A reminder template is a reusable definition: type + send-channel + countdown + message body. Once it's saved, Pistonlog auto-schedules sends whenever a matching event happens (jobcard completion, appointment creation).
Where templates live
Workshop Settings → Reminders. The page lists every template for the active garage with a New Template button.
What you'll fill in
Pick a type
MOT, Service, Timing Belt, Appointment, Appointment Confirmation, or Appointment Changes. See Reminder types.
Set the countdown
Days Before Due Date — how many days before the due date to send. The default is 7. For two reminders (e.g. 30 + 7 days for MOT), create two templates. (Appointment Confirmation and Appointment Changes templates are sent at the moment you trigger them, so they have no countdown field.)
Pick a send type
sms or email. Each template uses one channel. To reach both, create two templates.
Write the message body
Plain language. Use placeholders like {customer_name} and {vehicle_reg} so the same text personalises automatically.
Save
Active immediately. Future events that match this template will schedule a send.
Multiple templates per type
You can have many MOT templates active simultaneously — different countdowns (30, 14, 7), different channels (email + SMS), different tones. Each one schedules independently. Pistonlog deduplicates by (template + customer + scheduledDate) so the same send won't fire twice.
Plan note
Reminders require the Pro, Group, or Lifetime plan. On Essentials the Reminders card in Workshop Settings is greyed out and won't open, with an "Upgrade to Pro to unlock" note in place of the link.
There's no lock screen on the Reminders page itself, so if you arrive from a bookmark on Essentials the builder looks perfectly usable. The refusal comes when you press Create, as "This feature requires a plan upgrade". Deactivating an existing template still works after a downgrade.
Permission
Creating and editing templates needs settings.edit, on top of the settings.view that Workshop Settings itself requires. Owners and Managers have both by default; Reception and Technician have neither.