Wait a set time, tell someone at the office where you are, mark the showing, send one courteous text, and apply a rule for buyers who miss twice. GoHighLevel's Appointment Status trigger and Update Appointment Status action handle the marking and the message. The bottom line: a no show costs an agent an hour or more and a trip to an empty home, so reminders that prevent it and a calm routine for when it happens are both worth setting up.
The safety angle
NAR's 2024 Member Safety Report found that 22 percent of residential members experienced a situation that made them fear for their safety or the safety of their personal information, and that members felt unsafe most often at open houses (34 percent), after a threatening message or call (31 percent), and during a showing (31 percent). A buyer who does not show leaves an agent waiting alone at a property, possibly vacant. Set a wait limit, and tell the office or a teammate the address and time, as the Colorado Division of Real Estate's safety guidance recommends doing before a showing.
The routine
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Before | Reminders at 24 hours and 2 hours ask the buyer to reply C to confirm |
| Start time | The agent arrives early and posts the showing in the team channel |
| Plus 15 minutes | Agent calls once and sends one text, then leaves if there is no answer |
| After | Workflow sets the status No Show and sends a courteous text with a rebooking link |
| Second no show | Task for the agent to talk with the buyer before booking another showing |
Reminders that work
In a randomized trial of 9,835 outpatient patients, no show rates were 13.6 percent with staff reminders, 17.3 percent with automated reminders, and 23.1 percent with none, and a Kaiser Permanente Washington trial found an extra text three business days before a visit reduced no shows. These are medical settings, not showings, but the pattern suggests reminders and a confirmation request help. We did not find a verified showing no show rate for real estate, so measure your own.
Build it in GoHighLevel
HighLevel help center pages describe the Appointment Status trigger as firing when an appointment is created or its status changes, with statuses New, Confirmed, Cancelled, Showed Up, No Show, and Invalid, and with filters for calendar, calendar group, tag, user, and who made the change (customer, user, or API). The Update Appointment Status action can set the same statuses from inside a workflow. A third party agency guide adds that Appointment Status is now the main appointment trigger and the older Customer Booked Appointment trigger is being phased out, so use Appointment Status for new builds.
- Build a workflow with the Customer Booked Appointment trigger that sends reminders at 24 hours and 2 hours with a reply C to confirm request.
- Add an If/Else before the 2 hour reminder to skip buyers who already confirmed, and a call task for the agent for those who did not.
- Build a second workflow with the Appointment Status trigger set to No Show that sends one text: sorry we missed you, here is a link to rebook.
- Add a counter field with a Math Operation, and when it reaches 2 create a task for the agent to call the buyer first.
- Tell your agents to set a 15 minute wait rule and to share the location with the office before every showing.
- Review no show rates by lead source each month.
Worked example
For example, a team that books 100 showings a month with a 10 percent no show rate has 10 no shows (100 times 0.1). If each wastes 90 minutes with travel, that is 15 hours (10 times 1.5). Halving the rate saves 7.5 hours a month.
Mistakes to avoid
- Waiting alone at a vacant home for an hour. Set a limit.
- Not telling anyone the address. Share it before the showing.
- A scolding text. Keep it courteous.
- Treating every buyer's no show differently. Apply the same rule to all.
How this was handled before
Agents waited at the property and called the buyer, with no standard rule for how long to stay. Safety guidance and automated reminders now frame both prevention and the response.
What to measure after launch
Track showings, no shows, repeat no shows, and reminders confirmed. Compare no show rates by lead source.
Check before you switch it on
US text messages sent from a standard 10 digit number need A2P 10DLC registration. The HighLevel support portal says registration is required for texts to US recipients from 10 digit long code numbers and that toll free numbers do not require it. HighLevel's opt in guidelines also say a person cannot be forced to agree to text messages in order to submit a form, so keep the consent box optional. One compliance guide separates informational texts, which need documented consent, from marketing texts, which need prior express written consent. Ask your attorney which category your reminders fall into. Keep texts about the showing only, and honor opt outs at once. This is general information, not legal advice.
Questions people ask
How long should an agent wait for a buyer?
A set limit such as 15 minutes is a common rule, and agents should tell someone at the office the address and time first.
Do reminders reduce no shows?
In a randomized trial of 9,835 patients, no show rates were 13.6 percent with staff reminders, 17.3 percent with automated reminders, and 23.1 percent with none. It is a medical study, not a real estate one.
Can GoHighLevel mark a no show automatically?
Its actions include Update Appointment Status, and the Appointment Status trigger can start a rebooking message.
Ready to try it yourself? Start a GoHighLevel account here.
You can also see this in action in our GoHighLevel capabilities demo.