Messages

Create automated texts and emails for appointment reminders, recall reminders, eyewear ready reminders, and birthday messages. 

Check out the video below for to start learning about Weave’s Auto Reminders. 

Getting Started

Before setting up and customizing your Auto Reminders, you will need to set your Data Sync Settings.

Reminder Types

Once your Data Sync Settings are set up, you can customize and enable your Auto Reminders.

For more information about the various types of Auto-Reminders, visit the following articles:

• Birthday Wishes
• Appointment Reminders
• Recall Reminders
• Eyewear Ready Reminders
• Save the Date
• Pet Appointment & Vaccination Reminders

You can also create family and Spanish templates to meet your customers' needs. 

Honor Your Customers’ Communication Preferences

 If your management system integrates with Weave, you can choose to have Weave check the database to see if a customer has opted out of messages before an auto reminder is sent. 

1. Log in to the Weave portal 
2. Select Messages from the left menu 
3. Click Reminder Settings from the dropdown
4. Click the toggle next to Honor Communication Preferences to turn the setting on

Communicate with your clients in their preferred language through patient or customer settings.

Setting Language Preference 

In order to create Spanish Language Reminders, you must have at least one of your patients set with Spanish as their language preference in Weave. Follow these instructions to set the language preference to Spanish.

1. Use the Search bar to find your Spanish speaking patient
2. Select the patient name
3. Select the cog icon in the upper right corner of the patient details screen
4. Select the drop down arrow next to Language
5. Set the preference to Spanish

Learn how to edit Spanish message templates for auto reminders.

Data Sync and Status Mapping are essential tools to make sure your Practice Management Software and Weave are communicating properly for your Auto Reminders.

Follow these instructions to set up your Data Sync Settings.

Setting Up Data Sync Settings

1. Click on the Menu icon in the top right corner of your Desktop App
2. Select Settings 
   
3. Click on Data Sync 
   
   This will pull up your [your software name] Connection settings in the Weave Portal. Here you can: 
   • • Map your Appointment Statuses
     • Set up Confirmation Writebacks
     • Map your Eyewear Statuses

Appointment Status Mapping

Before you set up your Appointment Reminders, you will need to map your appointment statuses.

Map appointment statuses by selecting drop downs under [your software name] Status to match the Weave Status they most resemble (ex. Confirmed could be: Confirmed, Approved, Attending, etc). If they don't match, you can leave them blank or choose multiple statuses.

Set Up Confirmation Writebacks

Select how to confirm appointments by selecting from the drop down under [your software name] Status to match the Weave Status that most resembles Confirmed.

For most practice management softwares, Weave can change the status to confirmed in your practice management software. Weave uses smart machine learning to analyze patient responses and can recognize any affirmative response, including a thumbs up or ok emoji as a confirmation.

If a patient responds with something other than a confirmation, you will be notified with a Schedule App Alert on your Schedule App.

Eyewear Status Mapping

If you are an optometry office, you can use Weave's Eyewear Reminders.

Select from the drop down under [your software name] Status to match the Weave Status that most resemble your eyewear statuses. You can add more than one status per Weave Status.

Need help with your Auto Reminders? Follow these common troubleshooting steps and tips.

For instructions on getting started with setting up your auto reminders, click here. 

Status of Automated Messages

Need to check the status of one or multiple automated message? Click here for instructions on using your Messages Queue to check the status of your messages. 

Automated Reminders are not going out

If your Auto Reminders are not sending out, consider these troubleshooting tips:

• Was your server turned off? 
• Was your server updated? 
• Did you update your Practice Management Software? 

If yes to any of the above, please chat or call our support team to let us know this information. For the quickest results, please be ready for us to do a remote session with you and have access to your server.

Email Auto Reminders not going out

If a client lets you know they are not receiving email reminders, check to make sure you have the correct mail in the patient/customer profile in your management software.

Check to see if the client has unsubscribed from email in the past, blocked the office address, or checked their spam folder for the emails. Have the client add your office email as a contact. 

Once a month, you'll receive an email summary to see if emails failed to send. You can also check to see which email the reminders were sent from in that email or on the Auto Reminders page in your desktop app settings.

Appointment Reminders are showing the wrong time

Are your appointments showing an hour or two off? 

If so, check the timezone on your workstation and server computers. Ensure that timezones on both the workstation and servers are set correctly, and then restart your Weave Desktop App. 

Daylight Savings Time

Your server’s time settings affect when automated messages are sent, the times listed for your appointments, and more. To ensure correct timing for these crucial Weave features, update your time settings based on the type of server your office uses.

• If you have an in-office server:
  Make sure that the time on your server is correctly updated to Daylight Saving Time, or that it has settings in place to automatically update once the time change takes place.
• If you have a cloud-based or remote server:
  Contact the business hosting your server to make sure that the timezone is set in such a way that it will update to Daylight Saving Time.

