Reschedule Clinic Appointments from WhatsApp with Cliniko

This recipe handles “can I move Thursday’s session?” and “I need to cancel” on WhatsApp at any hour. It checks who is asking, applies your policy, offers available times with the same practitioner and updates Cliniko. Part of the Cliniko integration.

What happens today

A patient replies to a reminder late at night to say they cannot come. Nobody sees it until the morning, the slot is too close to refill, and the patient still needs a new time. Finding one takes several more messages while the practitioner is treating.

The flow that works

AeroChat finds the patient’s upcoming appointment in Cliniko and checks their name and date of birth.
It checks the request against your cancellation window.
For a move, it offers up to three available times with the same practitioner and appointment type.
When the patient picks one, it moves the appointment in Cliniko and sends the new details.
For a cancellation, it cancels the appointment in Cliniko and offers to book again.

The recipe

Copy this into AeroChat

When a patient asks to move or cancel an appointment, follow these steps.

Ask for their full name and date of birth, and find their upcoming appointments in Cliniko. If they have more than one, ask which one.

Check our cancellation policy. Example: free changes up to 24 hours before, and a late cancellation fee of US$40 after that (example). Tell them what applies before you change anything.

For a move, check Cliniko for available times with the same practitioner and the same appointment type, and offer up to three closest to what they ask for.

When they choose, move the appointment in Cliniko and send the new date, time and practitioner.

For a cancellation, cancel the appointment in Cliniko with the reason they gave, confirm it in the chat, and offer to book a new time.

If their practitioner has nothing suitable, offer another practitioner only if they agree.

Never give clinical advice. Never waive a fee. If they mention new or worse symptoms, hand over to a practitioner. Reply in the patient’s language.

Change the cancellation window and fee to your own before you paste it.

What to connect

Cliniko. Create an API key from My Info, Manage API keys, using a Cliniko user with front desk access. Enter it in the AeroChat dashboard when it asks.
Your reminders. Keep sending them from Cliniko as you do now, or as a WhatsApp broadcast (Growth plan and up). AeroChat handles the replies.
Your policies. Upload your cancellation policy to the AeroChat knowledge base.

Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.

Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.

What you still decide

Your cancellation window and fee.
Whether patients can switch practitioner in chat.
Which appointments go to a person instead, such as group classes or long assessments.

The result to expect

Cancellations reach Cliniko as soon as the patient sends them, so the time can be refilled, and the patient leaves the chat with a new appointment. Measure it with your own numbers: late cancellations that were rebooked, and empty appointment time, for a month before and after you start.

Next: appointment booking and new patient intake with Cliniko. See also the dental recipe for rescheduling and cancellation.

Move your first appointment in chat

Paste the recipe, add your Cliniko API key, and message your own number asking to move a test appointment.

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On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.