How to choose scheduling software for a small clinic
Start with the appointments your reception team actually handles. This checklist helps you test a scheduling tool and identify requirements that belong in your clinical systems.
List the visits you need to schedule
Write down your appointment types, their usual durations and the practitioners who provide them. Separate initial consultations from follow-ups when they need different amounts of time. Decide which visits patients may book online and which require contact with the practice first. Configure the booking choices around your practice’s intake process.
Check staff availability and other constraints
Test how you set working hours and see existing appointments for each practitioner. Enter confirmed visits before making times available online. If a visit also needs a particular room, device or assistant, check that requirement separately.
Try the booking journey from both sides
Open the public booking page on a phone, choose a service and practitioner, and check the times offered. Use your own details for a test booking, then verify the appointment in the business calendar. Also test how reception enters a telephone booking and changes an agreed visit. Confirm the workflow before directing patients to the link.
Compare notification channels and their costs
Check which channels the practice needs, who receives each message and whether the message content is appropriate for that purpose. Plandok Free includes 100 email notifications per month; Premium includes unlimited email notifications. SMS and WhatsApp notifications require Premium, with message charges billed separately from the subscription. Test the settings you choose and check the messages received.
Separate scheduling from clinical records
Appointment times and contact details serve a different purpose from diagnoses, treatment notes, images, prescriptions or insurance claims. Keep clinical documentation in an appropriate system and verify your practice’s data-handling, access and integration requirements before adopting any booking tool.
Plan the transition and any export requirements
Choose when the new calendar becomes the shared booking record and check all future appointments against the existing diary. Keep a reference copy while the team verifies the transition. If you need client export, note that Plandok lists it as a Premium feature. Check the export fields and any required integrations against your transition plan. Arrange clinical-record transfers through the relevant clinical system.
Compare a plan using your real team size
The Free plan includes one location, up to 3 staff members, unlimited appointments, clients and online bookings, and 100 email notifications per month. No credit card is needed to start. Review the current pricing section for larger teams, multiple locations or Premium features. Compare the tested workflow and total costs before choosing a plan.
Choose your next step
Explore the relevant booking workflow or setup guide.
Explore the calendar, staff schedules and online booking workflow.
Prepare your first booking calendarCheck services, working hours and existing appointments before sharing your booking link.
Compare appointment notificationsReview email allowances and separately charged SMS and WhatsApp messages.
Is appointment scheduling software an electronic health record?
They serve different needs. Plandok’s workflow here covers appointment times, staff availability and booking contact details. Use an appropriate clinical system for clinical records, prescriptions and insurance claims, and assess your practice’s requirements separately.
Can patients book an available appointment online?
Plandok provides a public booking page where clients select a service, an available staff member and a time. Decide which services are appropriate for online booking and test the page before sharing it.
What can a small practice try for free?
The Free plan includes one location, up to 3 staff members, unlimited appointments, clients and online bookings, and 100 email notifications per month. No credit card is needed to start.
Test your practice’s appointment workflow
The Free plan includes one location, up to 3 staff members, unlimited appointments, clients and online bookings, and 100 email notifications per month. No credit card is needed to start.