A follow-up after the visit is where rebookings and reviews come from, and the filters are what make it useful: only patients who came, only those who haven't rebooked.
What it's for
A follow-up is sent after the appointment: a check-in on how the patient is, a request for a review, or a nudge to book the next visit. Its filters are what make it useful, because the nudge should go only to patients who came and haven't booked again.
Set it up
Open Settings, then Follow-up Email Templates or Follow-up SMS Templates, and add a template
Give it a Template name.
Set Follow-up scheduling
Send follow-up: 1 to 14 days after the appointment. Sending window: the hour of the day it's sent. Skip weekends: a weekend follow-up is sent the following Monday. Marketing message: switch on for anything promotional, so patients who opted out of marketing are excluded.
Set the Patient filter
Patient attendance: All, Arrived only, Did not arrive only, or All except did not arrive. No following appointments: send only to patients with no later appointment booked, checking any type or the same type as the visit. A rebooking nudge is Arrived only plus No following appointments, same.
Write the content and link it on the appointment type
Next Appt Date and Next Appt Time are available here for a message to patients who have rebooked. Choose the template for the Follow-up event under the type's Communications.
Worth knowing
- The attendance filter reads the appointment's status, so it only works if staff mark arrivals and no-shows during the day.
- A Did not arrive only follow-up is the place for a gentle no-show message, separate from any fee notice the cancellation flow sends.