How two-way patient messaging works
Text, voice and email from one screen, to a whole provider list or a single patient. Anything sensitive can go as a secured link instead of plain text, and the system removes anyone who must not be contacted before a message sends.
Sending a message to a group
Four steps, with the guardrails applied automatically at the end.
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Compose
Type the message or pick a saved one. Text messages show a running count against a 600 character limit, because longer messages get split into several by the carriers.
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Choose who receives it
Tick provider or group lists, each showing its own recipient count, with a running total as you select. A survey link can be attached that gives each patient their own personalised link.
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Narrow by appointment date, optionally
Set a date range to reach only the selected patients who have an appointment in that window. Today, next 7 days and next 30 days are one click.
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Confirm and send
Before sending, the screen lists who will be excluded and why. You confirm against a recipient count, and delivery is queued and recorded in each patient's history.
Texting one patient, from their record
Bulk sends are for campaigns. Day to day, most messaging is one member of staff answering one patient, and that happens inside the patient's own record rather than in a separate app.
- The Texting tab sits alongside the patient's appointments, calls, forms and benefits, so context is already on screen
- Predefined messages save retyping the things staff send twenty times a day
- Tick the secured-link option and the patient receives a link rather than the message body, which is how anything sensitive should travel over SMS
- The character counter shows the limit as you type
- Outgoing and incoming messages thread together, with read receipts on what the patient opened
The whole conversation, in one place
Every message to and from a patient stays together, so answering did-we-tell-them takes a look rather than a search.
- One thread per patient covering reminders, replies and anything staff sent by hand
- Automated messages and staff messages appear in the same history, not in separate systems
- Patient replies are shown inline, so a confirmation reply of 1 sits directly under the reminder it answered
- Filter to unread or to replies when you are working through what came in
- Search by name, phone number or message text
- Open the full record from the conversation without losing your place
The exclusions that happen whether or not anyone remembers
Most compliance problems with bulk messaging come from a list that was not filtered. These are enforced by the system, not by a checklist.
- Patients who replied STOP are removed automatically and stay removed
- Patients whose contact method is set to None are excluded
- Patients with a missing or invalid mobile number are skipped rather than failing silently
- The exclusion list is shown before you send, so the recipient count is the real one
- Messaging a number that is not in the system requires ticking a permission acknowledgement first, which is the consent guardrail for ad-hoc numbers
Questions we get about messaging
Why did fewer patients get the message than I selected?
Three exclusions apply automatically: patients who texted STOP, patients whose contact method is set to None, and patients with no valid mobile number. All three are listed on screen before you send.
How long can a text message be?
600 characters, with a live counter as you type. Carriers may split longer messages into multiple segments, which is why the limit exists.
Can a message be personalised?
Yes, with the patient's first name and your practice name. Anything else typed as a variable is sent literally, so it is worth previewing before a large send.
Can I message only patients coming in next week?
Yes. Select the groups, then set an appointment date range or use the next 7 days preset. Only patients in those groups with an appointment in the window receive it.
How do I know a campaign actually went out?
Past campaigns are kept for 90 days with the date, the message and the counts, which answers most did-it-send questions without contacting support.
Can we text one patient rather than a group?
Yes, from that patient's record. For a number not in the system there is a single-number send, which requires confirming you have permission to text it before the send button becomes active.
Can a survey go out with a message?
Yes. Attaching a survey inserts a link that is unique per patient, with their name and number already filled in, so response rates are not lost to a generic form.
Does this work for voice and email too?
Yes. Voice and email have their own send screens with the same group selection, date filtering and exclusion behaviour, so the rules do not change per channel.
See a message go out against your own patient groups
We will build the send with you and show the exclusion list before anything is delivered.
Talk to our team