How Reminders Work
Headcount Buddy sends reminders automatically so you don’t have to chase — and lets you fire one on demand whenever you need it. There are two kinds, one for each type of event.
RSVP reminders for a scheduled event
Once an event is on the calendar, the assistant watches who still hasn’t replied and nudges them on a set schedule as the event gets closer.
What players receive
Just a text. Nothing to install, no link to click, no account to create. The message is tailored to where they stand:
- No reply yet — a friendly ask to RSVP, with increasing urgency as the event approaches
- Maybe / soft yes / soft no — a nudge to lock in a yes or no, with the current headcount so they can make an informed call (“we have 3 of the 4 we need”)
- Confirmed yes — a warm heads-up as the event approaches, no RSVP ask
- No — nothing at all; players who’ve already declined aren’t contacted
The automatic schedule
Follow-ups go out at set checkpoints before the event. Early on — about a week out and a few days out — only players who haven’t settled (no reply yet, or a maybe) get nudged. As the event gets close, confirmed yeses also receive a light heads-up to make sure the count stays fresh:
| When the event is… | Who gets reminded |
|---|---|
| About a week away | Players with no reply yet, maybes, and soft answers |
| A few days away | Players with no reply, maybes, and soft answers |
| About 48 hours away | Players with no reply, maybes, soft answers, and confirmed yeses |
| About 24 hours away | Players with no reply, maybes, soft answers, and confirmed yeses |
| About 12 hours away | Players with no reply, maybes, soft answers, and confirmed yeses |
A player’s status is checked fresh at the time each reminder goes out — so if someone RSVPs yes between the week-out and few-days-out checkpoints, they’ll get the closer-in heads-up only, not another nudge.
No one receives more than one RSVP reminder per event within a given window, so players are never over-messaged.
If the event is still short on players close to start
About half a day before an event, if the headcount still isn’t where it needs to be, the assistant checks in with you directly — separate from the player reminders. Depending on how much time is left:
- If there’s still time to fill the gap — the assistant offers to find substitutes or cancel, so you can decide how to proceed.
- If it’s too late to reliably find subs — the assistant asks whether you’d like to cancel or run short.
This check-in only happens when the event is still short; if you’re all set on players, you won’t hear anything.
Send one on demand
You don’t have to wait for an automatic checkpoint. Text the assistant anytime:
You: remind the maybes for Saturday
Assistant: Sent! 3 reminders queued for Maya, Tom, and Diane.
You can remind everyone with an open RSVP, filter by status, or name a specific player:
You: nudge Victor about Thursday practice
Assistant: Done — reminder sent to Victor.
If a player was recently reminded and the rate limit applies, the assistant will tell you who was skipped and offer to send anyway. If you confirm, it will send just to those players.
Availability reminders for a “find a time” event
When you’ve asked the group “when are you free?” instead of scheduling a fixed time, the assistant is collecting availability windows from everyone. It follows up automatically with anyone who hasn’t responded yet — and it asks the right question for where each person is in the process.
What the automatic follow-ups look like
The assistant sends two kinds of availability follow-ups:
- Open ask — sent to anyone who hasn’t given any availability at all: “When are you free this week for the scrimmage?”
- Scoped ask — sent to anyone who was asked about a promising window the assistant is zeroing in on and hasn’t answered yet: “Saturday’s looking good for the group — any time that day work for you?”
Everyone gets the question that’s actually relevant to them, not a generic blast.
How often they go out
The follow-up schedule is proportional to how long the window is:
- A multi-day frame (say, “sometime this week”) spaces follow-ups across the frame — typically a couple of days apart — so the search plays out naturally rather than piling up in one afternoon.
- A short frame (a same-day or next-few-hours window) gets one quick follow-up if there’s time, or none at all if the window is too narrow.
No one is contacted more than once per follow-up window, and people who’ve already answered aren’t re-asked.
Send one on demand
Just like RSVP reminders, you can trigger an availability follow-up at any time:
You: remind the people who haven’t sent their availability
Assistant: Done — re-sent the availability ask to 4 players who haven’t responded yet.
The assistant re-sends each person whatever they still owe: the open “when are you free?” for anyone who’s given nothing, or the same scoped follow-up for anyone who was asked about a specific window and hasn’t answered. People who’ve already responded are automatically skipped.
Questions?
Reach out at help@headcountbuddy.com — we’re happy to help.