desk doesn't get involved. The chair fills.

Setup time ~30 minutes
Run cost ~$5/mo (500 reschedules)
Validation Tested + ready to run
License Free, yours forever

Three customer texts. Zero front desk minutes.

  1. 1
    Twilio Inbound SMS — webhook
    Point Twilio's Messaging Service inbound webhook at this URL. Each inbound text fires the workflow with From, Body, and (optionally) the linked customer ID.
  2. 2
    Is RESCHEDULE Keyword?
    Case-insensitive contains check. Anyone who texts something else (CONFIRM, STOP, gibberish) falls through the false branch and the workflow ends. Wire that branch to your existing inbox tooling if you want.
  3. 3
    Fetch Open Slots — HTTP Request
    Hits your booking software's open-slots endpoint with the customer's phone number. Returns three slots that fit their appointment type and provider. Replace the placeholder URL with yours.
  4. 4
    Format Slot Options — OpenAI
    Uses gpt-4o-mini to format the three slots as a single SMS under 320 characters. Numbers them 1, 2, 3. Day, date, and time only. Ends with: Reply 1, 2, or 3 to book.
  5. 5
    Send Slot Options — Twilio
    Texts the formatted options back to the customer's number. They see three real slots in one message and pick the one that fits.
  6. 6
    Wait For Customer Reply — webhook resume
    Pauses the workflow up to 30 minutes and exposes a resume webhook URL. Set Twilio to relay the customer's number reply (1, 2, or 3) to that URL when it arrives.
  7. 7
    Book New Slot — HTTP Request
    Hits your booking software's book endpoint with the customer's phone and selected option. The endpoint should also cancel the original appointment in the same call so you don't double-book.
  8. 8
    Send Confirmation — Twilio
    "Booked. You will get a calendar invite shortly. Reply CANCEL anytime if your plans change." Short, final, no follow-up needed.

Vertical-specific framing

Dental practice
Connects to Eaglesoft, Dentrix, or Open Dental. Open-slots endpoint filters by procedure code and provider so a hygiene patient doesn't get offered a doctor's chair.
Med spa
Connects to Mindbody or Vagaro. Filters slots by provider and treatment duration. The booking call handles deposit re-application so customers don't pay twice.
Gym or studio
Connects to Mindbody or Mariana Tek for class bookings. The slots returned are the same class with different times, not a different class — keeps the experience predictable.
Veterinary clinic
Connects to ezyVet or AVImark. Open-slots endpoint filters by appointment type (annual, surgery, sick visit) so a dental cleaning doesn't get offered a 15-minute slot.
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Three accounts. Free or close to it.

n8n Free self-hosted, or n8n Cloud starting $20/mo
Twilio $1/mo for a number, ~$0.008 per SMS in US
OpenAI API key Pay-as-you-go, ~$0.0001 per format call
Booking software with API Open-slots and book endpoints (Eaglesoft, Mindbody, Vagaro, ezyVet)

What this is worth, conservatively

Front desk hours reclaimed per week ~6 hours
Cancellation-to-reschedule conversion lift +40%
$25/hr loaded cost × 6 hrs/wk × 52 weeks ~$7,800/yr labor recovered
Cost to run this template forever ~$60/year

Numbers based on phone-tag time studies for service businesses. The bigger lever is the conversion lift: customers who would have churned out of a cancellation often rebook when the slots arrive in seconds.

Related

Want this customized to your stack?

If you'd rather have us connect this to your booking software, configure deposit handling, and hand it back working — that's our front desk automation build. 1 to 2 weeks.

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