Appointment Action Links Plugin
Pricing Tier: Silver & above
Appointment Version: Single & Multiple
The Appointment Action Links plugin is a supplemental feature that works in conjunction with the Customer View Nextgen application. When this plugin is activated in an account, Customers will be allowed to confirm, cancel, and reschedule their Appointments through a link in their email notifications. If you are interested in learning more about this feature, please submit a support ticket.
Note: Action Links are sent out using plain text emails, therefore, the links might not show as clickable links for Customers if automatic hyperlinking has been disabled. Your Customers will need to check the settings of their email client if the links in their emails are not clickable.
How It Works
How to Enable the Appointment Action Links plugin
Note: If the plugin is already enabled in your account, please continue to the next section to configure your links.
Visit The Marketplace.
Select the Appointments section.
Locate Appointment Email Action Links plugin
Click Enable
Select Locations at which to enable this feature
Locations using the Mobile-Responsive Customer View will be listed and available to select.
Click Update
Once the plugin is enabled, you'll leave the Marketplace section to complete the rest of the setup steps.
How to Configure the Action Links
You can customize the link text that is displayed for the email action link. To continue the setup of this feature:
Click on the Settings tab.
Access the Emails section.
Locate and adjust the Appointment Action Link Settings as shown below.
You can specify the following settings for the Action Links:
Show the Action Link: Set this to "Yes" or "No" to enable/disable the link.
Show the 'Confirm My Appointment' link: Set this to "Yes" if you would like to give your Customers the option to confirm their Appointment and change the status of their Appointment in the system.
Set the Link Text: Description info: Enter the text that the Customer will read. This will hide the full hyperlink address and instead display the text as a clickable link. Leaving this blank will just display the full hyperlink address in the email.
NOTE: Other Action Link settings do not apply when used with the Customer View NextGen application.
Inserting Action Links into Emails
As noted above, the customizable email notification templates allow you to control the messages that include the Action Link Block, found in the Appointment Details drop-down list. If offering Action Links to your Customers, you may want to consider including them in the following messages:
Appointment Confirmation email
Appointment Change email
Appointment Reminder email
Check out our Customizing Your Appointment Email Notification Templates article for more information on how you can enhance your email messages and take advantage of the options for your email design.
Customer Use of the Email Action Links
Once the above configuration changes are completed, any future email sent to Customers will include the link within the designated emails.
Here's an example of one of the emails:
When Customers click on the link provided in their e-mail, they will open a page that displays their Appointment information and display the action options that can be executed for the Appointment.
From this page they can:
View the details of their Appointment.
Confirm their Appointment. This will change the status of their Appointment from "Scheduled" to "Confirmed")
Reschedule their Appointment. The Customer will be able to select a new date and time for their Appointment without first canceling and creating a new Appointment.
Cancel their appointment. If you allow Customers to cancel their Appointments, this option will be provided for them. It follows the rules you have set for allowing cancellations from the Customer View site. If you require a cancellation reason or have cancellation notifications turned on, it will also trigger the appropriate feature.
Disabling the Plugin
If you decide that you no longer want to use this feature, you can return to the Marketplace and remove the plugin from any or all Locations.
Click Marketplace.
In the left-hand column, find the plugin.
On the plugin’s first tab, click the Locations drop-down field.
Uncheck individual Locations or click None.
Click Update.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the subscription requirements for this plugin?
Clients who are subscribed to the Silver, Gold, or Platinum tiers may be eligible to use this plugin. Please open a ticket with Support to inquire about your account's qualification.
Will this configuration apply when a Location is sharing configuration settings from the Headquarters Location?
Sharing settings from the Headquarters Location does not apply to this feature. Once this plugin is enabled for the account, access the plugin and select the Locations at which the Appointment Action Links feature is required.
Note: only Locations using the Mobile-Responsive Customer View application will be listed in the Enable Locations drop-down field.
Are there any other configuration settings required to use this feature?
At this time, it is recommended that Customers have usernames and passwords associated with their profile, but it is not required to use this plugin. The system will automatically log the Customer in when managing their own Appointments.
Why is my Customer unable to update the status of some Appointments?
Depending on how far in advance your Customers can create Appointments, your Customers may be limited in confirming their Appointment. For example, if you do not allow your Customers to make same-day Appointments, they will not be permitted to confirm their Appointment on the same day as the scheduled date. Please open a Support ticket if you have questions about this setting.