Overview  

ICANotes+ enables both client portal users and new users who are not yet using the client portal to send appointment requests. Providers will receive a notification whenever a new appointment request is submitted by a client. Providers can then either confirm or cancel these appointment requests. 

To allow clients to send appointment requests, specific configurations must be set up within the system. This knowledge base article provides guidance on the necessary configuration steps and outlines the entire workflow for how clients can send appointment requests, as well as how providers can confirm or cancel them.

Prerequisites  

Before clients can send appointment requests, make sure the following configurations are completed within the system:

• Enable the Self-Booking feature for Client Portal users
  
• Enable the Self-Booking feature for New Clients
  
• Set Availability on the Calendar
  
• Configure Additional Settings for Smooth Appointment Request Processing

Enable Client Portal Users to Submit Appointment Requests  

To enable client portal users to send appointment requests, you must first activate this feature.

To do so, navigate to Settings > Calendar Settings > Allow Client Booking and switch on the Clients Can Book Appointments From Client Portal option as depicted in the screen below: 

Enable New Clients (Not Using Portal) to Send Appointment Requests  

To enable new clients to send appointment requests, you must first activate this feature.

To do so, navigate to Settings > Calendar Settings > Allow Client Booking and switch on the Quick Share - Availability, Register, and Book Appointment option as depicted in the screen below: 

Configure Appointment Types for Clients 

When setting up appointment types, you can specify which types are available for client booking. New clients and client portal users will only see the appointment types configured for them when they send a request. 

To configure appointment types for client booking, go to Settings > Calendar Settings > Appointment Types. You can either add a new appointment or edit an existing one. 

When adding or editing an appointment type, locate the Self-Scheduling section as shown below: 

• Allow this appointment type to be scheduled by the client (self-scheduling): Select this checkbox to enable new clients and client portal users to send appointment requests. 

• Who is able to book this appointment type?
  • New Client: Select this option to allow new clients to send appointment requests.
  • Returning Client: Select this option to allow client portal users to send appointment requests.
  • Both: Select this option to allow both new clients and client portal users to send appointment requests. 

• Contact Types: Select the contact types that clients can select when sending an appointment request. 
  • Phone Call: Select this checkbox to offer the Phone Call option to clients when they submit an appointment request. 
  • In Person: Select this checkbox to offer the In Person option to clients when they submit an appointment request. 
  • Telehealth: Select this checkbox to offer the Telehealth option to clients when they submit an appointment request. 

When finished, click Save.

Set Availability on the Calendar for Clients 

When new clients or client portal users send an appointment request, they will only see the time slots you’ve configured. ICANotes+ allows you to specify the time slots that are available to your clients, ensuring that only those slots appear when they request an appointment. 

• To configure availability, go to Calendar > Availability. 
• Select the contact type, location, and appointment type for which you want to set availability. 
• Then, on the calendar, drag over the time slots you want to make available to your clients. The selected time slots will be highlighted with the light green color.

Refer to the screen below. In this example, clients will see available time slots from 9 AM to 1 PM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 

To learn more about this feature, click here.

Configure Additional Settings  

ICANotes+ offers a range of additional settings that allow you to customize how clients can send appointment requests. For instance, you might want to set appointment time slots with 30-minute intervals or require clients to submit requests at least three days in advance. These settings help ensure a smooth workflow between your clients and your practice for efficient appointment scheduling. 

To configure the additional settings, navigate to Settings > Calendar Settings > Allow Client Booking. The highlighted settings in the screenshot below are explained in detail underneath the image. 

• Prevent Same Day Appointments: Activate this option to prevent users from requesting appointments on the same day. Once enabled, clients can only submit appointment requests starting from the following day. 

• Appointment Buffer: Choose the time interval you want to maintain between two appointments. For example, if you select 60 minutes from this dropdown, clients will be unable to request another appointment within 60 minutes before or after an already requested time slot. You can choose a buffer time of 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, or 120 minutes, based on your preference. 

• Intervals: The option you select in this dropdown determines the time intervals clients will see between appointment slots. For example, if you choose 20 minutes, the available slots will appear as 12:00 pm, 12:20 pm, 12:40 pm, and so on. You can select an interval of 20, 30, or 60 minutes, depending on your preference. 

• Minimum Time in Advance: Select how far in advance clients must book their appointments. For example, if you choose "2 days before" in the dropdown, clients will only see time slots starting two days from today. Alternatively, if you select "3 hours before," clients will only see time slots starting three hours from the current time. 

• Maximum Days in Advance: Choose how far in advance clients can book their appointments. For instance, if you select "30" in the dropdown, clients will only see time slots up to thirty days from today. They won’t be able to request an appointment for any date beyond those 30 days. 

Client Portal Workflow for Sending Appointment Request 

When client portal users access the portal, they will see the appointment types you have configured for them. They can navigate to Appointments > Book Appointment and select the appointment type and contact type, as illustrated below: 

After selecting the appointment type, users can choose the location, date, and time to send their appointment request, as shown below: 

Once the appointment request is submitted, users will receive a success message, as displayed below: 

When a client portal user submits an appointment request, you will receive a notification upon logging into ICANotes+. Click the bell icon in the top right corner to view the notification. 

The notification will appear as shown in the screen below. Click on the notification to proceed. 

Clicking on the notification will redirect you to the calendar, where you can confirm the appointment request. 

You can confirm the appointment request in two ways:  

• From the left pane on the calendar
• By clicking on the requested time slot 

New Client Workflow for Sending Appointment Request  

Once you activate the feature that allows new clients to send appointment requests, a Quick Share link will appear on your calendar. You can copy this link and share it with clients who do not use the client portal. They can open the link in their browser to request an appointment. 

When a new client opens the shared link, they will see a screen prompting them to select the New Client option. This will bring up an option where they can choose the type of contact. 

After selecting the appointment type and contact type, users can choose the location, date, and time slot for their appointment request. 

The next screen will prompt the new user to enter their personal details and the reason for their visit. 

Upon confirming the appointment request, the user will receive a success message indicating that their request has been submitted to the practice. 

You will be notified of new appointment requests when you log into ICANotes+. Click the bell icon in the top right corner to view the notification. 

The notification will appear as shown in the screen below. Click on the notification to proceed. 

Clicking on the notification will redirect you to the calendar, where you can confirm the appointment request. 

You can confirm the appointment request in two ways:  

• From the left pane on the calendar
• By clicking on the requested time slot 

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Need additional assistance?

Phone: 443-203-5857 

Text: 866-301-0085

Email: ticket@icanotes.com

Chat: http://app.icanotes.com 

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