Recurring Visits via Visit Templates

This article will show you how to create Recurring Visits— visits created automatically according to Visit Template process to create Recurring Visits.

Definition

A Visit Template in PantrySoft is a model visit, along with a ruleset for creating actual visits based on that model (typically on an automatic, recurring basis). The model visit is converted to an actual visit based on the recurrence rules you set up on the template. This is most valuable for pantries operating delivery programs, especially "meals on wheels" type programs.

Quick Example: Mrs. Jones has signed up for a Meals on Wheels delivery every Monday, where she received 7 meals for the rest of the week. You create a Visit Template with 7 "Meal" items and set the recurrence rules for once every Monday. The system will thereafter create a visit every Monday, distributing 7 "Meals" from your inventory. 

First, you'll need to contact PantrySoft staff to enable this feature. Then perform the following steps to configure your Recurring Visit Templates. 

New Visit Template Button after enabling the feature in Setup

Set up Basic Template Recurrence

Perform the following steps to create recurrence rules for a new template:

Recurrence section of a Visit Template (Model Visit section below)

1. Create New Visit Template
   Click the New Visit Template button. This will bring you to the New Visit Template screen.
   
   
2. Set a Template Name
   You can create multiple templates per client, so naming the template helps distinguish one recurring visit ruleset from another.
   
   
3. Set a Start Date and an End Date
   Visits will not be automatically created before the start or after the end.
   

   NOTE: Typically Start Date is today, and End Date is a date far forward into the future. But setting a more specific Start Date after today can be helpful when first setting up a pantry, and setting a more concrete End Date is helpful, for instance, when a client is scheduled to move away from your service area.

4. (Optional) Set the Manual Checkbox
   Set the Manual checkbox if you'd like to forgo recurrence rules altogether. Some pantries will use the Visit Template to set up a model visit and then use it to create identical visits, but only on demand.
   
   
5. Proceed to Template Recurrence Rules
   (See below)

Set up Individual Template Recurrence Rules

Recurrence Creation Detail (Setting up a recurrence rule with the fields shown above created the rule immediately below)

Consider the two following guidelines before creating a recurrence rule:

• "Every Monday and Wednesday?" One Event per Rule. 
  Each individual Recurrence rule you add to a Visit Template will create a single visit for each of its cycles. This means that if you want a visit to be automatically created every Monday and every Wednesday, you'll need to make a separate rule for each of those recurring days.
  
  
• "Weekly or Monthly?" Revolving Weeks vs. Revolving Months. 
  You can set up recurrence rules based on revolving weeks or revolving months. For instance, if for some reason you wanted to cycle a new visit creation every 6 weeks, you'd choose a Weekly Event Type. If you wanted to cycle a new visit creation every 6 months, you'd choose Monthly Event Type.

Perform the following steps to add a Weekly Rule:

1. Switch Event Type
   Change Event Type to Weekly.
   
   
2. Change Every to the Desired Frequency of Weeks
   For instance, for every week you'd chose Every Time, for every other week you'd chose 2nd.
   
   
3. Select the Appropriate Day
   Change Day of Week to reflect the day of the planned visit within the implicated weeks.
   
   
4. Add the New Rule
   Click the (+) symbol to add the rule.
   
   

Perform the following steps to add a Monthly Rule:

1. Switch Event Type
   Change Event Type to Monthly.
   
   
2. Change Every to the Desired Frequency of Months
   For instance, for every month you'd chose Every Time, for every other month you'd chose 2nd.
   
   
3. Select the Appropriate Day
   Change Day of Month to reflect the day of the planned visit within the implicated month.
   
   
4. Save the new rule
   Click the (+) symbol to add the rule.

Verify Recurrence Rules, setup Visit data

Once you've added a rule by pressing the + symbol, you've created a recurrence rule. Assuming you only need one such rule, perform the following steps to verify your template and proceed:

1. Note the Label
   Note the phrased label for your new rule. The label spells out in plain English the rule you've just created. Verify this is the frequency you intended.
   
   
2. Note the Next Date
   Note the Next date for the new rule. The Next date is based on the recurrence rule, but it's also constrained by the Start Date for the template itself. Verify this is the date of the first visit you intended the rule to create.
   
   
3. Enter Visit Fields
   Enter the Visit fields below as you would an actual visit. The visit automatically created by all the rules in the template will match exactly the fields you enter below. This allows you, for instance, to designate all visits created by this template as belonging to a certain Visit Type and delivering a specific set of items.
   
   
4. Save the Template
   Click Save and Exit.

Visit Templates are Recipes! Remember that the Visit Template is a recipe for automatic visit-creation; as visits are created with this recipe, the actual visits cannot be changed by changing the recipe it came from. If you change the details of a Visit Template, this will only affect the visits not already created by the template.