Automate client communications with Zanda pre-appointment automation. Learn to set up conditions and actions for automated emails and tasks actioned prior to client appointments.
A pre-appointment automation enables you to create automated emails with additional information about the appointment that the system will send to clients prior to their appointments, following the conditions you've defined. Additionally, it facilitates the creation of automatic tasks according to your specified conditions.
Such automations are set in Settings > Communication > Automations:
1. Once on the automation settings page, click '+ ADD AUTOMATION':
2. Enter automation name and select the automation type: 'Pre-appointment':
3. Use the available Conditions dropdowns to set the conditions for this particular automation. The available conditions for the pre-appointment automations are:
- Days before appointment date
- Appointment Location (you can select multiple locations for the same automation)
- Appointment Status (you can select multiple statuses for the same automation)
- Appointment Service (you can select multiple services for the same automation)
- Appointment Flag (you can select multiple flags for the same automation)
- Client Status (you can select multiple client statuses for the same automation)
- Practitioner (you can select multiple appointment practitioners for the same automation)
4. Now, select the action type: Email or Task
5. Select a communication email template to be used with this automation. If you do not have a suitable template, create it in Tools > Communication > Templates.
6. Click 'AND' to add more actions if needed.
7. Save the changes.
Tip: You will be able to set up more automations to cater for different practitioner needs and other use cases.
💡 Why a Pre-Appointment Automation Might Not Be Sent
Pre-appointment automations are designed to be sent a specific number of days before an appointment, based on the condition you've set.
However, if the appointment is booked after that timeframe has passed, the automation will not be triggered.
Example:
If your automation is set to send 4 days before the appointment, but the appointment is created 2 days before, the automation won’t be sent because the condition was already missed at the time of booking.
This helps ensure clients don't receive reminders or forms too late to act on them.
Tip: To ensure automations work as intended, consider how far in advance clients usually book and adjust the timing of your condition accordingly.