The Message Queue Dashboard in your Weave Portal allows you to further drill down and view the status of your Automated Messages. Follow these steps to view your Message Queue.

Access the Message Queue

1. Click on the Schedule icon from your Desktop App
2. Click on Message Queue at the bottom right corner of your schedule to be taken to your Messages Queue Dashboard located in your Weave Portal

Here you can view the current data or from the previous week, including a Weekly Summary of those messages. 

Message Statuses

• Delivered: Messages delivered to the patient/customer
• Sending: Actively working on sending the messages, messages will be delivered within minutes.
• Pending: Messages that are ready to send, but will send at a later time in the day.
• Appointment Moved: Messages that were set to be sent out, but were no longer sent due to an appointment date changing or being moved.
• Opted Out: Messages weren’t sent due to the patient being opted out of reminders in your management system or by responding STOP to a message.
• Missing Contact Info: Messages weren’t sent due to the patient missing the necessary contact information.

Filters

In your Message Queue dashboard, you can search and filter your results by the following: 

• Method: Use the dropdown arrow to filter by all, sms, or email
• Status: Use the dropdown arrow to filter by all, delivered, appointment moved, opted out, missing contact info, pending, sending, or error
• Reminder Type: Use the dropdown arrow to filter by all, appointment, birthday, recall, order (eyewear ready/dispensed), save the date, schedule reactivation
• Planned Send Time: Enter a time to filter (10:00 AM)
• Actual Send Time: Enter a time to filter (11:00 AM)

Create, customize, and filter automated texts and emails to remind your patients of upcoming appointments. 

Video overview

Setting Up Appointment Reminders

1. Select the Menu icon in the upper right hand corner

2. Click on Settings

3. Select Auto Reminders 

4. Click on Appointment Reminders 

5. Hover over a reminder and select the Edit icon to edit an existing reminder or click add reminder to start a reminder from scratch

6. Fill out reminder details

• Reminder name 
• When the reminder will send 
• Verify the Reminder Send Type
• Select the audience from the Send Reminder To
• Apply any advanced filters
• Attach any forms if needed

7. Click Next to advance through the screens

8. Edit your individual message by typing or dragging and dropping variables to the message including:

• First Name: Patient's first name
• Last Name: Patient's last name
• Preferred Name: Patient's preferred name
• Practice Name: Your office's name
• Practice Phone: Your office's phone number
• Date & Time: Date and time of the appointment
• Day: Just the day of the appointment
• Day of the Month: Day written out as ordinal number i.e. 17th, 3rd, 1st
• Month: Just the month of the appointment
• Time: Just the time of the appointment
• Time Early: Time 15 minutes before the appointment i.e. We'll need you to arrive at [appointment time] to fill out paperwork.
• Location: Office name (Good if you have multiple locations)
• Wellness Form
• Service Provider: Doctor or provider in your office
• Time + Timezone: Time of the appointment in the patient's timezone
• Pet Name: Name of the pet with a vet appointment

9. Click Next

10. Edit your Family message 

11. Click Next

12. Edit your Spanish individual and family messages

13. Click Save to finish

If you have set the "DO NOT SEND BEFORE" setting to make sure messages are not sent too early in the morning and still have reminders set to be sent hours before an appointment, even the earliest appointments will still get a reminder. It will be sent after the time set for "DO NOT SEND BEFORE."

All patients will get a reminder the day of their appointment if you have same-day reminders set.

FAQ

Will a customer still get an Appointment Reminder if they cancel?

As long as an appointment is canceled more than 15 minutes before the Appointment Reminder time (before Weave syncs the patient and appointment information from your management system), Weave will not send the reminder.

What if a new appointment is created on the same day it occurs?

Because Appointment Reminders are queued up the night before they are supposed to send, an appointment created the same day it occurs will miss the nightly batch to be included in the schedule for the day, so any same-day reminders would not send.

Can I edit email templates for auto reminders?

At this time, you will have to contact support to edit email templates for any auto reminder. 

What is the difference between an appointment reminder and a recall reminder?

An appointment reminder helps your patients remember an upcoming appointment with the office. A recall reminder helps you patents remember to schedule an appointment when they are overdue.

Several laws in the US and Canada regulate communications between businesses and their customers to help reduce robocalls and spam text messages to benefit both the sender and recipient of text messages. 

Providing visibility into the source and content of messages allows the mobile network operators to provide more reliable and trustworthy messaging services. 

As your provider for business text messaging services, Weave is your partner in understanding the requirements and ensuring that your messages are delivered to your customers with minimal disruption. 

Contact us at legal@getweave.com with any further questions.

Why do I need to provide my business information to Weave?

