Internal appointments are scheduled by staff within Clinic HQ, while external appointments are made online by public clients. The best practice is to encourage clients to schedule online, though internal appointments may be needed for certain clients. Volunteers can use the E-Appointment form without access to Clinic HQ.
What is an Internal Appointment?
Internal appointments are those made by your staff within Clinic HQ. Only volume client appointments can be made internally, while public appointments can be scheduled both internally and externally.
What is an External Appointment?
An external appointment is one that clients make themselves online. Only public clients have the option to make appointments externally.
Should We Be Making Appointments Internally or Externally?
The best approach is to encourage clients to schedule their own appointments online. While some executive directors may worry that their clientele will struggle with online scheduling, our case studies—one conducted on the Hopi Reservation and another on the Laguna Reservation—show that nearly everyone can successfully schedule appointments online. In fact, out of 100 appointments made for Hopi dogs, only five required a follow-up phone call with the owner.
To determine if clients prefer online scheduling, we provided a link, QR code, or phone number, and found that 95% of clients preferred to make appointments online. It’s a misconception that clients can’t or don’t want to schedule appointments online.
That said, you may still need to make appointments internally for clients who are elderly, unfamiliar with the technology, or lack access to a computer. In these cases, you will need to schedule the appointment directly within Clinic HQ.
Volunteers and Appointment Making
It’s not advisable to give every volunteer access to your Clinic HQ. Instead, if volunteers are helping clients sign up, they can use the E-Appointment form available on your website, which doesn’t require access to Clinic HQ.
