This article explains how to prepare your practice for the holiday season, so HotDoc keeps working as expected while you have reduced hours or a break.

Please note – not all sections will apply to your practice.

How to prepare your practice for the holiday break

1. Keep your server running so appointments sync as expected

   • Please keep your server running so patients can keep booking future appointments with your practice and these appear in your appointment book as expected.
      

2. If you're open but short-staffed, keep processing appointments and forms in the Sidebar

   • Even with fewer staff, the Sidebar still needs regular attention – particularly booking requests and patient forms. To manage your time, we recommend setting a few fixed times each day to check the Sidebar.
     • How to process appointments in the Sidebar
     • How to process form submissions in the Sidebar
        

3. Check your practitioners' session times in your practice management system (PMS)

   • We sync sessions directly from your PMS, so edit your practitioners' sessions in your PMS to match their holiday hours. This makes sure your Bookings Page shows the right appointment times.
      
   • You can also add a hidden session in your HotDoc Dashboard to stop appointment slots showing online when they shouldn't.
      
   • To see which sessions we're syncing, use the Availability Calendar – see How to use the Availability Calendar.
      

4. Update your opening hours or add exceptions to your Practice Profile

   • If your opening hours are changing over the holidays, update them in your Practice Profile so patients can see them when they book.
      
   • You can also add exceptions for days like public holidays, with a note for patients. See How to edit your Practice Profile – Opening hours.
      

5. Add an alert message to your Bookings Page

   • Let patients know why availability may be limited or why you might not answer every call over the holidays. Patients will see your message when they book online – see How to add an alert message to your Bookings Page.
      
   • We also recommend updating your phone hold message for patients who don't book online.
      

6. Check whether recalls send on public holidays

   • Recalls don't send on public holidays by default, but it's worth checking this setting hasn't been switched on during the year. To change it, see Can I send Recalls and Results on public holidays?
      

7. Set up telehealth for practitioners working remotely

   • If some practitioners are offering a mix of in-person and telehealth, or only telehealth for a short period, see How do I set up a practitioner for Telehealth appointments on specific times or days?
      
   • If your whole practice is offering telehealth only, see How do I set my Practice location to Telehealth only?
      

8. Pause Routine Requests while you're closed

   • You can temporarily turn off Routine Requests so patients can't submit them while you're closed. This can be done for your whole practice, or for individual doctors. See How do I disable online script or referral requests temporarily?
      

9. Send a Broadcast SMS to let patients know about closures

   • To tell patients about any changes, send a bulk SMS using Broadcasts – see How to create a Broadcast SMS.