Scheduling Chat Messages

In this article:

• Scheduling Messages
• Managing Scheduled Messages
• Understanding How Scheduled Messages Work
• Working with Scheduled Messages on Team Plans

Scheduling Messages

Scheduling messages allows you to compose communications now and have them delivered automatically at the optimal time for your clients. Whether you're planning check-ins, reminders, or follow-ups, scheduled messages ensure your communications reach clients when they need them most.

📍 Note: Messages are scheduled based on your account timezone, as set in your Practice Better profile settings. This ensures messages send at the right time according to your practice location.

1. Go to your Messages page by clicking the Chat icon in the top-right corner of your portal.
   

2. Select the chat where you want to schedule a message.
    
3. Type your message into the textbox.
    
4. Click the Schedule icon to the right of the message textbox.
   
    

5. Enter a date and time to send your message, or choose from a list of suggested times in the bottom-left corner of the pop-up for quick scheduling options. Click the Schedule button in the pop-up.
   

✅ Your scheduled message is now queued and will send automatically at the specified time — even if you're offline or logged out of Practice Better.

Including Attachments and Resources

Scheduled messages support the same functionality as regular messages, giving you flexibility in what you share with clients. You can attach files directly to your scheduled message using the attachment icon before scheduling. This is perfect for sending intake documents, educational resources, or meal plans at a specific time.

You can also include links to Practice Better resources, like forms or questionnaires. Simply copy the public form link and paste it into your scheduled message text. When the message is sent, clients will receive the link and can access the form directly.

💡 Tip: Use Snippets to save frequently used message templates. When scheduling messages, insert your saved Snippet to quickly populate common communications like appointment reminders, check-in questions, or post-session follow-ups.

Managing Scheduled Messages

Once you've scheduled messages, Practice Better makes it easy to manage them. You'll see a reminder about your scheduled messages directly in the chat interface, helping you stay organized and make adjustments when needed.      

Viewing Scheduled Messages from an Active Chat

A reminder about your scheduled message(s) appears just above the textbox in the chat. Click View scheduled messages to see and manage all scheduled messages for that conversation.

Viewing All Scheduled Messages

You can also access all scheduled messages across all chats by clicking on the Scheduled messages notification bar under the Active Chats tab. This view shows every message you have queued, making it simple to review your upcoming communications at a glance.

Editing, Rescheduling, or Deleting Scheduled Messages

On the Scheduled Messages page, you'll see action buttons to the right of each message. Use these to modify your scheduled communications as your needs change.

• Edit (pencil icon): Modify the message content, add or remove attachments, or update links. Your changes will save and overwrite the original message with the new version.
  
• Reschedule (clock icon): Change the date and time when the message will be sent.
  
• Delete (trash icon): Remove the scheduled message entirely so it won't be sent.
  

📍 Note: You can make changes to scheduled messages at any time before they're sent. Once a message has been delivered, it can no longer be modified.

Understanding How Scheduled Messages Work

Scheduled messages integrate seamlessly with Practice Better's messaging system, giving you flexibility while maintaining a natural communication experience with your clients.

Scheduling Messages for Multiple Clients

While you can have multiple scheduled messages queued across different conversations, each message must be created individually within its respective chat. To schedule the same message for multiple clients, you'll need to open each conversation separately and compose the scheduled message. You can use your device's copy and paste functions or your Practice Better Snippets to reuse message text across different chats, but each scheduled message must be set up one at a time.

Using Scheduled Messages Across Devices

You can create and manage scheduled messages from both the Practice Better web portal and mobile app using the same steps. Your scheduled messages sync across all devices, so messages you schedule on your phone will appear in your desktop portal, and vice versa.

How Scheduled Messages Appear to Clients

Clients receive scheduled messages just like any other message in their Practice Better portal. There's no indication that a message was scheduled in advance — it appears as a natural part of your ongoing conversation. This maintains the personal, authentic feel of your client communications.

When a scheduled message is sent, recipients receive notifications based on their individual notification preferences. This means clients who have enabled email or push notifications will be alerted according to their settings, just as they would with any message you send in real time.

Learn more:

• Setting Up Instant Alerts and Notification Preferences in Practice Better →
• Managing Notification Preferences in Your Client Portal →

Scheduled Messages and Autoresponders

Scheduled messages work independently from your autoresponder feature. If a client replies to a scheduled message you sent while you're unavailable, your autoresponder will trigger according to your settings. Both features work together to keep your practice communication flowing smoothly.

Learn more about Setting up an Autoresponder →    

When Scheduled Messages Are Cancelled

There are certain situations where scheduled messages are automatically cancelled and won't be sent. Understanding these scenarios helps you manage your communications effectively.

Scheduled messages are cancelled when:

• You delete the chat conversation
• You delete the client record
• A team member who created scheduled messages is archived or removed from the practice

📍 Note: If you deactivate a client's profile but the chat conversation still exists, any scheduled messages will continue to send as planned. The client profile must be reactivated for them to log in and view their messages.

Working with Scheduled Messages on Team Plans

If your practice operates on a Team plan with multiple practitioners or admin users, scheduled messages function with some important considerations for collaboration and privacy.

Privacy and Individual Management

Each team member can only view and manage their own scheduled messages. Even in shared chats where multiple practitioners have access to the same client conversation, you cannot see scheduled messages created by your colleagues. This privacy helps each practitioner maintain their own communication workflow and schedule.

Admin users also can't view or manage scheduled messages created by other team members. Each practitioner retains full control over their own scheduled communications.

Sender Identity in Shared Chats

When you schedule a message in a shared chat, you remain the identified sender when that message is delivered. The message appears in the chat with your name and profile, just as if you had sent it in real time. This ensures clients always know which practitioner they're communicating with, even in practices where multiple team members support the same client.

Team Member Transitions

When a team member leaves your practice or is removed from the account, all of their scheduled messages are automatically cancelled. This prevents messages from being sent on behalf of practitioners who are no longer affiliated with your practice. If there are important scheduled communications that need to continue, another team member will need to create new scheduled messages to replace the cancelled ones.

💡 Tip: If you know a team member will be leaving the practice, request an export of their data from our support team, allowing you to review their active client chat history and ensure continuity of care.