Notifying patients of available slots due to cancellations

Purpose

1.1 The purpose is to automate the process of notifying patients of newly available time slots arising from cancellations, maximizing schedule efficiency, filling gaps, reducing idle practitioner time, enhancing patient satisfaction, and improving overall operational workflow through automated communication.
1.2 This automation ensures patients on waitlists or with flexible preferences are promptly informed, supporting them in timely rescheduling and optimizing clinic occupancy without manual intervention.

Trigger Conditions

2.1 Automated detection of appointment cancellations in scheduling platforms.
2.2 Slot marked as available in practice management or booking system.
2.3 Patient(s) on waiting list or with slot preferences stored digitally.
2.4 Automated time filter checks (slot within X hours/days, preference match).

Platform Variants

3.1 Twilio SMS
- Feature/Setting: Use "Programmable Messaging API" to automate sending SMS; configure API to trigger on slot availability.
3.2 SendGrid
- Feature/Setting: Utilize "Transactional Email" to automate templated notifications; integrate with webhook for real-time triggers.
3.3 Mailgun
- Feature/Setting: "Messages API" automates patient emails on cancellation; set trigger rule for automation.
3.4 WhatsApp Business API
- Feature/Setting: Automates personalized WhatsApp alerts on available slots; configure approved templates and trigger logic.
3.5 Slack
- Feature/Setting: "Chat.postMessage" API automates posting in patient-specific channels/groups for instant updates.
3.6 Microsoft Teams
- Feature/Setting: Use automated "Incoming Webhooks" to notify groups or patients linked via Teams.
3.7 Outlook Mail
- Feature/Setting: Automate sending update emails via "Send an email (V2)" in Outlook API on slot availability.
3.8 Google Calendar
- Feature/Setting: "Insert Event" API to automatically invite or update patients for new available slots.
3.9 Zoom
- Feature/Setting: Auto-send meeting reschedule links using "Meetings API" in response to cancellations.
3.10 Calendly
- Feature/Setting: Automate rescheduling emails or notifications through Calendly's "Webhooks API" on slot changes.
3.11 Salesforce
- Feature/Setting: Use "Process Builder" and "Email Alerts" to automate notification workflow for available appointments.
3.12 HubSpot
- Feature/Setting: "Workflows" and "Sequences" automate email notifications for waiting list patients.
3.13 Zendesk
- Feature/Setting: "Triggers" feature automates multichannel patient notifications on slot updates.
3.14 Pipedrive
- Feature/Setting: Automate emails or SMS with "Workflow Automation" when a slot is cancelled.
3.15 Aircall
- Feature/Setting: Use "API Webhooks" to trigger automated outbound calls or SMS for open slots.
3.16 Intercom
- Feature/Setting: "Outbound Messages" automates chat/email notifications about slot availabilities.
3.17 ActiveCampaign
- Feature/Setting: "Automations" module to automatically send targeted emails or SMS to patients.
3.18 Zapier
- Feature/Setting: "Multi-step Zap" workflow automates entire notification process linking calendar and messenger services.
3.19 BambooHR
- Feature/Setting: Use "API Webhooks" to trigger communications if applied to an in-house staff or resource context.
3.20 Google Sheets
- Feature/Setting: Automated add/update to patient status list and trigger scripts for email/SMS alerts using "Apps Script".

Benefits

4.1 Automates communication, reducing staff manual work, ensuring timely patient updates.
4.2 Automating slot alerts increases efficiency in appointment utilization.
4.3 Automated notifications enhance patient engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty.
4.4 Automation reduces the risk of empty slots, increasing clinic revenue.
4.5 Automator workflows provide consistent, error-free patient experiences.
4.6 Automatable process scales easily with growing patient databases without additional staff overhead.