Why Your Appointment Custom Values Aren't Working

If your tour appointment custom values like {{appointment.start_time}} aren't appearing in your messages, or your appointment reminder automations aren't firing at the right time, here's what's happening and how to fix it.

The Problem

Enrollio needs to know which specific appointment you're referring to. If you're using the wrong trigger in your automation, the platform can't pull appointment details like start time, parent name, or calendar link.

Common symptoms:

  • Appointment custom values appear blank in test emails
  • Reminder messages send at the wrong time
  • "Add to Calendar" links don't work in test messages

The Solution: Use the Right Automation Trigger

Always use one of these triggers when working with appointment data:

  • Appointment Booked — fires when any appointment is scheduled
  • Customer Booked Appointment — fires when a parent books their own tour online

[SCREENSHOT: Automation trigger selection showing "Appointment Booked" and "Customer Booked Appointment" options highlighted]

Don't use: Enrollment Pipeline stage changed or other non-appointment triggers. When you use those, Enrollio has no way to connect the automation to a specific tour appointment.

Pro Tip: You can't test appointment custom values by manually adding a parent to an automation or sending a test email. You must book an actual test appointment for the values to populate correctly.

Manually Adding Parents to Appointment Reminders

If you need to manually add a parent to an appointment reminder automation, make sure you select the appointment start time as the event start date. This ensures reminders go out at the correct intervals.

[SCREENSHOT: Manual automation enrollment showing appointment start time field selection]

How to Handle Rescheduling

When a parent needs to reschedule their tour, you have two options:

Manual Rescheduling (You Do It)

  1. Open the parent's record
  2. Click the Appointments tab on the right
  3. Change the appointment status from Confirmed to Reschedule

This automatically removes the parent from the original appointment reminder automation and re-adds them with the new tour time.

[SCREENSHOT: Appointments tab showing status dropdown with "Reschedule" option]

Self-Service Rescheduling (Parents Do It)

Give parents the ability to reschedule themselves by including a reschedule link in your confirmation and reminder messages.

To add a reschedule link:

  1. Open your appointment confirmation or reminder automation
  2. Click into your email or text message
  3. Click Custom Values
  4. Select Appointment Reschedule Link

When parents click this link, they'll see available time slots and can pick a new tour time. The system handles updating reminders automatically.

[SCREENSHOT: Custom values dropdown showing appointment-related options including reschedule link]

Testing Your Setup

Remember: The only way to properly test appointment custom values is to book a real test appointment. Use your own contact information and schedule a tour to see exactly what your parents will experience.

Important: Test emails and manual automation adds won't show appointment custom values correctly. Always book a test appointment to verify your messages look right.