RESOURCES
SMS vs email patient recalls
In RecallQ each recall rule sends by SMS or by email, and the patient's record decides whether they can be reached that way. SMS needs recorded consent and an Australian mobile number. Email needs recorded consent, an address and email sending switched on for your practice. Opt-outs are tracked separately for each channel.
By the RecallQ team. Updated 30 September 2026.
How a practice chooses the channel
Each reminder rule sends by one channel, SMS or email, chosen when you create the rule. To change it, create a new rule. The email option stays off until the practice's ABN, physical address and sender name are saved in Settings and email sending is switched on.
A patient can also have a preferred channel, set with the preferred channel column in the import file. With one, only rules on that channel apply to them. Without one, every active rule applies, each on its own channel wherever the patient can be reached. Correcting a patient's contact details in the portal can switch them to email if they are left with no mobile number but an email address, unless they have any opt-out on file.
How RecallQ routes each message
RecallQ picks the channel when it schedules a message, from the rule and the patient's record. It does not switch channels at send time. Both when a recall is scheduled and immediately before it is sent, it checks that an SMS is going to a valid Australian mobile number.
| SMS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Patient needs | SMS consent recorded, no SMS opt-out, a valid Australian mobile number. Landlines are never texted. | Email consent recorded, no email opt-out, an email address, and email sending switched on for the practice. |
| Who it names | Your practice name is put at the start of the text automatically, unless the wording uses the [Practice Name] placeholder, and “Reply STOP to opt out” is added to every SMS. | Your sender name heads the email. The footer has your sender name, ABN, physical address and an unsubscribe link. |
| Patient opts out | Reply STOP. | An unsubscribe link in each email, plus one-click unsubscribe in mail apps that support it. Or email unsubscribe@recallq.com.au. |
| Timing | Recall SMS is never sent outside 9am to 8pm in your practice's time zone. | You set the send time on each rule, between 9am and 7pm in the portal. |
| Delivery status | Delivery confirmations are recorded. | Delivered, delayed, bounced and spam-complaint events are recorded. |
Opt-outs are tracked per channel
A STOP reply opts the patient out of SMS only, and an email unsubscribe opts them out of email only. A patient who has opted out of one channel can still receive recalls on the other if they have consented and not opted out there. If a patient wants no contact at all, record an opt-out for both channels: in the portal, recording an opt-out always stops SMS, with a tick box to also stop email.
On SMS, STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, END, QUIT, CANCEL and OPTOUT (as the whole message) opt the patient out immediately, and clear phrases such as “stop texting me” are applied shortly afterwards, when the reply is processed. These are matched against fixed lists, never by AI, and unclear wording is flagged for your staff to review. On email, each message has an unsubscribe link in its footer, which opens a short page with a Confirm unsubscribe button, and mail apps that support one-click unsubscribe send the request directly. Under the Privacy Policy (section 7), requests emailed to unsubscribe@recallq.com.au are read and actioned by a person within 5 business days, and a spam complaint is treated as an unsubscribe.
Send window and time zone
RecallQ only sends recall SMS between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm in the practice's time zone, and holds anything scheduled outside that window until it opens (Terms, clause 9.5). In the portal you can set rule send times from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm, for SMS and email rules alike. Automated replies to patient messages use a wider window of 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, except the urgent emergency-guidance acknowledgement, which is sent straight away at any hour. The time zone is the one saved on your practice account: Sydney time by default, and support can change it on request to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Hobart time (other zones, including Adelaide and Darwin, are not yet supported). Automated recalls send only for practices with an active or trialing subscription.
How delivery is tracked
Where the email and SMS providers report back, RecallQ records what happened. For email that includes delivered, delayed, bounced and marked as spam. A permanently bounced or suppressed address is flagged undeliverable so recall emails stop, and correcting the address clears the flag. For SMS, RecallQ currently records delivery confirmations only. The Communications page shows each message's status with a short note such as “Bounced — address rejected” or “Delivery delayed”, and a patient's page shows an “Email bouncing” badge. RecallQ keeps provider status codes, never the provider's message text. Delivery is not promised, because it depends on carriers and recipients' systems (Terms, clause 9.1).
What the practice controls
- The channel, timing and wording of each rule, with your practice name included in the wording.
- Whether email sending is on, and the sender name, ABN, address, contact phone and online booking link shown on emails.
- Each patient's preferred channel (in the import file), contact details and recorded opt-outs.
- Archiving a patient, which stops their reminders, including any already scheduled.
Common questions
Can one patient get both SMS and email recalls?
Yes, if they have a mobile number and an email address, no preferred channel, consent and no opt-out on both channels, and your practice has active rules for both.
What happens if a patient only has a landline?
RecallQ stores the number but never texts a landline. If the patient also has an email address they are set to receive email. With no email address, RecallQ has no channel to reach them.
If a patient replies STOP, do they still get emails?
They can, if they have consented to email, have not unsubscribed from it and are not set to SMS only. STOP opts a patient out of SMS only, and an email unsubscribe opts them out of email only. To stop both, record an opt-out for both channels in the portal.
When are recall messages sent?
Recall SMS go out between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm in your practice's time zone, and any SMS scheduled outside that window is held until it opens. In the portal you can set rule send times between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.
How do I know if an email bounced?
Where the email provider reports it, the Communications page shows a note such as Bounced or Delivery delayed, and the patient's page shows an Email bouncing badge.
Ready to see this run on your patient data?
Your real patient list. Create an account without a card; recall messages start once you choose a plan and add payment details at checkout.