Your patient hasn't received the text message with their pre-visit questionnaire link. In almost every case it's one of three things: the mobile number on the episode, when the SMS is scheduled to send, or the link simply needs resending. Work through the checks below in order.

```callout kind="info"
The questionnaire link is sent by SMS to the **Mobile Phone** number on the patient episode. There's no email fallback for the link, so the mobile number has to be present and correct.
```

## 1. Check the mobile number on the episode

The most common cause is a missing, mistyped, or wrong mobile number.

```steps
1. Open the **Dashboard** and find the patient in the episode list. You can use the *Search by patient name...* box.
2. Open the episode and check the **Mobile Phone** field.
3. Confirm the number is the patient's current mobile and is typed correctly. An Australian mobile looks like `0412 345 678`.
4. If it's wrong or missing, correct it, then resend the link (see below).
```

```callout kind="warning"
**Mobile Phone is required** when an episode is created, but it can still be a wrong number or a landline. A landline can't receive an SMS, so double-check it's a mobile.
```

## 2. Check when the SMS is scheduled to send

If the number is correct but nothing has arrived yet, the SMS may simply not have been sent yet. i-consult schedules the link to go out a set number of days before the appointment, rather than the moment you create the episode.

This is the **Days Before Appointment** setting on the episode (default **3 days**). Three days is the recommended balance: fresh information before the consult without rushing the patient.

```steps
1. Open the episode and look at the **Appointment Date** and the **Days Before Appointment** value.
2. Work out the scheduled send date: appointment date minus the days-before value. For example, an appointment on the 10th with Days Before Appointment set to 3 sends on the 7th.
3. Check the episode status stepper. **SMS Scheduled** means it's queued but hasn't sent yet; **SMS Sent** means it has gone out.
4. If the send date is still in the future, nothing is wrong; the link will go out on schedule. If you need it sooner, resend it now (see below).
```

```callout kind="info"
When you create an episode, the form shows an **"SMS Reminder Scheduled"** preview: "An appointment reminder will be sent from {date}" with a badge such as "3 day(s) from now" or "Sending today". That preview date is when the link is due to go out.
```

## 3. Check the timezone / send date

If the scheduled date looks off, the appointment date or time may have been entered incorrectly, which shifts the calculated send date.

```steps
1. Re-check the **Appointment Date** (date and time) on the episode.
2. Confirm it matches the real appointment; a wrong date moves the send date with it.
3. If you correct the appointment date, the send schedule recalculates from the new date.
```

```callout kind="info"
For a closer look at how send timing and timezones combine, and why a link can land at an unexpected time, see [The SMS date/time looks wrong](/i-consult/sms-date-time-wrong).
```

## 4. Resend the link

If the number was wrong and you've fixed it, or the patient deleted the message, resend the link from the episode.

```steps
1. Open the episode from the **Dashboard**.
2. Use the resend option on the episode to send the questionnaire link again.
3. Confirm with the patient that a new message has arrived.
```

```callout kind="info"
For the full resend walkthrough, see [Resending a questionnaire link](/i-consult/resending-a-questionnaire-link). To check or change how an episode is set up in the first place, see [Create a patient episode manually](/i-consult/create-a-patient-episode).
```

## Still not arriving?

If the mobile number is correct, the SMS shows as **SMS Sent**, and a resend still doesn't reach the patient:

- Ask the patient to check their blocked or filtered messages.
- Confirm the number once more directly with the patient.
- If it still fails, contact Akuru support with the patient's name and appointment date so we can check the delivery record.