The meeting is confirmed for tomorrow

What do you think is a meeting confirmation email? Someone write a mail to make an appointment and then you confirm by saying “OK”? No, things don’t work like that in the business world.

In daily life, when making an appointment with our friends, we just send a message which hardly lasts more than 10 words to reply. However, in the business world, not only making an appointment by mail is important but confirming it is, also.

A meeting confirmation email is…

…. a mail to confirm your interest or availability for a meeting, event or activity. It’s just as simple as that.

But why do we need this thing?

As a professional, especially in business, this must be done to avoid the frustration of fixing an appointment. In busy daily work, we can easily lose track of business appointments. Whatever your job is, you will always have appointments. It can be a meeting, an interview or an event. Most of the time, your host/partner may afraid that you don’t remember having an appointment, or you don’t take it seriously or wonder whether you would come or not. Whatever the case is, we should confirm appointments via email to make sure about it. This action, though small, shows reliability, respect, and professionalism as long as adds interactions with clients and prospects that will help you grow your business.

So whom are we writing to? The recipients are definitely the person you have a business meeting with. But that’s not all. Occasionally you can send to their secretary if he/she has one.

Types of confirmation

In different situations, we will have different types of meeting confirmation email:

• Business meeting confirmation letter: this type is always used between partners
• Interview confirmation letter: sent to the Human Resources department in order to attest the presence to an interview
• Event attending confirmation letter: when you are a guest who got invited to an event and the host wants to know exactly if you will come or not.
• etc
  

Format of a meeting confirmation email

Good news is that writing an appointment confirmation email is not as hard as writing an appointment setting mail (we can insert a blog post here if we have one ^^). But it’s not a piece of cake, either.

You can follow this step-by-step guideline to write a formal meeting confirmation email:

1. Beginning

You should use the proper salutation and the person’s name and title. The generally accepted format is:

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms./Dr./… followed by their last name.

The email could be sent into that person’s or their secretary’s email address. However, you absolutely still have to write his/her name who you are going to meet here.

2. Confirm details of the appointment

You’d better quickly get straight to the point. Outline immediately specifically details of what you are confirming in this email: dates, times, and location. No introductory or pleasantries needed here.

Common ways to start these paragraphs are:

I am writing to confirm….

I would like to confirm….

This letter is to confirm…

or I am happy to confirm….

The details:

I would like to confirm our meeting tomorrow August 7th at 10 am.
We will meet at Lintel, Office 12 on the ground floor at Smith Street, Singapore.

1. Address other details (optional)

You can write any other details that might be relevant or need to be confirmed. It can either be in the same paragraph or the next paragraph. This will help prevent any misunderstandings with what has been agreed upon and also clarify what is expected of you.

Moreover, there’s another thing that not many people notice. Confirmation emails are not only to confirm an appointment but also serve as a paper trail, a proof of the correspondence sometimes. In case a problem or misunderstanding arises, we will have something to discuss.

1. Ask for a follow up (optional)

The last paragraph of a meeting confirmation email should encourage the recipient to contact you if they need to. This will show your care and politeness. Offer them the opportunity to change the proposed date and time.

For instance:

Please inform me if you need additional information…

or

Please respond if you need to add…

1. Finish the mail

Of course, you have to say “thank you” to the recipient. You can also use terms such as Sincerely, Thank you, Regards, or Respectfully.

For business emails, remember to use your full name.

An example for you:

Now imagine you are a big boss who is going to have a very important business meeting with another big boss.

Dear Ms.Gomez,

I am writing to confirm our meeting appointment which we made over the phone the other day. We agreed to meet at Sofitel Hotel on August 10, at 9:30 p.m.

Please contact me at 09xx-xxxxx or reply directly to this mail if we need to change anything about the time or location. Feel free to call me or my secretary if you have any question. I would be ready to give necessary assistance.

I look forward to meeting you this Friday.

Regards,

Justin Bieber
CEO
VVV Entertainment

Still haven’t figured it out? The example above doesn’t fit your case? Luckily, we have another for you:

Dear Clinton,

This is a special reminder to confirm your meeting with Richard Joja tomorrow August 22th by 10 am. He will meet you at your office.

