Sending WhatsApp Appointment Reminders from simPRO

If you use simPRO to manage your field service operations, you can connect it to Broadcaster via Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook and send automatic WhatsApp reminders to clients before each job. Once connected, reminders go out without any manual effort.

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What your clients receive

Your client receives a WhatsApp message from your business number ahead of their appointment. The message includes their name, the job date and time, and any details from your reminder template. You choose the timing, a few days before, the day before, the morning of, or a combination.

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How to connect simPRO to Broadcaster

simPRO offers two-way calendar sync with both Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. Either works with Broadcaster — use whichever your business already has set up.

Option A: Via Google Calendar

Step 1: Enable Google Calendar integration in simPRO

This is an admin-level setup step. Your simPRO administrator needs to:

1. Install the simPRO Calendar Integration from the Google Workspace Marketplace
2. In simPRO, go to System, then Setup, then Defaults, then Extensions
3. Under Calendar Integration, select Google

Each user then authorises their own calendar:

1. Open your user profile in simPRO
2. Go to Profile and then Settings
3. Under Google Calendar Integration, click Send Verification Code
4. Check your email and click the verification link

Step 2: Get your Google Calendar iCal feed URL

1. Open Google Calendar in a desktop browser
2. Find the calendar simPRO is syncing to under My calendars
3. Click the three dots next to the calendar name and select Settings and sharing
4. Scroll down to Integrate calendar
5. Copy the Secret address in iCal format

Option B: Via Microsoft Outlook

Step 1: Enable Outlook Calendar integration in simPRO

1. In simPRO, go to System, then Setup, then Defaults, then Extensions
2. Under Calendar Integration, select Outlook

Each user then authorises their own calendar:

1. Open your user profile in simPRO
2. Go to Profile and then Settings
3. Under Outlook Calendar Integration, click Send Verification Code
4. Check your email and click the verification link

Step 2: Get your Outlook iCal feed URL

1. Go to Outlook Calendar in a desktop browser
2. Click the Settings cog and select View all Outlook settings
3. Go to Calendar and then Shared calendars
4. Under Publish a calendar, select the calendar synced from simPRO
5. Set permissions to Can view all details and click Publish
6. Copy the ICS link

Step 3: Add the feed to Broadcaster

1. Log into your Broadcaster account
2. Go to Integrations in the left-hand menu
3. On the ICS Calendar Feed card, press Add connection, then paste your Google Calendar or Outlook ICS URL into Calendar URL and choose how often Broadcaster should check it: every hour, every 6 hours, or twice a day
4. Press Add calendar feed

For full details on the iCal connection process, see our calendar connection guide.

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What gets synced

What syncs	Notes
Job date and time	Yes
Job title	Yes, from the job description in simPRO
Client phone number	Used to find the matching contact. If nobody matches, the visit is held until you add the person, or Broadcaster can add them for you
Client name	Matched from Broadcaster by phone number, then email, then name
Job notes	Depends on what simPRO passes through to the calendar

Broadcaster matches a calendar event to a contact by phone number first, then by email, then by name. If nobody matches, the visit is not booked: it is listed on your Integration Activity page until you add the person, and then books itself. If you would rather Broadcaster added the person and booked the visit straight away, choose that option in the feed’s settings under Integrations.

simPRO’s calendar integration is per user, so you will need a feed from a user who has visibility of all scheduled jobs. If jobs are split across multiple engineers, contact us and we can advise on the best approach.

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Does this work for my trade?

simPRO is used by larger trades and field service businesses in the UK, particularly HVAC, electrical, and facilities management companies running multiple engineers and service contracts. If you are using simPRO at that scale, Broadcaster adds WhatsApp client communication on top of your existing scheduling without changing how your team manages jobs.

For businesses with a high volume of scheduled maintenance visits or service contracts, the combination works particularly well, Broadcaster sends a reminder ahead of every visit automatically regardless of how many are booked.

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Ready to connect simPRO to Broadcaster?

Start your free trial and follow the steps above. Most businesses are up and running within the same day.