The PPS Appointments Diary has a holding list available which you can use to record clients who are waiting for a future appointment slot or cancellation. Clients can be added to the holding list with a description of what they are holding for, be this be a specific diary user, location or time slot.
Section 1 - Accessing the Holding List
Access your Holding List via the Holding icon at the top of your Appointments Diary.
Here you will find your Holding List where you can view all clients currently holding for an appointment.
At the top of the screen you have options available to filter the clients in view based on what they have specified they are holding for. Within the list itself you can view information on clients currently holding. Each client appears colour-coded based on the nature of the holding as shown by the key to the left of the window.
Should you wish to reorder the columns that appear in this list you can do so by hovering over the column title (e.g. Diary User) until an arrow appears. Hold the left mouse key and drag to reposition the column. You can also choose how to sort the clients by picking a column and pressing the left mouse key once when the arrow appears. This will sort the clients based on the data in that particular column.
Section 2 - Adding a Client to the Holding List
To add a new client to the Holding List choose Add at the bottom left of the screen. Alternatively, to modify an existing client highlight them in the list and choose Modify.
Here you can add or update an instance of a client awaiting an appointment to the holding list. Begin by using the search function to find the relevant client or use the selected client icon to automatically populate the currently selected client. Selecting a client will populate the contact details from the client's details but you can modify these if required.
You do not need to enter any further information than this to save a client to the holding list but you may wish to add more detail in order to narrow down the client's requirements regarding the appointment they are waiting for.
Client Holding For - If your client is waiting for an appointment at a particular time of day you can utilise diary slots to make this clearer. Diary slots can be added via Tools > Look Up Tables > Diary Session Descriptions.
Diary User - Here you can specify a particular Diary User that your client is waiting to see.
Department - If you use Departments in your PPS system then you can specify one here.
Location - If the client wants an appointment at a specific location you can include that here
Appointment Type - Here you can specify which Appointment Type the client is holding for.
Additionally you can mark the client based on the urgency of their appointment requirement. You can also set an expiry date after which the user will no longer appear as someone actively awaiting an appointment. They will still be visible on the list until you choose to remove Expired instances using the Expired button.
Section 3 - Booking an Appointment for a Client on the Holding List
Now you have clients on your Holding List you will see a green indicator alongside the Holding icon at the top of the Appointments Diary that displays the number of clients in the Holding List at present. Clicking this icon will open up the Holding List.
Additionally, when an appointment in the diary is deleted or re-opened through the DNA function you will be notified that a client on the Holding List could fill this new space.
To book a client into a space in the diary open the Holding List, right click on their name and drag them across to the relevant space in the diary.