Contact me if necessary. Thank you and have a great meeting.

Respectfully,
Michelle Lee
Administrative Assistant to Richard Joja, B’in Limited’s CEO

Now it’s time to TAKE NOTES:

1 – Be clear

This kind of mail is not something too complicated or difficult. There’s absolutely no need to be creative or to feature extravagant language. We only should come out clear to assure our recipient that we will meet with him or her at a particular time and location.

2 – Write it short and simple

Just be brief and specific when confirming an appointment via email. No one wants to read a long email because we all have tons of things to do every day. They may lose interest and consequently lose the message (except when you have other things to say but then it’s not simply a confirmation email anymore). As you can see our appointment confirmation email sample above is only about 100-word length.

3 – Be Detailed

This note is not against the previous one. In the above example, Gomez has every information it takes to get to Bieber on time. She can contact him or his assistant on the phone or email if there is any unexpected problem.

4 – When to send it?

We suggest sending this type of email around noon on the day before the anticipated appointment. Remember not to send is too soon (they may forget) or too late (they might not make it in emergency cases)

If you’re looking for how to get writing business email skills, I advise that you learn format words and phrases first. To learn new words fast, there’s no way besides see them right in front of your eyes every day. Some cool app like eJOY may help you like it has helped thousands.

Install eJOY eXtension to Chrome FREE!

If you want to read more useful posts like this one take a look at the topic of Business English on eJOY blog.

When it comes to almost any kind of business, you need to know how to confirm an email. Every now and then, you will need to send out an appointment confirmation email or reply to meeting confirmation email.

And yes, there is a right and a wrong way to do it.

If you are not sure how to confirm an appointment, you have come to the right place because we are about to give you some basic tips.

We will help you understand how to confirm appointments, we’ll show you confirmation email sample, and we’ll explain how to write meeting confirmation emails.

So let’s get straight to the point!

Why is Appointment Confirmation Email Important?

There are many reasons why confirmed appointments are important. By confirming an appointment, you let the host know you are taking the meeting seriously. It also lets them know you are available.

Sometimes it even happens that the host forgets they have made an appointment and an appt confirmation email is a great way to remind them. That’s why we value these emails within Amelia, the WordPress booking plugin we created (You should check it out, btw).

Let’s imagine several different scenarios to explain why the process of confirming appointments is important.

First, imagine that you send an appointment email to your client yet you don’t receive an appointment confirmation text. When the time of the appointment comes, the client is no-show. You have wasted your time and you have a gap in the schedule that could have been filled with a meeting with another client.

If something like this happens multiple times a month, just imagine all the lost revenue at the end of the month. Confirmed appointment saves you both time and money.

Another important thing to keep in mind whenever you run a business is the level of efficiency. If you plan ahead and make the most out of your time, you will operate more efficiently and it will pay out in the long run. Confirmation appointment allows you to do that.

Consider using a text reminder app or an appt reminder app to always know when your appointments are scheduled. Not only does that give you a better idea of when all your meetings are supposed to take place but it also gives you time to prepare for them properly.

With that in mind, imagine a situation where you have taken the time to prepare for the meeting as well as for the meeting itself and the other party does not show up. It would disrupt your workflow, you would waste your time, and you would have a gap in your schedule.

For all the reasons mentioned above and for many more, it is important to send out appointment confirmation emails whenever possible. Of course, you could also confirm an appointment via phone. However, even if you do that, it is a good idea to send text confirmation as well. Apart from it being a good reminder, it is always good to have those things “on paper”.

How to Write a Confirmation Letter / Email?

Here are some basic tips that will teach you how to confirm appt via email. We will also show you a useful confirmation email template.

Keep it Short and Clear

When you want to make an appointment email, you need to keep it short and clear. Clarity is a sign of professionalism and it makes your meeting confirmation effective. If you make it too long, the most important details will get buried under a lot of unnecessary information.

An example would be this one that can be sent automatically with Amelia, our WordPress booking plugin (click the image to see more info about our plugin).

