Hearing Reminders: SMS, WhatsApp, or Email — Which Wins?
Open rates, response rates, and what your clients actually prefer — measured across 12 firms over six months.
When a client misses a hearing because they didn't see the reminder, the firm wears the consequence. So the choice of channel matters more than most practitioners realise.
We instrumented hearing reminders across 12 chambers using the AssociatesDiary platform for six months. The headline result: WhatsApp template messages had a 91% read rate within 4 hours, SMS had 78%, and email lagged at 41%.
But the right answer is 'all three'
The raw numbers hide the story. Different clients prefer different channels — partners with international travel prefer email, civil litigants prefer SMS, criminal-side parties almost universally prefer WhatsApp. The platform sends to whichever channel(s) the client opted into, with a single fallback if the preferred one fails.
What works in template content
- Open with the case number — it's the client's mental anchor
- Show date and time in the local format the client uses
- Include the bench / court name — sounds obvious but it isn't always present
- End with a 'reply STOP to unsubscribe' line for SMS to stay compliant