The mobile network ecosystem has been working to find ways to support business texting services (also known as A2P messaging or non-consumer messaging), while still complying with applicable regulations. Mobile network operators (MNOs), such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have begun implementing standards to register and validate businesses that send text messages. Providing visibility into the source and content of messages allows the MNOs to provide more reliable and trustworthy messaging services. Businesses that send A2P messages should register through their service providers, like Weave, to take advantage of increased messaging deliverability and throughput, and avoid potential fees or disruption to texting services. 

• Build trust and confidence in your text messaging with your customers and patients. Your text messages will be trusted by the MNOs, and your customers will know that the texts are not spam.
• Send more messages. Brands that are registered and verified will have access to higher messaging throughput rates.
• Avoid disruption to your business. Messages sent by unregistered Brands could be flagged as spam and not delivered. Unregistered Brands could also be banned from texting, and Weave is concerned it could impact your ability to make voice calls in the future.
• Avoid higher fees for text messaging services. Unregistered Brands are charged higher fees for message delivery by the MNOs and other partners. Weave wants to avoid having to charge you additional fees, so we are hoping you will assist us in providing the information needed.

Where can I learn more about A2P messaging standards?

Please consult the following resources for more information:

• CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices
• TCPA via the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) FCC website
• CAN-SPAM from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website and the FTC’s compliance guidelines
• CASL from the Canadian government’s overview and frequently asked questions
• The Campaign Registry

How much does registration cost?

Fees are determined by the MNOs and their partners. At this point in time, Weave is not charging fees for registration. As additional fees are determined by the MNOs and their partners, we will notify you regarding any fees that will be added to your service charges, similar to other taxes and surcharges.

If you decide not to register, you may be subject to additional fees and penalties from the MNOs and their partners. These additional fees will be added to your service charges. 

What information do I need to provide for Weave to register my brand?

Weave needs the following information:

• Your business’ EIN or Canadian Revenue Agency Business Number and Canadian Corporation Number
• Your legal business name
• Your legal business address
• A valid contact email address
• Other locations affiliated with or connected to your business
• The business vertical you operate in

Will I still be able to text through Weave if I don’t provide business information?

Customers that do not provide this information will continue to be able to text through the Weave service. However, those customers may be subject to additional fees and penalties from the MNOs and their partners. These fees will be added to your service charges. Weave wants to avoid having to charge you additional fees, so we are hoping you will assist us in providing the information needed. Additionally, customers that do not provide the information needed may experience disruptions to their text messaging, as MNOs may block or flag messages from unregistered businesses as spam. 

Is there a deadline to provide registration information?

Weave is asking for this information as soon as possible so we can ensure there is no disruption to your texting services and also minimize any fees or penalties for your business. 

Why aren’t other texting service providers requiring their customers to provide registration information?

Other business texting service providers may not be aware of the new requirements. They may choose not to register their customers and instead pass on higher fees and penalties to their customers. Or, they may be leaving it up to individual customers to navigate the new requirements on their own. Weave is your partner in understanding these requirements and ensuring that your messages are delivered to your customers with minimal disruption and fees. It’s important to note that if you change business texting service providers, you will likely be required to pay registration fees through the new provider. 

Where can I find my EIN?

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, and is used to identify a business entity. Generally, businesses need an EIN. If you have an EIN for your business, but have since misplaced it, try the following actions to locate the number: 

• If you used your EIN to open a bank account, or apply for any type of state or local license, you should contact the bank or agency to secure your EIN.
• Find a previously filed tax return for your existing entity (if you have filed a return) for which you have your lost or misplaced EIN. Your previously filed return should be notated with your EIN.
• Ask the IRS to search for your EIN by calling the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. You can find more information here.

What can I do when I see an EIN pop-up banner or error message?

If you don't complete the EIN process with Weave, you may see a banner that asks you to provide your information. If you have completed the process, try some of these steps:

1. Double check that you filled out the paperwork correctly
2. Wait 48 hours
3. Reset the software
4. Contact us at legal@getweave.com if the problem persists

Where can I find my CRA BN?

Customers in Canada need a Business Number (BN) to to interact with other federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada. If you have a BN, but have misplaced it, you can try one of these methods:

• Search https://beta.canadasbusinessregistries.ca/search
• If you used your BN to open a bank account, or apply for any type of federal, provincial or local license or program (e.g., GST/HST, payroll deductions, corporate income tax), you should contact the bank or agency to secure your BN.
• Find a previously filed tax return for your existing entity (if you have filed a return) for which you have your lost or misplaced BN. Your previously filed return should be notated with your BN.

Where can I find my Canadian Corporation Number?

Canadian businesses register with Corporations Canada, the country’s federal corporate regulator. If you have misplaced your Canadian Corporation Number, you can search here:

• https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/cc/CorporationsCanada/fdrlCrpSrch.html

https://beta.canadasbusinessregistries.ca/search