Smart Waitlist

Overview

The Smart Waitlist feature in the CRM allows medical practices to automatically offer patients an earlier appointment when a scheduled appointment is canceled. This guide will walk you through the setup and configuration of the Smart Waitlist feature to ensure optimal patient scheduling and clinic efficiency.

Step 1: Opt-In Settings

You can choose how patients are opted into the waitlist:

1. Off for All Patients – The waitlist feature is disabled for all patients.
2. On for All Patients – The waitlist feature is enabled for all patients by default.
3. Patients Can Opt-In – Patients are given the option to join the waitlist:
   • Self-Booking: Patients can opt in while booking their appointment online.
   • Call-In Booking: Patient schedulers can offer the waitlist option when booking an appointment over the phone.

Step 2: Eligible Appointment Types

Specify which kinds of appointments are eligible for the Smart Waitlist feature. You can enable the waitlist for:

• Certain appointment types
• Specific providers
• Selected locations

Step 3: Waitlist Timing Settings

Customize the timeframe in which the waitlist will search for available appointments:

1. Future Availability Window: Define how many days into the future the system will look for canceled appointments to offer.
2. Offer Window for Patients: Set how far in advance patients with later appointments will be eligible to receive an earlier slot when a cancellation occurs.

Watch the video below to see a simple example of waitlist offerings.  

Step 4: Messaging Preferences

Configure how and when appointment offers are sent to patients:

1. Batch Offer Settings
   • Determine how many patients are offered the open appointment slot at one time.
   • Set the time interval before the appointment is offered to the next set of eligible patients.
2. Offer Prioritization
   • Choose whether to offer open appointments first to patients with the closest upcoming appointments or to those with the furthest appointments in the future.
3. Repeat Offer Frequency
   • Define how often the waitlist feature will offer the same patient another appointment time if they do not accept a previous offer.

Step 5: Customizing Patient Notifications

Personalize the messaging sent to patients when a sooner appointment becomes available:

• Text Message: Customize the SMS notification content to alert patients of an earlier available appointment.
• Email Message: Modify the email notification text to inform patients of the opportunity to reschedule for a sooner date.

Summary

Once all settings are configured, the Smart Waitlist feature will automatically manage and offer earlier appointment slots to eligible patients, improving schedule utilization and patient satisfaction. Ensure that all settings align with your clinic’s scheduling policies for optimal efficiency. For further assistance, contact your CRM support team.