Email notifications for Acuity Scheduling clients

Send your clients automated and customized updates and reminders about their appointments.

Squarespace Scheduling is now officially Acuity Scheduling. For help setting up appointments, search “Acuity”, or find related guides under “Acuity Scheduling”. Visit our FAQ to learn more about the rebrand.

In Acuity, you can send automated emails to clients about their appointments, packages, and subscriptions. The emails are sent from scheduling@acuityscheduling.com or scheduling@squarespacescheduling.com, and the sender name will match your account's business name. 

This guide reviews the notifications you can send how to customize them.

Users on any paid plan can customize email notifications. Users on trial plans aren't able to customize these notifications.

Before you begin

HIPAA considerations

If your account is HIPAA enabled, review Acuity Scheduling and HIPAA.

Other emails and notifications you can send

Here are some other ways you can communicate with customers and employees:

• Send text message appointment reminders on the Growing and Powerhouse plans.
• Send internal appointment notifications and agendas to you and your staff. You can get notified about new, rescheduled, and canceled appointments.
• Send marketing emails with Squarespace Email Campaigns.

Available email notifications

Use the table below to review email notifications you can send to clients.

Email notification	Details
Initial Confirmation	Optional Sent immediately after an appointment is booked Customizable timing
Reminders	Optional Send up to three reminders per appointment at customizable times Are sent at least one hour before an appointment Reminder emails also control text message reminders If a client books an appointment that's closer than a reminder email, there's a grace period in which the reminder is still sent. This grace period is about a third of the time between the reminder and the appointment. For example, a reminder set to send 24 hours before an appointment will still go out if a client books 16 hours in advance. Appointments booked less than an hour in advance may not receive a reminder email, even if they're within the grac e period.
Cancellation	Optional Sent immediately after an appointment is canceled
Rescheduling	Optional Sent immediately after an appointment is rescheduled
Follow-ups	Optional Send a maximum of six follow-up emails up to one year after an appointment Customizable timing
Package/Gift Certificate Order	Always sent Sent immediately after a client purchases a package, gift certificate, or subscription
Subscription Paid	Always sent Sent after a client is automatically charged for an ongoing subscription. The client won't receive this notification after they initially purchase a subscription, but will for the following subscription payments.
Subscription Renewal Reminder	Optional Sent before a client is charged for a subscription renewal
Subscription Canceled	Always sent Sent immediately after a client cancels a subscription, or payment for a subscription fails If you cancel a subscription for the client, an email isn't automatically sent. You can email them directly after canceling their subscription.

Customize email templates

All Acuity emails use templates, which are separate from your site's template and design. Each email type starts with a default template that's ready to use as-is, or you can customize the content and design of the email to match your brand. Consider including extra information your clients might need, such as driving directions or who to call with questions.

Note: The instructions below include links to Acuity settings separated by the kind of account you use to log into Acuity. Which kind of account do I have?

To edit an email template:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Select the type of email you want to edit.
3. If you have multiple emails of the same type, like Reminders or Follow-ups, click the button for the email you want to edit. Learn more about Reminders and Follow-ups below.

Note: Follow-up emails are disabled by default and start with a blank template. If you leave the follow-up email template blank, the follow-up email won't be sent.

4. To edit a subject line, click the Email subject or Email subject/text message field, and add your new text. You can use a mix of text and tags.
5. To edit the message body, click the text field. Use the editing toolbar to add text, images, buttons, and tags, or change the formatting, font, and colors. Click the <> to edit the HTML.
6. To edit a button's text or link, click the button, then click Edit.
7. To delete a button, highlight the button’s text, then press Delete. To add a new button, click Add button in the editing toolbar.
8. To reset a customized template, click Use default template in the bottom-right corner, then click OK. This permanently deletes the customized template.
9. Click Save template to save your changes.

Keep in mind:

• Email templates don’t support CSS.
• Email templates don’t support attachments. This helps keep your emails from being marked as spam. Instead, add the content to a page on your site and link to it.
• Email templates can't be renamed, but the names are for internal use only, and clients aren't shown the template names.

Customize templates by appointment type

You may want the email notification to look different depending on the appointment type. To customize a template for an appointment type, add a new template to the email.

Note: Package/Gift Certificate Orders, Subscription Paid, and Subscription Canceled notifications only use one template and can't be linked to an appointment type.

To assign a template to an appointment type:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Select the type of email you're assigning a template.
3. If you have multiple emails of the same type set up (like reminders or follow-ups) click the button for the email you want to edit.
4. Click Add new template.
5. Select the appointment types that should use it.
6. Click Save new template.
7. The new template will appear below the original template. Click the template name to edit it.

