n8n Appointment Reminder Workflow: Google Sheets + WhatsApp/Email

Send appointment reminders automatically—WhatsApp or email—just in time

This n8n Appointment Reminder Workflow checks upcoming appointments every 6 hours, generates the right reminder message (based on how soon the appointment starts), and routes same-day reminders into a separate priority dispatch lane for WhatsApp or email. Perfect for n8n users who want reliable, scheduled appointment nudges.

What this workflow does

• Runs on a schedule every 6 hours using a Schedule Trigger.
• Loads appointment records from the built-in demo data (or from Google Sheets when enabled).
• Filters appointments starting within the next 48 hours and prepares reminder content for each record.
• Uses shorter templates for urgent reminders—appointments within 3 hours receive a different, more immediate message.
• Targets the correct channel per record using each item’s channel_preference:
  • WhatsApp reminders go to the phone field
  • Email reminders go to the email field
• Splits same-day vs upcoming reminders so you can handle urgent messages separately.
• Labels each reminder with a dispatch queue and timestamp so you can connect your WhatsApp and email sending steps cleanly.

Use cases

• Demo and test an appointment reminder flow in n8n using the built-in sample data.
• Drive reminders from a SaaS admin Google Sheets export (appointments, customer details, and timing).
• Ensure same-day appointment alerts receive special priority before sending via WhatsApp/Email integrations.

Technical details

• Schedule Trigger (runs every 6 hours)
• Google Sheets node (optional; requires credentials, spreadsheet ID, sheet name)
• if node (channel and time-window logic)
• code node (message preparation and routing metadata)
• sticky note (workflow documentation)

Google Sheets columns expected: appointment_id, customer_name, phone, email, starts_at (ISO), practitioner, treatment, channel_preference. Adjust reminder windows and message text in the message-building step to match your process.