Best Practices for Appointment Management

Here are the best practices for managing appointments in Kimoby—designed to help you make the most of every customer appointment. From prebookings to follow-ups, we’ll show you how to best use the Appointments and Automations sections to keep your customers informed and engaged throughout their appointment journey.

Appointments

Managing customer appointments efficiently is key to delivering a great customer experience—and using Kimoby can make it easier than ever to stay organized and proactive. Here are our best practices for using the Appointments section to your advantage:

Always Adjust Appointments in your DMS

If you have a DMS integration with Kimoby, make sure all appointment changes are made in the DMS, not directly in Kimoby. Any updates you make in the DMS will automatically sync with Kimoby. 

 

If you don’t have a DMS integration, you can still use the Appointments section to manage your customer appointments manually! Click here for more information on managing appointments in Kimoby.

Double-Check Customer Information

Always be aware that the customer name and cell phone number in Kimoby is pulled from your DMS (if you have one). Double-check that names are entered correctly and professionally, as they’ll appear exactly as saved when you text the customer.

Use the Appointments Screen for Quick Messaging

The Appointments screen makes it easy to send a quick text to customers in an appointment context. This is perfect for simple confirmations or reminders. You can even take advantage of saved replies from the Appointments screen!

Note that any notes added in the Appointments screen won’t appear in the conversation thread, so it may be best to avoid adding important details there.

Stay Ahead with Pre-Booked Appointments

When dealing with pre-booked appointments, it’s best to reach out to the customer in advance—a few days, a week, or even a month before the appointment date, just to confirm that they are still available for that date/time. 

If your DMS uses a specific op code for pre-books, you can use that to target those customers in a group and send a campaign message!

Communicate Proactively Around Closures

If your dealership unexpectedly closes for a period of time, or if you’re unable to accommodate a customer’s appointment, send a message or a campaign to let them know. Proactive communication keeps customers informed and fosters trust.

If you’re closing for a holiday, be sure to change your automation rules to reflect the closure, otherwise your automations will still send.

Automations

Create Separate Automations for Different Appointment Types

Not all appointments are the same—so your reminders shouldn’t be either! You can create different automations based on appointment type, such as:

• Drop-offs
• Loaners
• Waiters
• First-time visits

Use specific-op codes (or “Transport type”, depending on your DMS) in the automation rules to identify these appointment types. This allows you to send customized messages that speak directly to the customer’s experience.

Use Op Codes to Exclude Certain Appointments

If a customer doesn’t want to be contacted via text, or if you use “fake” appointments in your DMS, you can use an op code in the automation rules to exclude them, so that a customer won’t receive a reminder.

For example:

• If a customer does not want to be texted and they have “NOTEXT” in a field in their profile. You can exclude “NOTEXT” in the automation rules.
  
  
• If you use December 25th to create fake appointments for internal purposes. You can exclude the date December 25th in the automation rules.

Customize Auto-Replies for Appointment Reminders

When a customer confirms or rejects an appointment, you can set up an automatic reply that thanks them or provides further instructions. For example:

• Confirmation → "Thanks! We look forward to seeing you.”
• Rejection → "No problem. You can select a new date and time for your appointment using this link: [link]."

This keeps communication flowing without requiring manual follow-up.

To manage these auto-replies, you can follow these steps (please note you may require
Admin permissions to do so):

1. Click on your profile icon at the top-right.
2. Click Company Settings.
3. From the list on the left, click Appointment reminders.
4. Activate or deactivate the auto-replies and change the message if needed.
5. Click Save changes when finished.
   
   

Handling Missed Appointments

If a customer misses their appointment:

1. Call first to try to reach them.
2. If no answer, send a quick text manually through the Appointments window.
3. Set an automation to trigger the next day, reminding them they missed their appointment and offering to rebook.

This approach ensures the customer does not feel overwhelmed and increases your chances of getting them back on the schedule.

Split Automations by Language

If you’re in a multilingual area, consider separating automations by language, especially for English and French-speaking clients. This ensures clarity, respect, and a more personalized experience for every customer.