Managing your availability for video consultations
If you intend to conduct video consultations at certain times, there are a couple of things you can do to define this. This is particularly useful if you use online booking, as it ensures clients can only book a video consultation at those times.
They are:
Set up a location called Video Consultations or something similar
Link your video consultation appointment types to the above location
Timetable your diary to add the Video Consultation location at the times you intend to offer it
If you set up a location specifically for video consultations, and timetable these slots into your diary, you will also need to timetable your standard location into all other days and times in your diary, or these appointment slots won't be picked up
To set up a location to use alongside your video consultations:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Organisation.
If you don't already have multiple locations set up, tick the Enable Multiple Locations box. If you do, you can move on to Step 3
Click on +Add Location
Complete the details of the location, including a name that identifies it as being a video clinic and assigning a colour, then Save
You'll then see your new clinic location listed:
Once you've set up a new locations for video consultations, you'll need to allow your video appointment types to be booked at that location. To do this:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Scheduling -> Appointment Types
Click on Edit next to an appointment type you'd like to make available at the new location
Click on Edit to open the location information
Tick which locations you'd like to have the appointment type available at then Save
Repeat steps 2-4 for any other video consultations you'd like to be available at the new location
Once you've set up a location for your video consultations, you'll need to set up a timetable for your diary, which tells WriteUpp where and what to offer when. We have a really useful guide to timetabling which you can check out, which will tell you all about timetabling, but to timetable your diary for video consultations:
Go to Main Menu -> Timetabling
This menu option only appears if you have multiple locations enabled, so if you don't see it, make sure you've set up your locations first
Click on a white slot to add a timetabled location and you'll see a new panel slide in from the left
The white sections indicate available time that you can specify your locations for. The coloured sections indicate periods of time which have already been timetabled
Add location information, start and end times and a date.
You can also choose a recurrence pattern, which makes it quick and easy to allocate regular locations to your diary over the stated timescales
If you choose a recurrence, you'll also have to set an end date for the recurrence.
Once you've completed the fields, click Save
You'll then see the timetabled location information added to the diary view
Repeat steps 2-6 until you have timetabled all of your availability for video consultations. You'll see all of your timetabled locations added to the diary view in their linked colour:
You'll then see paler bands of colour on your main diary page within WriteUpp, with a handy key to your locations in the panel that slides in from the far left.
If you work within the WriteUpp app, you'll see locations noted at the top of each day in the diary view.
Linking locations to appointment types, and adding specific timetabled locations to your diary does have the most impact on online booking. Any of the location, resource and appointment type settings can be overridden when you book appointments within the desktop site or the WriteUpp app to give you flexibility over your diary, if for example you need to make a short term, one off change.
When online booking looks for availability for a client, it'll match up users and locations before offering a list of appointments. This ensures that your video consultations will only be booked at the times you have allocated in your diary, and if you're a multi-clinician practice, with the users you link to the appointment type.
They are:
Set up a location called Video Consultations or something similar
Link your video consultation appointment types to the above location
Timetable your diary to add the Video Consultation location at the times you intend to offer it
If you set up a location specifically for video consultations, and timetable these slots into your diary, you will also need to timetable your standard location into all other days and times in your diary, or these appointment slots won't be picked up
Setting up a location
To set up a location to use alongside your video consultations:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Organisation.
If you don't already have multiple locations set up, tick the Enable Multiple Locations box. If you do, you can move on to Step 3
Click on +Add Location
Complete the details of the location, including a name that identifies it as being a video clinic and assigning a colour, then Save
You'll then see your new clinic location listed:
Linking appointment types to locations
Once you've set up a new locations for video consultations, you'll need to allow your video appointment types to be booked at that location. To do this:
Go to Main Menu -> Settings -> Scheduling -> Appointment Types
Click on Edit next to an appointment type you'd like to make available at the new location
Click on Edit to open the location information
Tick which locations you'd like to have the appointment type available at then Save
Repeat steps 2-4 for any other video consultations you'd like to be available at the new location
Timetabling your diary
Once you've set up a location for your video consultations, you'll need to set up a timetable for your diary, which tells WriteUpp where and what to offer when. We have a really useful guide to timetabling which you can check out, which will tell you all about timetabling, but to timetable your diary for video consultations:
Go to Main Menu -> Timetabling
This menu option only appears if you have multiple locations enabled, so if you don't see it, make sure you've set up your locations first
Click on a white slot to add a timetabled location and you'll see a new panel slide in from the left
The white sections indicate available time that you can specify your locations for. The coloured sections indicate periods of time which have already been timetabled
Add location information, start and end times and a date.
You can also choose a recurrence pattern, which makes it quick and easy to allocate regular locations to your diary over the stated timescales
If you choose a recurrence, you'll also have to set an end date for the recurrence.
Once you've completed the fields, click Save
You'll then see the timetabled location information added to the diary view
Repeat steps 2-6 until you have timetabled all of your availability for video consultations. You'll see all of your timetabled locations added to the diary view in their linked colour:
You'll then see paler bands of colour on your main diary page within WriteUpp, with a handy key to your locations in the panel that slides in from the far left.
If you work within the WriteUpp app, you'll see locations noted at the top of each day in the diary view.
Linking locations to appointment types, and adding specific timetabled locations to your diary does have the most impact on online booking. Any of the location, resource and appointment type settings can be overridden when you book appointments within the desktop site or the WriteUpp app to give you flexibility over your diary, if for example you need to make a short term, one off change.
When online booking looks for availability for a client, it'll match up users and locations before offering a list of appointments. This ensures that your video consultations will only be booked at the times you have allocated in your diary, and if you're a multi-clinician practice, with the users you link to the appointment type.
Updated on: 17/06/2022
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