Configuring Hosted Appointments

After you have enabled hosted appointments you will need to create configurations for the appointments. Appointment configurations are where administrators set guidelines around when appointments happen, who can attend, how many appointments a participant can host or attend, and the terminology used within the app. The basic appointment configurations are set in four  tabs:

• Roles and locations
• Targets and Limits
• Invitations and reminders
• Custom terminology

Roles and Locations Tab

The Roles and Locations tab is where administrators set which roles may host and attend appointments, and where the appointments will occur. There is a one-to-one relationship between appointment hosts and attendees.

Appointments can be attended or hosted by multiple roles, but the administrator should create a configuration for each appointment host and attendee combination. It is also possible for the host role and the attendee role to match, for example, Attendees may host appointments, but also attend appointments hosted by other attendees.

Host & Attendee Role pre-populate with the roles the administrator created when setting up the event. If you have not created your roles, or if you need to add a new role, please add the role to the event and then return to the appointments section.

Here's a guide to understanding the required fields:

Appointment Roles

Name (required) - type in the name for the new configuration. Use simple clear to understand terms so you can quickly identify which roles are being managed within the configuration. For example Sponsors hosting Attendees, or Exhibitors - Sponsors, where Exhibitors are the Host and Attendees are the appointment attendees. 

Host Role (required) - The role that will host the appointments.

Attendee Role (required) - The role that will book attend the appointments.

Locations

Link hosts to exhibitors - ties the exhibitor role to exhibiting companies. This is option MUST be selected when:

• There is a limit on the number of appointments an exhibiting company can host or attend
  
• Exhibiting companies will host their appointments in their booth.

Host location assignment Section

Administrators may assign appointment locations manually, automatically, or appointments may be held at the exhibitors booth. The appointment configuration defaults to manually assigning locations.

Select the appropriate roles, and location option, then use the left side menu to navigate to the 'Targets and Limits' tab to continue your configurations. You may also select the green 'Create' button at the top of the page to save and create your appointment configuration, and return to the additional tabs later.

Tip: Administrators will be provided the ability to add the location details later.

Targets and Limits

The Targets and Limits tab is where administrators may set a minimum and maximum number of appointments that may be hosted or attended. If there are no limits on how many appointments can be hosted or attended, skip this tab and proceed to the 'Invitations and Reminders' tab.

The 'Host role' section is used to set limits for appointment hosts, while the 'Attendee role' section is used to set limits for appointment attendees. Use the drop down or type the numeric value to set appointment minimum and maximum values.

Tips:

• Minimum and Maximum values are not required and should be left blank when no appointment limitations are in effect.
• Setting a minimum value does not require a maximum value to be set, and vice-versa.
• Limitations for hosts does not require limitations for attendees to be set, and vice-versa. e.g, a Host may be required to host a minimum of 5 appointments this does not mean attendees are required to attend at least 5 appointments.

When you have completed setting the appointment minimums and maximums, use the left side menu to navigate to the 'Invitations and Reminders' tab to continue your configurations. You may also select the green 'Create' button at the top of the page to save and create your appointment configuration, and return to the additional tabs later.

Invitations and Reminders

The Invitations and Reminders tab is where event administrators enable appointment hosts to send an email invitation to book an appointment.

Turn on appointment invitations check the box labeled 'Allow hosts to invite attendees to schedule appointments'.

We recommend turning on appointment reminders for attendees by selecting the 'Send appointment Reminders' checkbox. Use the drop down to select the lead time for the reminder, the default is 15 minutes prior to the appointment time.

Notifications may be sent via email only or via email and push notification. We recommend allowing notifications to be sent via email and via push notification within the app. Under 'Notification Option' choose between email plus push notification (recommended) or Email Only. When you have completed setting the Invitations and Reminders, use the left side menu to navigate to the 'Custom Terminology' tab to continue your configurations. You may also select the green 'Create' button at the top of the page to save and create your appointment configuration, and return to the additional tabs later.

Custom Terminology

By default the terms appointment(s) and book(ed) are used within the app, the back-office, and on the event web-site (if applicable) to refer to booking an appointment. Administrators may overwrite these default terms by using custom terminology, for example an administration may wish to use schedule and scheduled to replace book and booked. Or change the indefinite article from 'a' to 'an'. To update the terminology type the preferred singular and plural noun for appointment and the preferred present and past tense verb for book in the text boxes. You may also use a custom Title label to refer to the type of appointment a customer is booking. Here are examples of common Title labels:

• Exhibitor Demo
• Speed Networking
• Mentorship Session
• Abstract Review
• Portfolio Review
• Professional Headshots

When you have completed this section, navigate to the green 'Create' button at the top of the page to create the appointment configuration, and to move on to the 'Add Hours' screen.