Setting a doctors appointment system is not a new concept. People have been doing this for decades, after all. The difference nowadays is that the system is on the web so patients go online rather than call through telephone. This change has profound implications for everyone concerned. Many prefer this system because of its simplicity and transparency. In this article, we look closer at how an online doctors appointment system works:
Website Add-on
Many of these systems can be added onto an existing website in a snap. There is no need to develop it from scratch because there are service providers that provide an established tool. They can simply create their own account, paste a line of code, and the tool will appear on their site. Most will appear with a calendar to help users navigate to the date they wish to book. The interface is intuitive so anyone can use it right away.
Real-time Information
The calendar will display real-time information about the reservations. If a date is fully booked, then it will be grayed out such that you can skip it. Only the available dates are clickable. See if there are time slots that are acceptable to you and book one of them. All of the information provided is in real-time so you might notice a date that was available turning gray after a while. This ensures that there will be no double-booking.
Full Automation
Phone reservations have the advantage of providing a live person for patients to talk to. People can make inquiries as they reserve their slots. They can feel at ease knowing that someone is taking care of their needs. While this is not present in a web tool, it can come with a link to frequently asked questions and answers. You can still call the clinic if you have anything you would like to say. The fully automated nature of the web tool makes it easier to maintain. Email confirmations are sent right away and reports are generated in the background.
24/7 Availability
There are no worries about availability as web tools are there to serve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It will never get tired or ask for breaks. It can handle loads large or small. It doesn’t matter if one or a hundred users are booking at the same time. All of them can be entertained simultaneously. The bigger the clinic becomes, the more useful the tool will be.