To change which appointment types use a template:

1. Click the name of the appointment type in the template.
2. Drag it to a different template.

To delete a template:

1. Remove all appointment types from the template group.
2. Click Remove this template.

Reminders

You can send reminder emails to remind clients about an upcoming appointment.

On the Reminders page, each reminder email is represented by a button at the top of the page. Each button has a label showing when that email is sent.

You can send clients up to three reminder emails prior to an appointment. To add or edit a reminder email:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Reminders.
3. To edit an existing reminder email, click the reminder email's button, then edit the template that appears below. To add a new follow-up email, click Add extra email reminder.
4. Follow the steps above for editing an email template.

To stop an email from sending, remove it:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Reminders.
3. Click a button to open a reminder, then click Disable this reminder.
4. Click OK to confirm.

To prevent all reminder emails from sending, delete all but one of the reminder emails, and assign the last reminder email to Inactive Types. At least one reminder email is required to stay in our system, but by setting it to Inactive, you'll stop it from sending.

To change when a reminder email is sent:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Reminders.
3. Click a button to open a reminder.
4. Edit the Send this reminder field, then click Save template. You can set reminders to go out as soon as one hour before the client's appointment.

Follow-ups

You can send emails after appointments to thank them, ask for feedback, or offer discounts for future appointments.

On the Emerging plan, you can send one follow-up email per appointment. On the Growing or Powerhouse plans, you can send up to six follow-up emails per appointment.

If you're on a plan that can send more than one follow-up email, each follow-up email is represented by a button at the top of the page. Each button has a label showing when that email is sent. Follow-up 1 is the button that appears all the way on the left.

To add or edit a follow-up email:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Follow-ups.
3. To edit an existing follow-up email, click the follow-up email's button, then edit the template that appears below. To add a new follow-up email, click Add a follow-up.
4. Follow the steps above for editing an email template.

To delete a follow-up email template:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Follow-ups.
3. Click the existing email's button.
4. Click Disable this follow-up, then click OK.

To stop sending a follow-up email and save your template:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Follow-ups.
3. Click the existing email's button.
4. Drag all appointment types to the Inactive types box.

To change when a follow-up email is sent:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Follow-ups.
3. Click the existing email's button.
4. Edit the Send this follow-up field. To send intervals less than a day, use decimal points. The minimum interval is 0.01 days, or about 14 minutes.
5. Click Save template.

To only send follow-up emails to clients who haven't booked another appointment:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Follow-ups.
3. Select Only send follow-up if the client doesn't have any upcoming appointments. This setting applies to all follow-up emails.

Send a survey to your clients

You can use Acuity’s automated follow-up emails to send clients a survey. It’s not possible to have Acuity prompt clients to fill out forms after an appointment, but you can use your follow-up email to send clients to a survey you’ve created in another service, such as Google Forms or Wufoo. To do so, add a link to your survey to your follow-up email template.

Subscription renewal reminders

You can send clients automated emails telling them that their subscriptions will soon renew. You can turn these emails on or off for each subscription you offer, but it’s not possible to customize the email’s content.

In some jurisdictions, businesses are legally required to send subscription renewal reminders to their clients. Acuity's subscription renewal reminder emails are disabled by default.

It’s your responsibility to follow any automatic renewal laws that apply to you. As outlined in our Terms of Service, Squarespace doesn't provide advice or recommendations on laws or regulatory requirements.

Each email includes:

• The name of your business
• The name of the subscription they’ve purchased, unless you’ve enabled Scheduling’s HIPAA-compliant settings
• When the subscription will renew
• How long the renewal will be good for
• How much the client will be be charged
• A link the client can use to cancel their subscription or update their payment information

When the emails go out depends on how often the subscription renews.

For subscriptions that renew every	The email goes out
One, two, or three weeks	Two days before renewal
Four, five, or six weeks	Seven days before renewal
Three, six, or 12 months	20 days before renewal

Enable subscription renewal reminder emails

To enable subscription renewal reminder emails:

1. Open the Packages, gifts & subscriptions panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click Edit for the subscription you want to change.
3. Check or uncheck the box for sending a subscription renewal reminder email.
4. Click Update subscription.

Customize with tags

When editing an email template or text message template, you can add tags to pull in appointment information like a client's name, the appointment date, or the appointment type description.  Email templates also use tags that pull in your client's intake form responses. You can enter tags manually, or click Insert field and choose a tag from the list.

• Tags require a percentage sign on either side of the tag name and need to use all lowercase, like %first%.
• Tags with href display the full URL of a link, rather than linked text.

