Most articles about SMS timing give you generic advice like "send between 10am-2pm" or "avoid weekends" and call it a day. That guidance might work for some campaigns while killing performance for others. The reason: timing depends on what you're sending, not just when people might be available to read texts.
An appointment reminder sent at 7am the morning of the appointment works perfectly. The same 7am send time for a promotional campaign about your spring special feels intrusive and annoying. An emergency service confirmation needs to go out immediately regardless of time. A quote follow-up performs best 2-3 days after you provided the quote, whenever that falls on the calendar.
This guide shows you how to determine optimal send times based on message type and purpose. We'll cover the six main SMS categories service businesses use (appointment reminders, promotional campaigns, quote follow-ups, emergency messages, post-service follow-ups, and seasonal reminders), the timing strategy for each, and how to test what works specifically for your audience. These principles apply whether you're texting 50 dental patients or 5,000 HVAC customers.
The standard SMS timing advice you'll find everywhere says to send messages between 10am-2pm on weekdays, avoid early mornings and late evenings, and skip weekends entirely. This generic framework ignores what actually drives SMS engagement: whether the recipient needs or wants the information at that specific moment.
Here's what happens when you blindly follow generic timing rules:
Your dental practice sends appointment reminders at 11am because that's "optimal send time." But your patients work 9-5 jobs. They see the reminder during their lunch break, think "I'll confirm later," and forget. A 6pm reminder when they're home would get immediate confirmation.
Your HVAC company sends a spring tune-up promotion at 2pm Tuesday because articles say Tuesday afternoon performs best. Your residential customers are at work, barely glance at the message, and delete it. A weekend morning when they're thinking about home projects would drive more bookings.
Your plumbing business avoids texting after 6pm per "best practices." But when someone's pipe bursts at 8pm and you texted them about your emergency services last week, they can't find your message because you weren't texting when they actually needed you.
The problem isn't the specific times. It's applying one-size-fits-all timing to fundamentally different message types that serve different purposes and require different recipient mindsets.
What actually determines optimal SMS timing:
Message purpose (why you're sending it) matters more than any other factor. An appointment reminder serves a different purpose than a promotional campaign. Different purposes require different timing strategies.
Recipient's daily schedule and when they can actually act on your message. A homeowner can't book an HVAC service call while they're in a meeting at work, but they can after work or on weekends.
Urgency level and time sensitivity of the information. Emergency messages go immediately. Promotional campaigns can be strategically scheduled for maximum attention.
Industry-specific customer behavior patterns. Healthcare patients interact with texts differently than restaurant customers or B2B buyers.
The relationship between message timing and the action you want them to take. If you need immediate booking, send when people can actually call or respond. If you're building awareness, timing is more flexible.
A pest control company tested this by segmenting their customer base and sending the same promotional campaign at different times to different groups. 10am weekday group: 8% response rate. 7pm weekday group: 14% response rate. Saturday 9am group: 19% response rate. Same message, same offer, drastically different results based solely on timing. The weekend morning timing caught homeowners when they were actually thinking about home maintenance projects.
Appointment reminders have clear timing rules because their purpose is specific: confirm the appointment and reduce no-shows. The optimal timing connects directly to when the appointment occurs and how much advance notice the customer needs.
24-48 hour advance reminders
For standard scheduled appointments (dental cleanings, HVAC maintenance, routine services), send the first reminder 24-48 hours before the appointment time.
Best send time: Late afternoon or early evening (4-7pm) the day before or two days before.
Why this works: People are winding down from work, checking their schedule for the next day or two, and can actually take action if they need to reschedule. A noon reminder might get ignored during the work day. An evening reminder gets attention when people are planning.
Example timing:
A dental practice tested three timing approaches for their 24-hour reminders. 10am send time: 72% confirmation rate. 3pm send time: 78% confirmation rate. 6pm send time: 84% confirmation rate. The evening timing gave patients time to see and act on the reminder after work.
Same-day reminders
For appointments happening today, send a reminder 2-4 hours before appointment time.
Best send time: Morning (7-9am) for afternoon appointments, early afternoon (1-2pm) for evening appointments.
Why this works: Gives customers time to adjust their schedule if needed but creates appropriate urgency. Too early and they might forget again. Too close to appointment time and they can't make alternative arrangements if needed.
Example timing:
First appointment reminders
New customers need more lead time and more information than repeat customers. Send first appointment reminders 48-72 hours in advance, ideally with more details about what to expect, where to park, how long it takes.
Best send time: Evening (6-8pm) 2-3 days before so they have time to prepare.
Emergency or urgent appointments
Confirmations for emergency service calls should go out immediately upon booking, regardless of time of day. If someone calls at 9pm about a plumbing emergency and you're sending a technician, confirm immediately: "Emergency plumber on the way. Should arrive by 10pm. Call XXX-XXX-XXXX with questions."
Time-based best practices don't apply to emergency confirmations. Speed matters more than optimal timing windows.
Promotional campaigns (seasonal specials, new service announcements, limited-time offers) need timing that aligns with when customers actually consider purchasing your services. This varies significantly by industry and customer type.
Residential service businesses (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest control)
Best days: Saturday and Sunday mornings (9am-12pm) Secondary: Weekday evenings (6-8pm) Avoid: Weekday business hours (9am-5pm), very early mornings, late evenings
Why this works: Homeowners think about home maintenance projects on weekends when they're home and can actually assess what needs to be done. They're not distracted by work. Weekend mornings catch people when they're making plans for the day or week ahead.
Example: Spring HVAC tune-up special sent Saturday 10am generates 24% higher response rate than the same message sent Tuesday 2pm, based on data from multiple contractors.
Healthcare (dental, chiropractic, medical practices)
Best days: Tuesday-Thursday Best times: Late afternoon/early evening (5-7pm) or mid-morning (10am-12pm) Avoid: Monday mornings (people are busy), Friday afternoons (weekend mindset), Sunday evenings
Why this works: Healthcare decisions happen when people have mental space to think about their health, not when they're stressed or rushed. Mid-week timing with evening delivery catches people when they can actually call to book appointments.
Hospitality (hotels, restaurants)
Best days: Thursday-Sunday for weekend promotions, Tuesday-Wednesday for weekday offers Best times: Lunch hour (11am-1pm) and evening (6-8pm) Avoid: Monday (people recovering from weekend), very early mornings
Why this works: Hospitality purchases are often spontaneous or near-term. Thursday evening texts about weekend specials catch people making weekend plans. Lunch-hour texts catch people thinking about where to eat.
Professional services (accounting, legal, consulting) and B2B
Best days: Tuesday-Thursday Best times: Mid-morning (9-11am) or early afternoon (1-3pm) Avoid: Monday mornings, Friday afternoons, weekends, before/after business hours
Why this works: Business decisions happen during business hours. Professional services buyers are at their desks, can forward messages to decision-makers, and can take immediate action during work hours. Weekend texts to business contacts typically get ignored.
Time-sensitive promotional campaigns
For offers with true urgency (last 3 spots available, ends today, limited inventory), send during peak response times regardless of day:
For campaigns building awareness without immediate urgency (new service launch, seasonal availability opening up), timing is more flexible. Focus on when your audience is receptive rather than trying to manufacture urgency through timing.
A cleaning service company tested their promotional campaigns over 6 months. Weekday afternoon sends (2-4pm): 6% response rate. Weekday evening sends (6-8pm): 11% response rate. Weekend morning sends (9am-12pm): 17% response rate. They shifted all promotional campaigns to weekend mornings and evening weekdays, nearly tripling campaign effectiveness with the same offers.
Quote follow-up messages walk a fine line. Send too soon and you seem pushy. Wait too long and the customer books with a competitor or forgets about the project entirely. Effective follow-up timing matches the decision timeline for your service type.
First follow-up: 2-3 days after providing quote
Best send time: Late afternoon or early evening (4-7pm) Best days: Any weekday
Why this timing: Gives customers time to review the quote and compare options, but doesn't let them forget. Afternoon/evening timing catches them when they can review the quote and respond.
Message example: "Following up on the AC repair quote from Monday. Any questions about pricing or timeline? We can start this week. Text back or call XXX-XXX-XXXX."
Second follow-up: 5-7 days after quote
Best send time: Mid-morning or early afternoon (10am-2pm) Best days: Tuesday-Thursday
Why this timing: Different time of day than first follow-up (increases chance they're available). Mid-week timing suggests you're still available without seeming desperate.
Final follow-up: 10-14 days after quote
Best send time: Morning (9-11am) Best days: Early week (Monday-Tuesday)
Why this timing: Last attempt to capture the business. Morning, early-week timing is less aggressive than evening or weekend follow-up. Message should acknowledge this is final contact.
Message example: "Last follow-up on your electrical panel upgrade quote. Offer still stands. Text or call when you're ready. No pressure if timing doesn't work now."
High-value project follow-ups
For expensive services ($2,000+), customers need more decision time. Adjust follow-up schedule:
The timeline reflects realistic decision-making for significant purchases.
Emergency service quote follow-ups
For emergency repairs where quote was provided on-site, follow up within 24 hours if they didn't book immediately:
Best timing: Next morning (9-11am) or next evening (6-8pm)
Message should check satisfaction with emergency service and confirm whether they want to proceed with quoted repair work.
An electrical contractor tracked quote-to-booking conversion by follow-up timing. No follow-up: 22% conversion. Follow-up sent same day as quote: 19% conversion (too pushy). Follow-up sent 2-3 days later during evening hours: 38% conversion. Follow-up sent 7+ days later: 31% conversion. The 2-3 day, evening timing hit the sweet spot between too soon and too late.
Some messages need to go out immediately regardless of whether it's 2pm or 2am. These include emergency service confirmations, urgent schedule changes, and time-critical updates.
Emergency service confirmations
Send immediately upon booking, 24/7 regardless of time.
Message should include: technician ETA, contact number, what customer should do while waiting (if applicable).
Example: "Emergency plumber on the way. Arriving approximately 10:15pm. If situation worsens, call XXX-XXX-XXXX immediately."
Running late notifications
Send as soon as you know you'll be late, regardless of time.
Customers value honesty about delays. Immediate notification shows respect for their time and gives them options to reschedule if the delay doesn't work.
Example: "Running 30 minutes behind schedule. Now arriving around 2:45pm instead of 2:15pm. Still work for you? Text back if you need to reschedule."
Service completion urgent items
If you complete service and discover an urgent issue requiring immediate attention, text right away even if it's outside normal business hours.
Example: "Completed your HVAC service today. Found a critical issue with your gas line that needs immediate attention. Please call XXX-XXX-XXXX tonight so we can discuss."
Appointment cancellations
If you need to cancel an appointment (technician sick, emergency at another job, etc.), notify immediately regardless of timing. The earlier the customer knows, the better they can adjust their schedule.
Weather-related schedule changes
When weather forces schedule changes (can't safely work on roofs, flooding prevents access, extreme cold delays concrete work), text immediately when you make the decision, even if it's early morning or evening.
For emergency and time-critical messages, speed matters infinitely more than optimal timing windows. Customers understand and appreciate immediate notification about urgent matters.
Post-service messages aim to check satisfaction, gather reviews, and maintain relationships. Timing these messages correctly catches customers when they're most likely to provide feedback or take requested actions.
Satisfaction checks
Send 24-48 hours after service completion.
Best timing: Evening (6-8pm) one day after service
Why this works: Customer has had time to verify everything works properly but satisfaction is still fresh. Evening timing catches them when they're home and can evaluate your work.
Example: "How's everything working after yesterday's AC repair? Any issues at all, call me directly at XXX-XXX-XXXX."
Review requests
Send 48-72 hours after service completion, only if you haven't received any complaints or issues.
Best timing: Late afternoon or evening (5-8pm) 2-3 days after service
Why this works: Enough time has passed to confirm the work was done well. Customer hasn't forgotten about you yet. Evening timing gives them time to write a review.
Example: "Hope everything's working great after Wednesday's service. If we did excellent work, we'd really appreciate a Google review: [link]. Thanks for your business!"
Additional service opportunities
For services where additional work was discussed but not booked, follow up 5-7 days after initial service.
Best timing: Weekend mornings (9am-12pm) for residential, mid-week mornings (9-11am) for commercial
Example: "We completed your drain cleaning last week. Still thinking about that water heater replacement we discussed? We can schedule it anytime this month."
A plumbing company tested post-service review request timing. Same-day request: 12% review completion rate (too soon, customers haven't verified work). 48-hour request: 31% review completion rate. 7-day request: 19% review completion rate (satisfaction less fresh, customer has moved on). The 48-hour timing consistently generated the most reviews.
Seasonal service reminders and maintenance program messages need timing that connects to when customers actually think about and need the service, not just when it's convenient for you to send.
Pre-season reminders
Send 4-6 weeks before season starts.
Example timing for HVAC:
Best send time: Weekend mornings (9am-12pm) for residential, Tuesday-Thursday mornings (9-11am) for commercial
Why this works: Gives customers time to schedule before the rush, catches them when they're thinking ahead about seasonal needs.
Storm season preparation
For generators, backup systems, storm-related services, send 6-8 weeks before typical storm season in your region.
Best timing: Weekend mornings when homeowners are thinking about home preparedness
Annual maintenance reminders
Send based on when service was last performed, typically 11-12 months after last service.
Best timing: Weekend mornings for residential customers (they're home, can assess whether maintenance is needed), mid-week mornings for commercial accounts
Quarterly service reminders
For pest control, pool service, HVAC quarterly maintenance, send 1-2 weeks before service is due.
Best timing: Depends on customer type. Residential: weekend mornings. Commercial: Tuesday-Thursday mornings.
Holiday-related services
For services tied to holidays (lighting installation, generator testing before Thanksgiving, HVAC checks before hosting season), send 6-8 weeks before the holiday.
Example: Outdoor holiday lighting services should be promoted in early-mid October, not late November when customers have already made plans or hired competitors.
A pest control company optimized their quarterly reminder timing by testing different advance windows. 1-week advance reminder: 48% booking rate. 2-week advance reminder: 61% booking rate. 3-week advance reminder: 52% booking rate. The 2-week window gave customers enough time to plan without so much time they forgot or booked elsewhere.
Beyond time of day, the day of week significantly impacts campaign performance. Different days suit different message types and customer mindsets.
Best days for promotional campaigns:
Saturday and Sunday: Best for residential service businesses (home maintenance is on their mind), restaurants and hospitality (planning weekend activities)
Tuesday-Thursday: Best for B2B and professional services (active decision-making days), healthcare (scheduling appointments mid-week)
Monday: Generally avoid for promotional campaigns. People are catching up from the weekend and are less receptive to marketing.
Friday: Mixed results. Residential customers may be in weekend mode (good for hospitality, less good for home services). Business customers are wrapping up the week (lower engagement).
Best days for transactional messages:
Appointment reminders: Send 24 hours before appointment regardless of day. Exception: For Monday appointments, send Sunday evening rather than Sunday afternoon.
Quote follow-ups: Tuesday-Thursday work best. Avoid Monday (people busy catching up) and Friday (weekend mindset).
Post-service messages: Send 24-48 hours after service regardless of which day that falls on.
Weekend texting considerations:
For residential customers: Weekends often outperform weekdays for promotional campaigns because customers are home, thinking about home projects, and not distracted by work.
For business customers: Avoid weekends entirely unless it's truly urgent. Business contacts don't want marketing texts on their days off.
For appointment reminders: Send regardless of whether reminder timing falls on weekend. An appointment reminder is helpful regardless of day.
Holiday timing:
Major holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Day, July 4th): Avoid promotional campaigns unless your service is holiday-related. Transactional messages (appointment reminders) can still be sent.
Three-day weekends: Saturday and Sunday of a holiday weekend often perform well for residential promotional campaigns. Monday of the holiday weekend typically performs poorly.
Minor holidays: Little impact on SMS timing for most service businesses.
An HVAC company analyzed 12 months of campaign data by day of week. Their promotional campaigns showed clear patterns: Saturday generated 22% response rates, Sunday 19%, Tuesday-Thursday 11-13%, Monday 8%, Friday 9%. They shifted 70% of their promotional budget to weekend campaigns and saw overall campaign ROI increase by 34%.
Generic timing guidelines provide starting points, but your specific customer base might behave differently. Testing reveals what actually works for your audience rather than what works on average across industries.
Set up a basic A/B timing test
Choose one campaign type to test (promotional campaign, quote follow-up, or maintenance reminder). Create the exact same message. Split your audience into equal groups. Send to each group at different times. Track response rate for each timing.
Example test structure:
Run for 30-60 days to collect meaningful data.
What to measure
Response rate: Percentage who reply, click, or take requested action Conversion rate: Percentage who actually book/buy (not just respond) Revenue per message: Total revenue divided by messages sent Opt-out rate: Percentage who unsubscribe after receiving messages at that time
Response rate tells you if timing gets attention. Conversion rate tells you if it drives business. Revenue per message tells you if it's profitable.
Sample size requirements
For reliable results, each timing group needs minimum 200-300 contacts. Smaller tests produce unreliable data. If you don't have enough volume to test three timing options, test two. If you can't test at all due to small list size, follow industry benchmarks from this article.
Variables to test systematically
Don't test multiple variables simultaneously or you won't know what drove results.
Test sequence:
Run each test for 30-60 days before moving to next variable.
Seasonal adjustments
Customer behavior changes seasonally. Summer timing might differ from winter timing for the same message type.
Test timing across seasons:
A dental practice discovered through testing that their optimal appointment reminder time changed seasonally. Winter: 6pm worked best (people home early due to darkness). Summer: 7:30pm worked best (people active later, more evening activities). They adjusted send times quarterly based on seasonal patterns and reduced no-show rate by an additional 8%.
Tracking tools and methods
Use your SMS platform's built-in analytics if available. Track data in a simple spreadsheet if not. Columns needed: Send date, send time, message type, contacts reached, responses, conversions, revenue, opt-outs.
Most SMS platforms provide this data automatically through campaign reports.
While message type matters most, certain industries have consistent timing patterns worth understanding.
Home services industries (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest control, landscaping)
Residential customers: Weekend mornings (9am-12pm) consistently outperform weekdays for promotional campaigns. Weekday evenings (6-8pm) are second best.
Commercial customers: Tuesday-Thursday mornings (9-11am) work best.
Emergency services: Immediate sending 24/7 regardless of time.
Pattern: Residential timing follows when homeowners think about home projects. Commercial timing follows standard business hours.
Healthcare (dental, medical, chiropractic, physical therapy)
Patient appointment reminders: Evening timing (6-8pm) 24 hours before appointment consistently shows best confirmation rates.
Recall reminders: Mid-week (Tue-Thu) late afternoon (4-6pm) drives most appointment bookings.
Promotional health campaigns: Tuesday-Thursday mid-morning (10am-12pm) for working-age patients.
Pattern: Healthcare timing balances professional tone with catching patients outside work hours.
Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, event venues)
Reservation confirmations: Immediate, regardless of time
Pre-arrival messages: 24-48 hours before arrival, afternoon timing (2-5pm)
Promotional campaigns: Thursday-Sunday for weekend offers, Tuesday-Wednesday for weekday offers, lunch hour or early evening
Pattern: Hospitality timing connects to spontaneous decision-making and near-term planning.
Professional services (accounting, legal, consulting)
All business-focused messaging: Tuesday-Thursday, business hours (9am-5pm)
Avoid: Weekends, early mornings, late evenings (professional boundary respect)
Pattern: Professional services timing strictly follows business hours and respects work-life boundaries.
B2B services
Decision-maker communication: Tuesday-Thursday, mid-morning (9-11am) or early afternoon (1-3pm)
Project updates: Business hours any weekday
Avoid: Weekends, before 8am, after 6pm, Mondays before 10am, Fridays after 3pm
Pattern: B2B timing respects business schedules and targets decision-making windows.
Even with good timing strategy, these common mistakes undermine SMS campaign performance:
Mistake 1: Sending everything at the same time
Bad approach: All messages go out at 10am because that's what one article recommended.
Fix: Vary timing by message type. Appointment reminders need different timing than promotional campaigns.
Mistake 2: Ignoring customer daily schedules
Bad approach: Texting homeowners at 2pm Tuesday about home services when they're at work and can't respond or act.
Fix: Time residential messages for evenings and weekends. Time business messages for business hours.
Mistake 3: Following "best practices" without testing
Bad approach: Reading that Tuesday 2pm is optimal and never testing whether Saturday 10am works better for your specific audience.
Fix: Use best practices as starting point, then test your specific customer behavior.
Mistake 4: Over-optimizing around time zones
Bad approach: Spending hours setting up complex timezone detection when all your customers are in one or two neighboring states.
Fix: Use timezone detection for national businesses. Local service businesses can use local time without complexity.
Mistake 5: Blasting campaigns all at once
Bad approach: Sending 5,000 promotional messages simultaneously at whatever time you happen to be available.
Fix: Schedule messages for optimal timing even if that means using scheduling features. Systematic SMS marketing with proper timing outperforms convenient timing.
Mistake 6: Not adjusting for special circumstances
Bad approach: Sending spring promotional campaign during local weather emergency when everyone's focused on the crisis.
Fix: Monitor local events, weather, and circumstances that affect customer receptiveness. Pause campaigns during emergencies or major distractions.
Mistake 7: Same timing for different audience segments
Bad approach: Sending the same campaign to residential and commercial customers at the same time.
Fix: Segment by customer type and apply appropriate timing to each segment.
A cleaning service sent promotional campaigns at the same time to all customers: Tuesday 2pm. Residential customers (72% of list): 8% response rate. Commercial customers (28% of list): 14% response rate. After segmenting and sending residential messages Saturday 10am and commercial messages Tuesday 10am, residential response rate jumped to 19% and commercial stayed at 14%. The segmented timing nearly tripled effectiveness with residential customers.
You don't need to implement perfect timing across all message types simultaneously. Start with your highest-volume message type and optimize from there.
This week:
Day 1: Identify your most frequent message type (likely appointment reminders or promotional campaigns). Review current send timing for these messages. Note your current performance metrics (response rate, conversion rate).
Day 2: Based on message type, schedule next messages using the timing framework from this article. For appointment reminders: Evening timing 24 hours before. For promotional campaigns: Weekend morning or weekday evening based on customer type.
Day 3-7: Track performance of properly timed messages compared to your historical average. Note improvement (or lack thereof).
Next 30 days:
Week 2: Apply timing framework to your second most common message type (likely quote follow-ups or post-service messages).
Week 3: Segment your audience by customer type (residential vs commercial, or by industry if you serve multiple sectors). Apply appropriate timing to each segment.
Week 4: Set up your first basic timing A/B test. Choose one message type, create two timing variations, split your audience, track results for 60 days.
Ongoing optimization:
Monthly: Review campaign performance by send time. Identify patterns in what works best for your specific audience.
Quarterly: Adjust timing based on seasonal patterns. Summer timing might differ from winter timing.
Annually: Complete audit of all message types and timing strategies. Update based on accumulated data.
Most service businesses see measurable improvement in response rates within the first week of implementing message-type-specific timing rather than generic timing rules. The key is matching timing to message purpose and customer behavior patterns rather than following one-size-fits-all advice.
Ready to implement optimal SMS timing with proper scheduling and automation? Start your free trial with Sakari to schedule messages at the right time for each message type, segment by customer behavior, and test timing strategies that drive results for your specific audience.