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How to allow clients to manage their appointments online

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Your clients can change their own appointments using a link included in their appointment confirmation email or by logging in to the client login. By default, clients will not be able to alter their appointments, so this will need to be enabled first. In this guide, you will learn how to allow clients to manage their own appointments online.

 

 

How to allow clients to change their bookings online

1 Head to setup from the main menu in your Timely account dashboard, and click on online payments.

 

2 Scroll down to the cancellation and changes section, and check the box next to include a link in emails for customers to change their booking.

 

3 Select the cut off time for appointment changes or cancellations. This can be set to a specific intervals, such as 24 or 48 hours prior etc.

 

4 You can then enter any additional cancellation terms if desired. These will appear in the online booking process and in the client's email.

 

5 When you are ready, click save to apply your changes.

 

 

How to prevent clients changing their bookings online

If you don't want customers to be able to change bookings online, then you can turn this feature off. This will allow them to make the initial booking, but they will need to contact the business to cancel or reschedule. 

This is the same process as above, however you will uncheck the box next to Include a link in emails for customers to change their booking. You will also then set when appointments can be changed or cancelled to never.

 

 

How to allow clients to change their appointment via email

If you have given your customer permission to change their bookings online and their booking contains a single service or a service group there will be a button containing a link looks at the bottom of a customer's email that says view or change my appointment. 
 

  • Once they click this button it will take them to your online booking page and give them the option to change or cancel their appointment: 
     
    • If they click change this will take them to the online booking page to select a new date and time for this appointment 
       
    • If they select cancel it will take them to the cancellation page, asking them to select a cancellation reason and then confirm the cancellation. 
       
    • This will not appear in your clients emails if they have a booking with two or more services unless they have booked a service group.

 

 

How to allow clients to change their appointment via client login

If you have given your client permission to change their appointments online and they are logged in to client login they will be able to reschedule or cancel their booking. Once have accessed client login and are in the my appointment section they will be able to see all of their upcoming appointments. From here:
 

  • If they choose to reschedule their appointment it will take them to the Online Booking page to select and confirm a new date and time. 
     
  • If they choose to cancel their appointment it will take them to the cancellation page, asking them to select a cancellation reason and confirm the cancellation

 

 

Timely notes: 

Now that this feature is enabled there are some rules that mean your clients will not always be able to alter their appointments. Instead they will get a message to contact the business. 

The following rules apply when a client wishes to change or cancel a booking: 

  • Client appointment changes must be enabled
  • The appointment date must be in the future
  • The appointment date must be outside the policy period for changes
  • Bookings cannot be cancelled if an invoice exists for that appointment, but they can be changed
  • Recurring appointments can not be changed by the client

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