Blog | Productivity

Meeting Confirmation Email: The Power of Confirming Appointments

By Andy Mowat | Updated: 01 Jun, 2020

One thing your virtual executive assistant can do is send a meeting confirmation email on your behalf.

Why Confirming Appointments Is Crucial

Sending an appointment confirmation email not only helps make your schedule more predictable but also adds a touch of professionalism to interactions with clients and prospects that will help you grow your business. 

On the surface, a meeting confirmation email is a time management best practice — preventing misunderstandings and improving relationships.

Additionally, consistently sending confirmations enhances your personal brand. It demonstrates you are an executive whose valuable time is managed by supportive staff who go the extra mile. You're someone whose respect extends to others’ time obligations. 

By confirming a meeting, and following-up afterwards, you're showing those you're meeting with that you:

  • Respect their time
  • Respect your relationship
  • Take your commitments seriously

Related: How a virtual assistant can help you optimize your calendar and scheduling

Scheduling — with variables like time zones, schedule restrictions, travel time, and rescheduling — is complex, and finalizing meetings is key for your business.

However, the scheduling process shouldn’t stop here; we have consistently found that sending a confirmation email the day before the scheduled appointment eliminates any confusion, especially when plans have been made more than a week in advance. 

We suggest sending confirmation emails around noon the day before the anticipated appointment. These emails should be concise yet friendly and informative—highlighting only vital information. 

Meeting Confirmation Email Example

Below is a meeting confirmation email template that you can customize with your assistant for your needs:

SUBJECT: Confirming your appointment with Andy Mowat – Prialto

Good afternoon Bob,

I would just like to touch base and confirm your call with Andy tomorrow, June 25, at 2:00 p.m. PDT.

For this call: Andy will call you at 650-459-4144.

Please contact me if you have any questions, or if anything changes.

Regards,
Sasha

How to Write an Email Confirming a Meeting

There are several key elements that should be included in every meeting confirmation email, no matter who you're meeting with. You can see them in the example above. 

They are:

  • A clear subject line
  • A confirmation of the date and time of the meeting
  • The phone number, address, or video link where the meeting will take place
  • [Optional] An offer to cancel, change the meeting, or ask questions

Expected Outcomes

We don't expect to receive a reply to a meeting confirmation email. We consider an event confirmed when both the calendar invite is “accepted” and our virtual executive assistants have sent out a confirmation email. 

At this point, the appointment is set.

Once the email is out, one of the following outcomes will take place.

The contact replies before end of day:

  • …and has replied with a quick email saying: “Confirmed.” In this case, you have fully confirmed the meeting.
  • …but must reschedule. Your assistant should then delete this appointment from the calendar and reply with an email to begin the rescheduling process.

The contact fails to reply by end of day:

  • …but the calendar invite has been accepted. In this case, we assume the meeting is still happening.
  • …and the contact has not accepted the calendar invite. This should be treated as a red flag to your assistant. By being sensitive to these situations, your assistant can alert you as soon as possible to the possibility that the meeting might not be happening.

Appointment Confirmation Emails: Additional Resources 

Beyond Confirming Appointment

Like the period at the end of a well-crafted sentence, the confirmation email completes the scheduling workflow. Just as sloppily omitting punctuation greatly detracts from otherwise brilliant writing, neglecting to send a confirmation email to follow up on previous communication risks undoing all previous careful considerations.

Save Time with an Inbox Management System

Download our free guide for creating an inbox management system that dramatically reduces the amount of time you spend on email and prevents important messages from slipping through the cracks. In it you'll learn: