I missed an appointment, and here's what I learned...
The problem
I have a pretty busy schedule, and if I'm not fixing cars, spending time with the family, attending shows, working 24/7, studying or trying to help businesses in my area, there's a good chance I'll forget something.
So lets look at 2 customer journeys I've now experienced from this.
Dentist - journey 1
My dentist cancelled an appointment on me and sent the following message the next day due to their computer system not registering it as a cancellation on their end rather than mine:
Now the dentist, they text at mid day the previous day to remind me, and as a result I've never missed an appointment due to my memory, despite them usually being booked 6 months in advance.
Journey 1 - The Message
This message isn't accusatory, it's polite, understanding, states the facts and conveys a sense of unity by using the word "team" when it didn't need to. It also doesn't suggest you've missed your chance because it uses the word "reschedule" implying the user journey hasn't finished.
NHS - Journey 2
Now lets look at one from the doctor. Firstly the appointment was given to me, not arranged with me and sent to me at 8:20am. I don't know about you but I'm usually either in the car or in a rush at 8:20 and chances are by the time I arrive at work the last thing I can do is look at my phone.
So, without a reminder, I missed the appointment (I know, there's things I could have done) and got the following text message: