Apptoto Blog

Introducing “Availability Overrides”

Featured, Product Notes

Are you tired of having to create fake appointments on your calendar to block off time on your Apptoto booking pages? Or have you wanted to add or adjust your availability easily? If so, you’re in luck! We’re excited to announce our newest feature to our online scheduling pages: Availability Overrides. This feature is immediately available to all Apptoto users. It can be used to easily block off available time on your booking pages for specific dates or date ranges. It can also be used to expand available times on specific dates as well! For example, if you are leaving on vacation and want to make sure no one books time with you, you can easily create an Override for that week that blocks time. Or as another example, if you are planning on coming in earlier on a specific Friday, you can easily adjust the times that are selectable that day by creating an override for that day with an earlier start time. “Availability Overrides” can be configured in two places: In each Calendar’s settings In each Booking Page settings The Calendar override settings can be found here: Booking […]

March 20, 2023/by Frank Cort

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schedule your appointment reminders

Introducing “Availability Overrides”

Featured, Product Notes

Are you tired of having to create fake appointments on your calendar to block off time on your Apptoto booking pages? Or have you wanted to add or adjust your availability easily? If so, you’re in luck! We’re excited to announce our…

HIPAA-Compliant Appointment Reminders Are Now Available

Yes! HIPAA-Compliant Appointment Reminders Are Now Available

One method healthcare providers use to connect with their patients is by sending appointment reminders. The challenge then becomes ensuring those reminders align with the requirements spelled out in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability…

Appointment Reminders, Apptoto

How Appointment Reminders Can Improve Customer Satisfaction

Appointment reminders are a valuable tool in ensuring your business provides great customer satisfaction. Often, the stress of making and keeping appointments can interfere with employees’ ability to offer good customer service. Appointment…

data protection and security are vitally important to Apptoto

Apptoto Achieves SOC 2 Type 1 Certification: A Commitment to Security and Data Privacy

Apptoto is proud to announce that we have achieved SOC 2 Type 1 certification, demonstrating our commitment to security and data privacy for our customers and stakeholders. What is SOC 2 Type 1 Certification? The SOC 2 Type 1 certification…

Woman checking out on her computer using a credit card

Top 3 Reasons To Start Using Online Payments With Apptoto

It's time to start using online payments. However, we know that adding a new step to your workflow can feel overwhelming. That’s why we are here to help. Let’s break down the top 3 reasons our clients are switching to using online payments…

Appointment Scheduling With Apptoto and Microsoft Teams

Appointment Scheduling With Apptoto and Microsoft Teams

Featured, Product Notes

Microsoft Teams is a powerful collaboration and appointment scheduling platform that is quickly becoming a go-to solution for businesses of all sizes. One of the standout features of Microsoft Teams is its Virtual Meeting feature. Apptoto now…

Online Booking with Apptoto

Online Booking Is a Game Changer for Busy People

Stuck in a Rut? Online Booking May Be Just What You Need In our fast-paced world, getting overwhelmed with work, personal life, and everything in between happens easily. You may have faced this stalemate as a business person or key decision-maker.…

appointment reminder messages for the holidays

Appointment Reminder Messages for the Holidays

We all know how busy it can be during the holidays. In addition to life's usual busyness, adding holiday parties, shopping, baking, and other festivities to the list and keeping all those appointments straight can be an overwhelming task. That's…

appointment reminders

Appointment Reminders Save You Time

The average wait time for a medical appointment is currently 26 days. When someone misses an appointment, it sets everyone involved back by a month. The patient has to wait for care, and the provider loses out on business. Even public services,…

Appointment Reminders, Apptoto

Apptoto Client Reminders vs. Goreminders: Which One Does Reminders Better?

Faced with finding an appointment reminder and scheduling solution, many people just flip a virtual coin. There are so many solutions it's hard to know which is the best answer for a company or individual. Online searches aren't much help. Articles…

Why Retailers Need SMS Reminders

Why Retailers Need SMS Reminders

From managers to associates, suppliers to your sales team, and partners to customers, the range of people that need to share information in a retail environment can easily become overwhelming. SMS reminders are a simple and efficient way…

Do you ask your clients for reviews? If not, it’s time to start.

Best Practices, Featured

Why should I ask my clients for reviews? If you don't already, it's time to start asking clients for reviews. 98% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. Not only that, but behind price, reviews are the second most considered…

Appointment Reminders

Best Practices: Automated Appointment Reminders for Healthcare

Use Cases - Case Studies

Missed that appointment reminder? That’ll be $50, please. No-shows and late arrivals are common problems for many healthcare service providers. They create gaps in scheduling, reduce revenue, and make it difficult to run an efficient…

Less No-Shows, More Learning: A Case Study with Spanish55

Use Cases - Case Studies

Appointments can be a major struggle for any busy professional. Doctors, dentists, and accountants all demand time that breaks up the normal work day and wreaks havoc on the daily routine. But what about when the appointment is just for…

Booking page

Apptoto Campaigns Help Streamline Covid-19 Vaccination Scheduling

For many adults in this country and around the world, the process of signing up and scheduling our COVID-19 vaccination appointments has been challenging, to say the least! We have experienced slow or broken online scheduling pages; screen refresh…

How to Use Apptoto Campaigns for Covid-19 Vaccination Scheduling

System Overview Carvajal Pharmacy in San Antonio, Texas, is one of Apptoto’s clients using our Campaigns and Scheduling products to maximize their efficiency and productivity for administering Covid-19 vaccines. If you are interested,…

Auto messages

Enhance your messaging with attachments and emoticons

It is now easy to further customize and personalize your Apptoto messages with attachments, photos, and emoticons. Photos and emoticons are fully supported in both SMS and emails in a variety of messages types. Attachments of other types…

