Setting up availability

How bookable times are built

Maatla Care works out bookable times from each doctor's weekly working hours, the length of the service being booked, existing appointments, time off, practice closures and public holidays. The same calendar is used by the website, WhatsApp, the callback assistant and your reception team, so a time can only be booked once.

Set weekly working hours

1. 1Open the practice workspace and go to the doctor's availability settings.
2. 2Add working periods for each day, for example 08:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 17:00. A gap between periods becomes a break.
3. 3If you have more than one branch, set the hours for the branch where the doctor works on that day.
4. 4Save. New bookings use the new hours straight away. Existing appointments are not moved.

Services and durations

Each service has a duration and a fee. When a patient chooses a service, only times long enough for it are offered. Keep durations realistic so your day does not run late.

Time off, closures and public holidays

Add leave, training or conference days as time off for a doctor. Add practice-wide closures for days the whole practice is shut. South African public holidays are taken into account when times are offered.

If you add time off over existing appointments, those appointments stay booked until you move or cancel them. Contact the affected patients so they are not caught out.

Good habits

• Enter leave as soon as it is approved, so patients are not offered times that will later be cancelled.
• Review availability before school holidays and the end of the year.
• Use the waiting list so cancelled times are offered to patients who want to be seen sooner.