Test reminder timing and copy

Show rate is meetings held divided by meetings booked. Count a meeting rescheduled in advance as booked once, not twice. Take your last 60 to 100 meetings. For example, 72 held out of 100 booked is 72 per cent.

Split the number by lead source and meeting type, as described in Analyse show rate trends. A discovery call from a cold form and a demo with an existing lead have very different baselines. Test each on its own.

You can vary timing, channel, wording, sender or what the prospect has to do. Pick one for each test:

• Timing: 24 hours and 1 hour before, against 48 hours, 4 hours and 15 minutes before.
• Channel: email only, text only, or both.
• Wording: a plain reminder against one that restates the agenda.
• Action: inform only, or ask the prospect to reply to confirm.
• Sender: the rep's name against a no-reply address.

My opinion is that a reminder asking for a small action beats one that only informs. Start there. The standard schedule is set out in Confirmation and reminders.

Write version A as your current message and version B with the single change. For a wording test:

• A: "Reminder: our call is tomorrow at 14:00."
• B: "Hi [Name], tomorrow at 14:00 we will go through [the problem they named]. It takes 30 minutes. Reply YES to confirm, or use this link to move it: [link]."

B says why the call is useful, how long it takes and gives a low-effort way to reschedule. Do not change the timing in the same test.

Assign by booking, not by rep preference. The simplest rule is odd-numbered bookings get A and even-numbered get B. If your scheduler or CRM supports it, set up two reminder workflows. Calendly and HubSpot both offer automated reminders, and Zapier can fill gaps between tools.

Keep everything else steady. Do not change the booking form or the lead source mix while the test runs.

Wait for at least 50 booked meetings per version, which often takes four to six weeks. With show rates around 70 per cent, a gap of 5 points on 50 meetings each is noise. Look for gaps of about 10 points or more, and be wary of reading anything into smaller ones.

If B beats A by a clear margin and holds through the final week, adopt B for that meeting type. Then test the next variable against the new baseline. If the gap is small, keep the simpler version. Do not roll a winner out to every meeting type without checking each one.

• Changing timing and wording in one test.
• Testing on 15 meetings and calling a winner.
• Mixing meeting types in a single result.
• Comparing this month against last month instead of running both at once.
• Adding more reminders until prospects start to ignore them all.

The show rate is higher by a clear margin four weeks after rollout. Complaints about reminders have not gone up. The reschedule rate may rise a little, which is a good sign, because every reschedule is a no-show you avoided.

On Monday morning, calculate your current show rate for one meeting type and write down the one variable you will change.