Example II: Confirming Email Sample

RE: confirmation of appointment with JOHN FOND

Dear Mr. Stevens,

I would like to confirm your appointment with John Fond tomorrow, September 21st at 2 pm. Please contact me with any questions and keep me informed if there should be any changes.

Regards,

Ava Stone,

Secretary, Fond & Associates

Use It as a Reminder

An appointment confirmation email is a great way to remind the other party when and where the appointment is supposed to take place. Appointment emails should always include the specific date, time, and place. Think of them as the free text reminders.

Example II: Confirmed Email Sample

RE: Jane Smith – Appointment Confirmation

Dear Mark,

This is a special reminder to confirm your meeting with Jane Smith tomorrow May 2nd at 11 am.

Your meeting is scheduled to hold at Lintel Scraps, Office 12 on the ground floor at Lanceman Street, Mainland China. The place is accessible by cabs.

This is Jane’s cell phone number, just in case, +98157479837.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any question. I would be ready to give necessary assistance.

Thank you and have a great meeting.

Best Regards,

Alice Maxwell

Administrative Assistant to Jane Smith, Lintel Scraps Limited

You should also consider using an appointment reminder app to always keep track of your schedule and the meetings you are supposed to attend. Or you can use a booking app like Amelia that has that integrated.

Stick to the Point

One of the main things to keep in mind when thinking about how to confirm a meeting is to always stick to the point. Don’t waste any time and get to the point immediately. Nobody wants to scroll down through a lot of insignificant text and information to finally get to the important bits.

You should confirm an appointment one day before the meeting itself. Keep the email short, clear, concise, friendly, and informative. Stick to the vital information and keep the tone professional.

3 Basic Types of Appointment Confirmation Emails

Here are appointment confirmation email samples for 3 types of appointment emails that the clients usually receive. Let’s take a look at them:

1. New Appointment by Client

When the client books themselves for a meeting, this type of appointment e mail is sent to them for confirming an appointment.

Let’s take a look at appointment confirmation email sample used when the new appointment is made by client:

This email confirms your ___________(Service Name) appointment on______________(Date & Time) with______________ (Staff Name) at_______________ (Location). If you have any additional questions, use the contact details below to get in touch with us.

To cancel or reschedule your appointment before the scheduled time, please click: Manage Appointment URL

Thanks for booking with__________ (Business Name)!

Location Name Address:

Address Line 1,

Address Line 2

Location City, Location State, Location Zip

Location Directions

You can contact us at:

Staff Signature Section

1. New Appointment by Staff

When the staff person schedules an appointment for the client, this type of email is sent to confirm the appointment.

Meeting confirmation email sample:

Hey__________(First Name of the Client),

Our staff member has confirmed you for a___________ (Service Name) appointment on______________ (Date & Time) with____________ (Staff Name) at__________ (Location Name). If you have questions before your appointment, use the contact details below to get in touch with us.

To cancel or reschedule your appointment before the scheduled time, please click: Manage Appointment URL

Thanks for scheduling with Business Name!

Location Name Address:

Location Address Line 1

Location Address Line 2

Location City, State Zip

Location Directions

Staff Signature section

1. New Repeating Appointments by Staff

When the staff person schedules a repeating appointment with a client, this type of email is sent to confirm the appointment.

Confirm email template:

Hey__________(Client’s Name),

This email confirms your appointments for____________ (Service Name) with____________(Staff Name) at____________ (Location Name) on______________(Start Date – End Date Start Date) on _______________ (Days of the Week) at______________(Time).

You will get an individual reminder email before each scheduled appointment. If you have questions before your appointment, us the contact details below to get in touch with us.

Thanks for scheduling with Business Name!

Location Name Address:

Location Address Line 1

Location Address Line 2

Location City, State Zip

Location Directions

Staff Signature section

Ending thoughts on writing an appointment confirmation email

So how to write an appointment confirmation email for your client?

There are several different ways to do that but you should always stick to the basic principles of professional communication. Keep things clear, concise, and brief, and always respond in a timely matter.

