Scheduling 1-to-1 SMS Messages: Send at the Right Time Without Being There
Schedule individual SMS messages to specific contacts — appointment reminders, follow-ups, check-ins, Prepare Caller messages — to send at a future time from your 1-to-1 number. Set it and move on.
Scheduling1-to-1SMSFollow-Up
What It DoesQueues a specific message to a specific contact to send at a configured future time. Works on 1-to-1 numbers for individual conversations.
Best Use CasesAppointment reminders, day-before confirmations, post-visit follow-ups, check-ins at a set interval after a previous conversation. Anything with a predictable timing.
Not For BulkScheduling on 1-to-1 numbers sends to one contact at a time. For scheduled bulk sends to a list, use SMS Campaigns with a Campaign number instead.
Scheduled messages are the manual side of staying in touch — useful for reps who want to set a follow-up reminder in advance without having to remember to come back to it.
Scheduling a Message
1
Open a conversation from the Conversations panel
Select the 1-to-1 contact you want to schedule a message for
2
Click the Schedule icon (clock icon in the message composer)
Opens the date and time picker
3
Write your message, set the send date and time
Time is set in your account’s configured timezone. Double-check for contacts in different time zones.
✓
Confirm — message queued and sends automatically at the scheduled time
You can view and cancel scheduled messages from Conversations → Scheduled tab before they send
Scheduling Tips
🕐
Timing windows
Schedule business messages to arrive during business hours: 9am–6pm in the contact’s local time zone. Avoid early morning or late evening sends — even automated, they feel intrusive.
✏️
Personalize before scheduling
Scheduled messages are static — write them with the contact’s name and specific context before queuing. They won’t feel automated if they reference something specific to that person.
Go Deeper
📖 Related Insight
Conversational SMS Lead Funnels That Actually Increase Contact Rates
Why pre-qualified leads who receive a Prepare Caller message answer callbacks at 70%+ — and how scheduling that follow-up message is part of the warm handoff.