Scheduling Client Appointments (Open Scheduling)

This article will guide you through the process of scheduling Client appointments using the Standard / free-form scheduling mode.

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 Open Scheduling, there is a single calendar with no controls over staff/ pantry availability.

Staff or clients can create Appointment records manually in the Staff Dashboard interface (Clients signing into the online portal can also schedule their own appointments from their personal devices). PantrySoft has two scheduling modes: Block scheduling and Standard/ free-form scheduling. This article describes the processes for the Open Scheduling mode.

Important: Appointments don't count as Visits!

Appointments are Client Intentions. An Appointment is merely a Client's promise to come in. It's a "pin" in one of your availability calendars. Appointments do not signify that a household actually walked in and received services. They do not affect standard reporting, except schedule reports. Appointments also have no frequency rules.

Visits are Client Arrivals. Most PantrySoft reports are essentially Visit Reports. Visits are a positive record of a Client actually coming into your pantry. Without a Visit record, PantrySoft reporting will not recognize that a Client actually walked through your door.

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 Appointment Calendar
  Click on New Appointment in the widget on the upper right corner of the screen.
4. Select a Date
  Click the desired day. In Standard mode, the monthly scheduling calendar displays the total number of appointments already scheduled for each day.
  - Click the month chooser at the top right to jump to a different month.
  - Click the arrows at the top right to change months.
  - Click a plus sign on the date for which you'd like to schedule an appointment.

1. Schedule the Appointment
  Click on Schedule An Appointment to load the Appointment pop-up. This will list clients already scheduled along with their appointment times. Click the arrows in the top right to change days, and Full Month to go back to the monthly view.

1. Verify the Appointment
  Make any necessary comments or check any needed boxes on the appointment pop-up.
  
  The following fields are editable:
  - Appointment Time. This allows you to change the day and time of the appointment.
    NOTE: This will allow you to schedule this appointment for a different day from the one you clicked on, so take care not to overbook the pantry if you change the date from this screen.
  - Visit Type. This is a required field. Choose the visit type you intend for the Visit that will eventually accompany this appointment.
  - Comment. Large, all-purpose text field. The first few words of this comment will show on the visit widget on the Staff Dashboard.
  - 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.
  - Send Email Now: Checking this box means as soon as you click Save and Exit, PantrySoft will send a notification to the Client's email address about the appointment you've just made.
  - 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.
2. 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:

Load the Client
From the dashboard, use the Client Search field to load a client into the Staff Dashboard.
Edit the Appointment
Click the pencil icon beside the target appointment’s name. This will display an Edit Appointment pop-up screen.
If You are Editing the Appointment
Note any comments and/or check any relevant boxes, then click Save and Exit.
If You are Deleting the Appointment
Click Delete and confirm your intent when the standard delete-warning appears. The screens returns to the Staff Dashboard