An appointment confirmation email or a reply to a meeting confirmation email is really helpful to your clients. One of the smarter ways to do it is to automate these responsibilities. Amelia is an online booking plugin with integrated appointment confirmation which saves you time and makes online booking a breeze. Here’s how easy it is to set notifications within Amelia:

Use reminder texts app or another kind of free text reminder service to always keep track of your confirmed appointments. Use the appointment reminder email template we provided above if you are still not sure how to send a reminder text. Take a look at all the features you can take advantage of with Amelia WordPress Booking plugin to handle bookings in a professional manner.

If you enjoyed reading this article about appointment confirmation email techniques, you should also read these:

AppointmentEmail

While I appreciate Calendly's desire to minimize back and forth between service provider and customer, the problem for me lies in something Calendly cannot control.

What if a customer chooses a time I have forgotten to mark as unavailable on my calendar? It looks worse to the customer if they choose a time that’s available on my Calendly calendar that has become unavailable on my end for some reason. I then have to reach out to them outside the Calendly system and then ask them to go back in and select another time. The optics on this are far worse than the necessary back and forth if I forget to put something on my calendar which does occasionally happen.

The confirmation process, which can be via email or text, give me a safeguard so that I can check my availability one last time and confirm with the customer. I have seen many others make similar requests of Calendly and I am saddened and concerned that for some reason this need is not being addressed. The customers need matters much more than Calendly’s belief about the need.

One of the things that frustrates me about booking venues for workshops and training sessions is the way event coordinators manage space requirements.  There seems to be a pattern to how event coordinators determine the space your group needs.  For the most part the intentions of the event coordinators are well meaning.  However, there are some fundamental challenges which I sometimes get bitten by when requests are not made strongly enough ahead of delivering a workshop or training session.  Here are a list of challenges that we at CE often face:

• The number of participants and room configuration results in being cramped in a small room.
• Not demanding windows for natural light likely gets you into a “dungeon” room.
• Walls are often not accommodating for hanging post-it notes or table work outputs (i.e. flip chart artefacts)
• The room is reasonably priced but beware of extortionist catering charges!
• A/V charges still remain quite high in many venues.

Now we are getting much better at booking venues by following a set of heuristics.  Note that these are primarily appropriate for workshop or training sessions that use complexity facilitation approaches and CE methods but I’m sure they are appropriate for other sessions requiring similar venue characteristics:

1. Always book a room for 2 or 3 times the number of participants.  Then when you adjust catering and other session requirements needing you to disclose actual numbers say you need the extra space and keep the large room.
2. Pay attention to ceiling height as this does help with smaller spaces if you need to make compromises.
3. Always request round tables and ask for water and candy bowls to be placed at the back of rooms rather than on tables (I can’t believe how many times this request is not satisfied!)
4. Before booking ask for a couple photos and request the event coordinator to confirm that there is open wall or window space for wall exercises.  For walls ask them to test if post-it notes stick well to walls (avoid textured wall paper at all costs!)
5. Always, always, always request a room with windows.
6. Arrive early to move tables around and rearrange the room.  Even detailed layouts communicated by email and/or diagram are often misinterpreted.

Now I’m sure other facilitators and trainers have other tips to add (please share if you do) but these seem to be some basic ones that we go to frequently now.  We have learned through some errors and mistakes in past bookings, many of which were due to assumptions, however from time to time you also get burned.  The photo on the right is from an event held at a Westin in Washington, DC and we unfortunately realised the extortionist cost of tea and coffee refreshes too late on day one to recover.  At the end of the day when I had to approve the catering charges I realised that on both tea/coffee breaks we were being charged a fixed price of $85 for each break for the tea refresh alone not including coffee!  Alarmed by this ridiculous fee I checked with the participants at the end of the day how many cups of tea were consumed… the answer was 3!  Now contrast this to a very positive experience this week of hosting our training session at the Canadian Management Centre in Toronto we paid a flat fee of $45 per participant for a full day meal package.  Our participants were given UNLIMITED access all day long to tea, coffee, filtered water, and soft drinks.  The room was great too!