## Introduction
In fast-paced sales environments, keeping prospects engaged and reducing no-show rates for demos is critical. Automating SMS reminders ensures timely, personalized communications that boost attendance and improve customer experience. This article guides sales teams and automation engineers through building a robust SMS reminder workflow using n8n — an open-source workflow automation tool.
We’ll create an automation that sends SMS reminders for scheduled sales demos by integrating n8n with Google Calendar (for event triggers), Google Sheets (for managing lead data), and Twilio (for sending SMS). This setup benefits sales reps by freeing them from manual follow-ups and improves demo attendance rates by ensuring prospects receive timely reminders.
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## Tools and Services Integrated
– **n8n:** Automation platform to connect and handle workflow logic.
– **Google Calendar:** Source for demo schedule events and triggers.
– **Google Sheets:** Manage prospect information and SMS statuses.
– **Twilio:** SMS service provider to send reminders.
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## How the Workflow Works
1. **Trigger:** Event created or upcoming demo event on Google Calendar.
2. **Fetch demo details:** Retrieve event info and prospect contact details from Google Sheets.
3. **Condition check:** Ensure the demo is within reminder window (e.g., 24 hours before).
4. **Send SMS:** Use Twilio to send personalized SMS reminder.
5. **Update status:** Log reminder sent status in Google Sheets to avoid duplicates.
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## Step-by-step Technical Tutorial
### Step 1: Set up n8n Environment
– Install n8n locally or on a server. Documentation: https://docs.n8n.io/getting-started/installation/
– Access n8n editor UI via browser to start building workflows.
### Step 2: Connect to Google Calendar
– Create Google Cloud credentials enabling Google Calendar API.
– In n8n, add Google Calendar OAuth2 credentials.
– Add a **Google Calendar Trigger** node:
– Configure it to trigger on new or upcoming events from your sales demo calendar.
– Set time window (e.g., trigger 24 hours before event).
**Tip:** Use the ‘Watch Events’ mode to poll calendar continuously or set interval according to your frequency needs.
### Step 3: Retrieve Prospect Data from Google Sheets
– Maintain a Google Sheet with columns: `Prospect Name`, `Phone Number`, `Demo Date`, `Reminder Sent`.
– Add a **Google Sheets** node configured with proper credentials.
– Use the ‘Lookup Rows’ operation to find prospect row where Demo Date matches the event date from Calendar.
### Step 4: Filter Prospects Who Haven’t Received Reminder
– Add an **IF** node:
– Check if `Reminder Sent` column value is empty or false.
– This avoids sending multiple SMS reminders for the same demo.
### Step 5: Format SMS Content
– Use a **Set** node or **Function** node:
– Compose personalized message using prospect name, demo date/time, and any other details.
Example message:
“Hi {{prospectName}}, this is a friendly reminder about your demo scheduled for {{demoDate}} at {{demoTime}}. Looking forward to speaking with you!”
### Step 6: Send SMS via Twilio
– Register and configure your Twilio account.
– Obtain Account SID, Auth Token, and a Twilio phone number.
– Add a **Twilio** node:
– Select ‘Send SMS’ action.
– Map recipient phone number from Google Sheets.
– Use the SMS text from previous node.
**Handle errors:** Enable error workflow or catch node to log failures.
### Step 7: Update Google Sheets to Mark Reminder Sent
– Add another **Google Sheets** node:
– Update the row where the prospect details came from.
– Set `Reminder Sent` column to TRUE or timestamp.
This ensures no duplicate reminders are sent.
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## Common Errors and Tips for Robustness
– **Google Calendar API limits:** Beware of quota limits; cache or reduce polling frequency.
– **Twilio SMS failures:** Handle invalid phone numbers with error catching.
– **Timezone mismatches:** Always convert event times to a consistent timezone before comparison.
– **Duplicate reminders:** Maintain accurate state in Google Sheets or a DB to prevent repeats.
– **Scaling:** For large lead volumes, batch Google Sheets reads or switch to a database.
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## How to Adapt and Scale This Workflow
– **Add personalization:** Include dynamic fields such as sales rep name or custom demo URLs.
– **Multi-channel reminders:** Extend workflow to send email reminders via Gmail or Slack notifications to sales teams.
– **Integrate CRM:** Sync with HubSpot or Salesforce to enrich data and update contact status.
– **Scheduling flexibility:** Add options for multiple reminders (e.g., 48 hours and 1 hour before).
– **Analytics:** Log all SMS sends to track open rates and optimize reminder timing.
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## Summary
Automating SMS reminders for sales demos with n8n streamlines prospect engagement and reduces missed demos. Integrating Google Calendar to track demos, Google Sheets to manage prospect data, and Twilio for SMS delivery creates a powerful, extensible workflow. Following this guide, sales teams can save time, increase demo show rates, and provide a better customer experience.
### Bonus Tip:
Consider integrating a feedback mechanism after the demo via SMS asking prospects to rate their experience. This can be added as a follow-up workflow in n8n, further enriching your sales process automation.
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Ready to build your demo reminder automation? Leverage n8n’s flexible platform and the outlined steps to get started today!