Appointment reason groups, reason types, and resources are used in appointment scheduling, client communication, online booking and consultation workflows.
This article describes how to configure reason types and resources so that they are available for online booking.
Reason groups help categorize specific appointment reason types so that clients can select from a shorter list based on the nature of the visit, instead of browsing a large list of mixed reasons.
Reason types define the specific appointment options available for booking and control details such as availability.
Resources are bookable entities such as a room, surgery suite, or piece of equipment.
Example: A reason group called "Vaccinations" could contain reason types such as "Yearly vaccination — cat" or "Booster vaccination — cat". A resource could be "Cat room 1". If you have enabled Available online and Allow online booking for resources on the reason type "Booster vaccination — cat", clients can book that appointment into an available time slot for "Cat room 1" in online booking.
Set up a resource for online booking
To make a resource available for online booking, enable it in the resource settings. Note that you must also enable Allow online booking for resources on each relevant reason type. See Set up a reason type for online booking.
Go to Settings > General > Clinic location > Resources.
Select Add to create a new resource, or select an existing resource to edit it.
Enter the required details. For more information, see Resources Overview and Setup.
Select the Show in online booking checkbox.
Select Save.
You must also set up shifts for the resource for booking slots to be available in online booking. For more information, see Set Up Staff Shifts and Resources for Online Booking.
Set up a reason type for online booking
To make a reason type available for online booking, enable the relevant settings in the Online booking settings section of the reason type.
Go to Settings > Lists & Templates > Reasons.
Select a reason type to edit it, or select Add to create a new one. For details on creating a reason type and the available options, see Add Appointment Reasons.
Select the Allow online booking for resources checkbox so that the reason type can be booked for resources that have online booking enabled. (Optional)
In the Online booking settings section, select the Available online checkbox to make the reason type available for online booking.
In Proficient staff, select which staff members or resources are bookable for this reason type. If left empty, any user or resource that meets the online booking requirements can be booked. (Optional)
Select Save.
These settings take effect immediately. When both Available online and Allow online booking for resources are enabled, the reason type appears as a booking option for any resource that has Show in online booking selected. If Allow online booking for resources is left unselected, the reason type will only be available for online booking with staff, not with resources.