This has been one of those “I’ve done it for everyone else but not for myself” situations 🤍

I’ve wanted to set up text reminders for my Dubsado bookings for a while now — confirmation texts, same-day reminders, the whole thing. And then someone asked about it inside the Dubsado community and I was like… okay. This is my sign.

So if you’re here because you want clients to get a text when they book and a reminder before their call — you’re in the right place.

The important thing to know up front is this:
Dubsado does not currently support text reminders.

Not natively. Not as of early 2026.

But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck manually texting clients or accepting no-shows as part of life. We just need a smart workaround (and a little focus).

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The reality (and why this workaround works)

Here’s the constraint we’re working with:

• Dubsado doesn’t send text messages
• Dubsado has limited Zapier triggers
• Zapier can’t “listen” directly for most Dubsado booking events

So instead of fighting that, we route things through a tool that does update reliably…

👉 Google Calendar

When your Dubsado scheduler is connected to Google Calendar, every booking shows up there automatically. And that is what we’ll use as our trigger.

The flow looks like this:

Dubsado booking → Google Calendar event → Zapier → Text message

Simple in concept. A few steps in setup.

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The tools you’ll need

There’s no free option for ongoing two-way texting, so you’ll need a texting platform that integrates with Zapier.

I personally use Project Broadcast and have for years. It’s affordable, compliant, and lets clients reply back like it’s a real conversation (which matters to me).

Other tools can work too — just make sure:

• It connects to Zapier
• It supports one-to-one texting (if that’s important to you)

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Zap #1: Sending a confirmation text when someone books

The first Zap handles confirmation texts.

Here’s what it does:

• Triggers when a new Google Calendar event is created
• Looks inside the event description for a phone number
• Filters so it only continues if it’s clearly a Dubsado booking
• Uses AI + formatting to pull:
  • First name
  • Last name
  • Company
  • Phone number
  • Email
• Finds or creates that contact in Project Broadcast
• Sends a confirmation text like:
  “Your appointment with The Smarter Creative has been booked for [date/time].”

One key detail — this only works if the phone number exists inside the calendar description, which Dubsado does include when your form collects it.

If there’s no phone number?
The Zap stops. Nothing awkward happens. Which is exactly what we want.

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Zap #2: Same-day reminder texts (without spamming everyone)

The second Zap runs daily, not per booking.

Here’s how this one works:

• Runs every weekday morning (I use 9am since I don’t take calls before 10)
• Searches your Google Calendar for today’s remaining events
• Loops through each event one by one
• Extracts the phone number from the description
• Confirms (again) that it’s a Dubsado booking
• Sends a friendly reminder text like:
  “Just a reminder we’re meeting today at [time]. Looking forward to chatting!”

Because this Zap:

• Filters for phone numbers
• Filters for Dubsado-specific language
• Loops through events individually

…it avoids texting:

• Your dentist
• Random invites
• Internal blocks
• Non-client calendar events

Which is very important 😅

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Why Zapier won’t let you publish until it’s right (a good thing)

One thing I love about Zapier — it won’t let you publish a broken Zap.

If:

• A loop isn’t configured properly
• A required field is missing
• Something doesn’t map correctly

You literally can’t turn it on.

So if you’re worried about messing something up — don’t be. Zapier acts like a guardrail while you’re building.

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The simple takeaway (what I want you to remember)

Dubsado may not send text reminders…
But your systems still can.

By routing bookings through Google Calendar and Zapier, you can:
✔️ Send automatic confirmation texts
✔️ Send same-day reminders
✔️ Reduce no-shows
✔️ Stop manually texting clients
✔️ Keep everything feeling personal and human

This is one of those “set it once and breathe easier” systems.

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Closing

I really hope this encouraged you to look at automation as something that serves you — not something overwhelming or overly technical.

And if you ever want help setting this up, troubleshooting it, or simplifying what you already have… it’s literally what I do 🤍

With systems and a touch of magic on your side,
Lauren ✨

If this was helpful, you might also love:

• Dubsado Appointments vs. Schedulers: The Small Detail That Makes a Big Difference
• Dubsado Autopay Setup: Your Secret Weapon for Effortless Client Payments
• Simplify Client File Sharing with Dubsado and Google Drive

For hands-on help, you can schedule a clarity call here:
https://www.thesmartercreative.com/call ✨