Scheduling Appointments
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      Scheduling Client Appointments (Block Scheduling)

      This article will guide you through the process of scheduling clients using block scheduling for visits

      Definition

      In PantrySoft, an Appointment is a record of a Client's intention to come in for goods and services at a particular time. In Block Scheduling, pantry admins first set up one or more Schedule Templates, which lay out a concrete schedule of available days, blocks, and appointment slots for pantry visits. (For more on setting up Schedule Templates, see this article.)

      Staff or clients can create Appointment records manually in the Staff Dashboard interface, or clients can schedule their own appointments from personal devices through the Online Portal. 

      Scheduling (Creating) a Client Appointment

      Perform the following steps to schedule a new appointment for a client.

      1. Load the Client.
        From the main dashboard, use the Client Search field to find and load a Client record.

      2. Verify Scheduling Feature
        If you see don't see a New Appointment button next to New Visit on the dashboard, activate the Scheduling feature in Standard Mode (see Setting up the Scheduling Calendar). 

      3. Open the Scheduling Calendar
        Click on New Appointment in the widget on the right side of the screen.

         

      4. Filter Calendars (optional)
        For those pantries operating more than one schedule concurrently, by default you'll see all available schedules represented on the calendar at once.

        You can filter the calendar-chooser with one or two contingent fields at the top of the screen:
        • Visit Type Filter. Appears only if the pantry has two concurrent calendars tied to two different Visit Types).

        • Location Filter. Appears only if the pantry has two or more concurrent calendars tied to two different Locations.

      5. Month View: Select a Day
        Select one of the days with an available calendar matching the appropriate Location + Visit Type combination (i.e., the green calendar is the calendar for Main Location+ Alternate Visit Type Visit Type). This will take you to the next screen for choosing an available slot for that day.
      6. Day View: Select a Block
        On the day screen, choose the desired block from the blocks available. Note that you have the same Location and Visit Type filters as appear for you in the Month view.
      7. Appointment View: Confirm Appointment Details
        Confirm appointment details for the Client in that block before clicking Save and Exit.
        The following fields are editable:
        • Comment. A large, all-purpose text field. The first few words of this comment will show on the visit widget on the Staff Dashboard.

        • Phone Number (contingent upon SMS feature). The phone number any appointment reminders will be sent to.

        • Email Address (contingent upon Email feature). The email address any appointment reminders will be sent to.

        • Send Text Message Day Before Appointment. Clicking this box will instruct PantrySoft to send a text reminder for the appointment the day prior to the appointment.

        • Send Text Message Now. Clicking this box will automatically send an appointment reminder immediately upon clicking Save and Exit.

        • Send Email Day Before Appointment. Clicking this box will instruct PantrySoft to send an email reminder for the appointment the day prior to the appointment.
        • Send Email Now. Clicking this box will automatically send an email appointment reminder immediately upon clicking Save and Exit.

        • Missed Appointment. Typically an employee checks this box on an appointment edit, recording that the appointment was missed. The appointment will turn red on the dashboard, and custom reports can comb for this information. This option exists on the Edit Appointment screen to retroactively record such an Appointment status. Pantries typically use this feature when they have institutional consequences for no-call/no-shows.

        • Print Reminder Card Now. Checking this box will perform a couple of actions once you click Save and Exit. It will create a reminder “ticket” for the appointment as a simple web page and open that page in a new tab. It will also send a PDF of the ticket to the browser’s printer feature, which will open its own window asking for printing instructions.

      8. Finalize the Appointment
        Click Save and Exit. Verify the new appointment on the calendar.

       

      Editing and Deleting an Appointment

      Perform the following steps to edit or delete an Appointment:

      1. Load the Client
        From the dashboard, use the Client Search field to load a client into the Staff Dashboard.

      2. Edit the Appointment
        Click the pencil icon beside the target appointment’s name. This will display an Edit Appointment pop-up screen. 

      3. Option 1: Edit the Appointment
        Note any comments and/or check any relevant boxes, then click Save and Exit.

      4. Option 2: Delete the Appointment
        Click Delete and confirm your intent when the standard delete-warning appears. The screen returns to the Staff Dashboard.

      Editing an Appointment date and time. You cannot edit an existing appointment's date and time. To change and appointment day and time in the block system, you must delete the target appointment and make another one. This ensures that a slot-range won't be overbooked beyond its slot capacity.