# Example: appointment reminders

Mucky Mutts is a busy dog grooming business. It wants fewer missed appointments, so it texts each customer a reminder and asks them to reply to confirm.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7j4BUiTyG0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7j4BUiTyG0)

## The spreadsheet

Row 1 has the column headers. Each row below is one appointment: the customer's name, mobile number, the pet's name, and the date and time.

![Booking sheet with name, mobile, pet name, date and time columns](/img/exssite/mm-sheet1.png)
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## Open ExcelSend

Click **Send SMS** on the **Home** tab.

![The Send SMS button in Excel](/img/exssite/mm-sheetbutton.png)
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## Set up the send

**Mobile number field.** Choose the column that holds the mobile numbers.

![Choosing the mobile number field](/img/exssite/mm-mobfield.png)
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**Replies.** Choose **Allow replies** so customers can confirm by text.

![The Replies options](/img/exssite/mm-replies.png)
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> [!NOTE]
> The alternative is a Sender ID, which shows the business name but can't be replied to. What's available depends on the country. See [Replies and Sender IDs](/docs/sending/replies-and-sender-ids/).

**Opt-out.** Tick **Add 17 character opt-out link** so anyone who doesn't want messages can stop them. Because replies are allowed, customers can also reply STOP.

![The opt-out option](/img/exssite/mm-optout.png)
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**Send when.** Leave it on **Now**. You could choose **Later** to send at a set time.

![The Send When options](/img/exssite/mm-when.png)
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**Reports.** Tick **Add report fields to spreadsheet** to get delivery data and replies back into the sheet.

![The Add report fields to spreadsheet option](/img/exssite/mm-reports.png)
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> [!WARNING]
> This adds extra columns to the right of your data.

## The message

The message uses [merge fields](/docs/sending/merge-fields/) to include the pet's name, date and time from each row:

> A reminder that ^^petName^^ has a grooming appointment with Mucky Mutts on ^^date^^ at ^^time^^. Please reply to confirm. Thanks!

## Preview and send

Click **Create Preview** to see every message, with its size and cost and the total at the bottom. Then click **Send messages**.

## The replies

After sending, the report columns are in the sheet, with only `exs_jobReference` filled in. Later, open ExcelSend again, go to the **Reports** tab and click **Refresh**. The columns fill with delivery data, a copy of each message and the customers' replies.

![The booking sheet with delivery status and replies filled in](/img/exssite/mm-sheet2.png)
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Refresh again later to pick up any new replies.

## Related

- [Send your first message](/docs/getting-started/your-first-message/)
- [Example: waiting lists](/docs/examples/waiting-lists/)
- [Report columns](/docs/replies-and-reports/report-columns/)

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Source: https://excelsend.com/docs/examples/appointment-reminders/