How to Send Booking Confirmation and Reminder Emails

If you're building a booking or scheduling tool with Claude Code, two kinds of email do most of the work after someone books: the booking confirmation email and the reminders that follow. They confirm the slot and bring people back on the day.

This guide covers what each email needs, calendar attachments, reminder timing, what to tell Claude Code and sample emails. For the full list of emails a SaaS usually sends, see 12 transactional emails every SaaS needs.

What should a booking confirmation email include?

A booking confirmation email needs everything the person would otherwise have to look up, and it should go out the moment the booking is saved. It's a transactional email, meaning an automatic message triggered by something the person did, so they expect it right away.

If people can book from anywhere, ask Claude Code to save each customer's time zone with the booking so every email uses it.

Make the subject line specific, with the service, date and time. If people pay when they book, the confirmation can double as a receipt; see order confirmation and receipt emails for what to add.

Should you add a calendar attachment?

Yes, for most booking tools. A calendar attachment is a small file ending in .ics, written in a standard format called iCalendar. Most calendar programs, including Google Calendar, can open it, so the customer adds the booking in a click or two.

There are two styles of calendar file:

If you don't need replies, the event style is simpler. Tell Claude Code which you want.

Two details make calendar files behave well:

• Each booking keeps the same ID. When a booking changes, a new file with the same ID and a higher revision number tells the calendar to update the existing event rather than add a second one.
• Times carry a time zone. The format lets a time be tied to a named time zone or to universal time (UTC). A time with neither "floats" and can show at the wrong hour for someone in another place.

You won't write any of this; it's what to check when you test. For more on sending files by email, see how to send emails with attachments.

When should reminder emails go out?

A common pattern is one reminder the day before and another an hour or two before. Here's a typical set of booking emails:

Nothing the customer does triggers a reminder, so your project has to check regularly for upcoming bookings. Claude Code sets this up as a scheduled job, a small task your project runs automatically, for example every 15 minutes.

Two rules worth asking for:

• Skip reminders for last-minute bookings, so nobody gets two emails seconds apart.
• Never send a reminder for a booking that's been canceled.

For more on timing, see when to send each transactional email.

What to tell Claude Code

Brief Claude Code the way you'd brief a developer on your team. It reaches SimpleSends through a connector, a link that lets it use an outside service while you build. The connector is an MCP server; MCP is the standard Claude Code uses to work with outside tools. If SimpleSends isn't connected yet:

1. Sign up on the SimpleSends website and follow the steps there to set up the email address you'll send from. To send from your own domain, this includes adding a few DNS records where your domain is registered. (DNS records are settings that tell the internet which services can send mail for your domain.)
2. In Claude Code, open Customize, then Connectors, choose Add, then Add custom connector. Name: SimpleSends. MCP server URL: https://mcp.simplesends.com/mcp
3. When Claude prompts you to connect, log in to SimpleSends.
4. Back in the Claude Code chat, tell Claude Code: "I've connected SimpleSends for all transactional email." It takes it from there, including adding what your project needs to send email.

Then describe the confirmation:

When someone books an appointment, send them a booking confirmation email right away. Include what they booked, who it's with, the date and time in their time zone, the address or video link, and links to reschedule or cancel. Attach a calendar file they can add to their calendar. Keep it short and friendly, in our brand colors. Show me a preview before you switch it on.

Expect a preview in the chat. Ask for changes in plain words until it looks right.

Then the reminders and changes:

Send a reminder email 24 hours before each appointment and another one hour before. Don't send reminders for bookings made less than two hours ahead, or for canceled bookings. If someone reschedules, send a confirmation with the new time and a calendar file that updates the original event. If they cancel, confirm it and include a link to book again.

Claude Code sets up the scheduled check and writes the reminder and change emails.

Sample booking confirmation email

Use these as a starting point, or show them to Claude Code as a tone example.

SubjectYou're booked: Strategy call, Thu Oct 15 at 2:00 PM ET

Hi Sam,

Your strategy call with Alex is confirmed.

When: Thursday, October 15, 2:00–2:30 PM (Eastern Time) Where: Video call. Join here: [link] Booking reference: BK-4821

We've attached a calendar file so you can add this to your calendar.

Need to change something? Reschedule or cancel up to 24 hours before: [link]

See you then, The YourCompany team hello@yourcompany.com

SubjectTomorrow at 2:00 PM ET: your strategy call

Hi Sam,

A reminder that your call with Alex is tomorrow, Thursday, October 15, at 2:00 PM Eastern Time.

Join here: [link]

Can't make it? Reschedule or cancel here: [link]

The YourCompany team

How to test before real customers book

Send every email to yourself first. Check the time zone, that the calendar file opens in the calendars your customers use, and every link. Reschedule one test booking to make sure the event moves instead of appearing twice.

Make three test bookings for me: one tomorrow, one next week, and one that I then reschedule. Send every email to my address, including the reminders, so I can see them now rather than waiting. Then tell me what was sent and when.

With SimpleSends connected, Claude Code can send test emails from the chat and read your send logs, so it can tell you whether each email went out and help work out why one didn't. Once you're live, real emails go out from your project on their own. See how to test your emails before your users see them and how to check whether your emails actually sent.