Use any of these tags to pull information into your email:

Tag Name	Field Description
%first%	Client’s first name
%last%	Client's last name
%phone%	Client's phone number
%email%	Client's email address
%type%	Appointment type
%calendar%	Calendar name. This is useful if your account has multiple calendars.
%duration%	Appointment duration
%time%	Appointment date and time
%oldtime%	Original date and time of a rescheduled appointment
%date%	Appointment date without time
%price%	Appointment price
%total%	Total appointment price including any add-ons
%calendardescription%	Calendar description
%typedescription%	Appointment type description
%typeconfirmationmessage%	Appointment type confirmation message
%typecategory%	Appointment type category
%viewlink% / %viewhref%	Change/Cancel Appointment link / URL. Clients can reschedule, cancel, and review or edit intake form answers. This link goes to the client's confirmation page.
%tz%	Appointment time zone
%export% / %exporthref%	Calendar invite link / URL for iCal and Outlook
%googlehref%	Calendar invite URL for Google Calendar
%paylink% / %payhref%	Pay for Appointment link / URL
%formslink% / %formshref%	Edit Forms link / URL. Clients can edit intake forms after booking.
%certificate% / %certificatehref%	Print Certificate link / URL for gift certificate purchases
%product%	Name of the package, gift certificate, and subscription purchased
%code%	Code for package, gift certificate, or subscription purchased, including a link to redeem it
%rawcode%	Code for package, gift certificate, or subscription purchased, without a link to redeem it
%expiration%	Expiration date of package or gift certificate purchased
%nextappointment%	Client's next scheduled appointment
%appointmentID%	Unique appointment identifier number
%location%	Appointment location

Who receives replies

Client replies are sent to the site owner by default. You can customize this for each calendar.

To change who receives client replies to appointment notifications:

1. Open the Availability panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Find the calendar you want to customize, then click Calendar settings.
3. Change the email address in the Send replies to field.
4. Click Save changes.

Stop sending emails for specific appointment types

To stop sending an email notification for a specific appointment type:

1. Open the Email Settings panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click the type of email you want to stop sending.
3. Click and drag the name of the appointment type into the Inactive types box.

Notes:

• Disabling an email notification for clients will disable the equivalent notification for you and your staff. If you disable the reminder email that generates text message reminders, the reminder will also be disabled.
• If you disable all the appointment types that use a customized email template, Acuity will delete the customized template. If you want to save it for later, copy the template content to another application and save it there.

Send email notifications to multiple recipients

To send email notifications for an appointment to more than one address, edit the appointment details so the email field includes multiple email addresses separated by commas. Acuity will then send notifications to all the listed email addresses.

Check if clients have received email notifications

To view the messages sent for an appointment, click the appointment to open appointment details, then click View all changes & notifications sent. The changelog shows all sent email and text messages for the appointment.

Resend confirmation emails

You can resend the initial confirmation email to your client for their upcoming appointment. It's not possible to resend confirmation emails for past appointments or to resend other types of emails, like reminders.

To resend confirmation emails:

1. Open the Calendar panel: I log in with an Acuity account | I log in with a Squarespace account.
2. Click , then click Resend confirmation email.

Ask clients to add Acuity to their safe sender list

If your client expected an email notification, but didn’t receive it, start by asking them to check their spam or junk mail folder for the missing email. If emails are getting caught in a spam filter, ask the client to add scheduling@acuityscheduling.com and scheduling@squarespacescheduling.com to the safe senders list.

If a spam filter isn’t catching the missing Acuity notifications, ask the ISP or hosting provider that’s receiving the emails to add Acuity’s email addresses and IP addresses to a trusted sender list. The hosting provider can add the email addresses above or our mailserver IP addresses:

• 149.72.52.197
• 149.72.90.69
• 149.72.227.216
• 149.72.242.200
• 168.245.51.104
• 198.37.159.6

More troubleshooting

If clients aren't receiving your email notifications, it could be related to these issues:

• Unsubscribed addresses - Clients can unsubscribe from Acuity appointment reminders and follow-up emails by clicking Unsubscribe at the bottom of those emails. If clients unsubscribe from follow-ups and appointment reminders, they'll still receive transaction notifications, such as appointment confirmations, rescheduling notifications, and subscription payment confirmations.  It's not possible to resubscribe them to appointment reminders and follow-up emails yourself, but if they open one of those emails and click Unsubscribe again, Acuity will prompt them to resubscribe.
• Spam reports - If the client marks your message as spam, Acuity won't send them any more appointment reminders or follow-up emails. If the client did this accidentally, contact Customer Support so we can remove the email address from the blocked list.
• Disabled notifications - Check that you haven't disabled notifications for the appointment type in question.
• Acuity user chose not to send - When Acuity users schedule, reschedule, or cancel an appointment, they can opt to skip the automated notification to the client. Acuity records the decision not to send the notification in the appointment changelog.