💡 Top tip: The steps to follow in the 'Automation' section will vary slightly depending on which automation type you have selected - see more info here about appointment reminders and estimates.
How do I use automation to send invoices?
To set up an automation rule for appointments:
In Dentally, go to 'Settings' then choose 'Automation'.
Here you will see the 'Communication' tab, with any automations you have previously set up. You can edit existing automations by clicking the pen 📝 button on the right-hand side.
📝 Please note: Any automation rules you have created previously which are inactive will be hidden by default when you open the page - they can be made visible by simply going to the dropdown in the top left and filtering to 'All'.
To set up a new automation, click '+ New Rule'.
In the window that appears, complete the fields as needed.
When you have completed the necessary fields, click 'Save'. The invoice automation will now be active and will send automatically when triggered. The invoice will be attached as a PDF in emails.
📝 Please note: If the invoice is created, triggering the rule, but is then subsequently deleted, a correspondence will not be sent. Deleting an invoice and producing a new one will result in the most recent invoice being sent.
When completing each field, remember:
Rule name
A description to help you remember what it is, eg. 'Reminder one week before'.
Type
Choose 'Invoice' from the dropdown, for invoice correspondences.
Message will be sent approximately
Choose when the correspondence will be triggered - select the number of hours/days/weeks and before or after the invoice was created.
Conditions
Click '+ Add condition' and select 'Paid'. Selecting 'No' from the dropdown will mean the correspondence only sends to those with unpaid invoices. 'Yes' means the automation will send a receipt. When you have selected conditions, ensure you click 'Apply' before proceeding, or it will not save. If no conditions are added, all invoices will trigger the message.
Message
Choose whether to apply one of your pre-made correspondence templates for both SMS and email. If you select 'None' from the dropdown, this correspondence type will be excluded completely, so patients will not receive the automated correspondence in that format.
You can then choose your preference for what order correspondences are sent in:
'Email then SMS'/'SMS then email'- The primary method will be attempted first - if it is successfully sent, the secondary method will not be attempted. If the primary method fails, the secondary method will be attempted.
'All' - Both correspondence types will be attempted, so if the patient has registered both an email address and contact number, they may receive the correspondence twice.
📝 Please note: Automated communications are not sent retrospectively - if an appointment is booked last-minute (ie. after your reminders were triggered to send), the system won't "catch up" and send outstanding communications as this could cause multiple reminders to send at once. If they book after all trigger dates have passed, then they will not receive an automated communication.