Reminder
A basic measure against no-shows that sends a notification before an event so participants check the date and time again.
A reminder is a feature that sends a notification as an event or task deadline approaches, helping people not forget. In the context of scheduling, two kinds are central: the “meeting reminder,” which notifies participants before a meeting starts, and the “response reminder,” which nudges those who have not answered before the response deadline. Setting reminders properly is one of the basic measures against unannounced absences (no-shows) from meetings.
Examples of reminder types and timing
| Type | Example timing | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting reminder (day before) | 24 hours before | |
| Meeting reminder (just before) | 10-15 minutes before | Push notification / Slack |
| Response nudge reminder | 1-2 days before the deadline | Email / chat |
| Task deadline reminder | The morning of the day | App notification |
Countering reminder fatigue
Too many notifications lead to “reminder fatigue,” making it easy for even important notifications to be skipped. The key points for running reminders effectively are to use different notification channels (choosing email / push notifications / chat according to importance), to keep the number of notifications for the same event to a minimum, and to let users customize how often they are notified.
In scheduling with a response deadline, sending an automatic reminder only to those who have not answered 1-2 days before the deadline makes it easier to reduce the number of people who reach the deadline without answering. If the nudge also reaches people who have already answered, it becomes less likely to be read, so limit the recipients to those who have not answered.
Content is what sets reminders apart
Not only the timing of sending but also the content of the notification matters. A reminder with only the date and time tends to end up as “resending information people already know,” but including the meeting URL / agenda / things to bring / homework from last time in a single message lets recipients start preparing directly from that notification. Especially for online meetings, “the hassle of finding the URL” easily causes lateness, so simply including the join link in the just-before reminder makes it easier for people to gather on time. The trick is to design reminders not as “nudges” but as “the entry point to attending.”