Overview

Use the Test Panel to send yourself a sample reminder using temporary test patient data, so you can confirm the message content, delivery method, and template behavior. The tool creates a temporary test patient (named John Doe with basic sample demographics) and test appointment behind the scenes, then automatically cleans up that test data so it doesn't stay in your live workspace.

Before you begin

• Access to the Test Panel.
• A mobile phone number and/or email address where you can receive the test messages.

Steps

1. Go to Test Panel.
2. In Your Information, enter the mobile phone number for test texts or calls, and the email address for test emails.
3. Under Tests to send, select the channel(s) you want to test — SMS, Email, or Phone call. You can select more than one to test multiple channels at once.
4. Under Test Type, select Reminder. Leave Survey, Visit Summary, and Booking Confirmation (On Schedule) unchecked unless you're testing those workflows.
5. In Date of Appointment, choose a future date. Reminders are tied to upcoming appointments, so a future date works best.
6. In Test Settings, choose the Appointment Resource, Appointment Location, Appointment Type, and Preferred Language. These selections matter because the reminder system may use different templates or behavior depending on each one.
7. In Message Template (leave blank to auto-detect), choose your approach:
   • Leave it blank to test the reminder the way it normally works in production. This is best for confirming the correct template is picked up automatically.
   • Select a specific template to force the test to use one exact template — helpful when checking the wording of a particular message.
8. Click Send Test. A success message in the Test Panel means the test was dispatched.

What to expect

• SMS + Reminder → you receive a text reminder.
• Email + Reminder → you receive an email reminder.
• Phone call + Reminder → you receive an automated reminder call.

Best practice for testing real reminder behavior

To test how reminders truly work in your setup: select Reminder, choose the correct location, appointment type, and resource, choose the channel you want to test, and leave Message Template blank. This gives the closest test of live reminder logic, including which template the system picks automatically.

Troubleshooting

• If you select a specific template, then the system sends it as an ad hoc message instead of using standard reminder-routing logic. To test real reminder behavior, template selection, and override rules, leave the field blank.
• If the reminder doesn't arrive, then check that: the reminder channel is enabled for the selected location, appointment type, and resource/provider; the correct reminder template exists; your phone number or email address was entered correctly; and you selected Reminder as the test type.