Apptoto and Zoom integration

Apptoto’s seamless integration with Virtual Meetings

Based on our data, we've seen a 10x increase in the number of virtual meetings this year! This change in behavior is almost certainly due to COVID; however Virtual Meetings are expected to stick around long after the world recovers from…

apptoto dashboard

Helping Appointment Based Businesses Re-open/cover in 2020

Appointment based businesses were some of the hardest hit during the world-wide COVID-19 economic shutdown. Now, as the world begins to re-open, it's important that you (as the owner or manager of an appointment-based business) recover as…

Appointment Scheduler

Adapting to change using the Apptoto appointment scheduler

Introduction We are hearing from clients that many of you are starting to re-open in lieu of the COVID-19 shutdown. As you begin to re-open you may find that you want to ask clients that had appointments during the shutdown to reschedule,…

Introducing “Compose to All” Appointments

Apptoto has had the ability to compose a message to multiple appointments at once for a while now; however, it has required you to manually check checkboxes for each appointment that you want messages to be sent to. The feedback we’ve received…

calendar campaigns

Recall Past Appointments with Apptoto Campaigns

We are reopening and reconnecting worldwide and many companies had to cancel appointments due to COVID-19. Losing those clients and that revenue is detrimental at any time, particularly when we are in recovery mode. Apptoto has a solution to…

retail stores

Set your retail store up for success with online booking

Whether you need a quick 10-minute pickup option, an hour-long general shopping option, both, or more, we’ve got you covered. Need to only allow 5 people in the store at any given time? We can do that too! We can even seamlessly remind your…

Increase Telehealth Appointment Attendance

News is changing by the minute and so is the world of healthcare. During the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency, doctor’s visits have shifted from an in-office appointment to a focus on telehealth. In response to these changes, the…

Appointment Reminders, Apptoto

3 Common Appointment Reminder Mistakes And How To Fix Them

While it may not feel like it, making mistakes when sending out appointment reminders is a common problem. So don’t worry, you’re in good company. Many appointment-based businesses treat reminders like a checkbox—either we do it, or we…

Online Scheduling Tool

How to Increase Client Appointments with Online Scheduling

2019 marked the first year that US consumers spent more time on their mobile device than watching TV. Though many appointment-based businesses are still investing in television ads, many have not taken the time to invest in an online scheduling…

Send Texts from A Business Landline

According to an FCC study done in 2017, only 10% of the 455 million telephone numbers in the United States are landlines. A whopping 75% of those numbers belong to mobile phones. Majority of those landlines belong to businesses, while consumers…

4 Ways To Improve Client Text Appointment Reminders

Did you know 62% of no-shows occur simply because your client forgot? We get it. People are busy. Combat forgetfulness with an appointment reminder strategy that works. We have 4 easy ways for you to improve your client text appointment reminders. …

Should I Send Text or Voice Reminders to My Clients?

Sending appointment reminders to your clients is a necessity in today’s busy world. 62% of no-shows occur simply because your client forgot. To combat forgetfulness, send timely reminders with all of the information they need to show up…

Update To Cellular Carrier Filtering

Recently Sprint and T-Mobile have increased their text filtering criteria causing some text messages to fail to send. Unfortunately, failed messages are not always able to be flagged by our service provider meaning that you might not have been…

Are Appointment Reminders HIPAA Compliant?

Healthcare professionals spend hours each week sending reminders to their patients. Whether you or your staff are taking care of it, manually sending appointment reminders each day is a huge waste of your time. Did you know that you can send…

5 Holiday Campaigns to Boost Your Appointment Bookings

Christmas in October? It might have been over a month ago when department stores started displaying their Christmas wares, but if you haven’t started prepping your business for the holidays, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Many appointment-based…

Appointment Scheduling

How CPAs Can Use Text Messages for Appointment Scheduling

Tax firms and CPAs are gearing up for their busiest time: the 2019 tax season. Don’t waste time reaching out individually to remind your clients to book their tax prep sessions. Instead, use text message appointment scheduling campaigns to…

Apptoto Appointment Reminders

87 Email Appointment Reminder Samples to Send Your Clients

You're a business owner, not a copy writer. Rather than waste cycles trying to craft the perfect copy for your email appointment reminders, just use these 87 industry-specific appointment reminder samples! For all client communication, you…

New Customization Features for Apptoto Booking Pages

Apptoto’s online scheduling pages just got better! Now, you can customize the look and feel of your booking page to match your business’s brand. Another great addition that our customers asked for is the ability to customize your availability…

21 Home Service Text Appointment Reminder Examples

Running your own home services company is tough. As a business owner you have to wear so many hats each day like marketing, sales, foreman, accountant and office administrator. What if you could remove some of those hats and spend more time…

Auto Mechanic

7 Auto Service Appointment Reminders for your Automotive Shop

Save Time with an Automotive Services Software Reduce late arrivals and no-shows with Apptoto’s automotive service scheduling software. With Apptoto, send your customers quick appointment reminders via text, phone call or email. You don't…

healthcare equipment

Remind and Recall: 16 Patient Appointment Reminder Templates

Did you know that your patients prefer text messages appointment reminders? Patient text message reminders have a 30% higher confirmation rate than phone calls and a whopping 150% higher confirmation rate than email. But, how do you get started?…

14 Spa and Hair Appointment Reminder Templates for the Modern Client

Missing a hair or spa appointment that you’ve been looking forward to for days, weeks, even months (hello, balayage, we’re looking at you) is the worst. Especially when that appointment is due to sheer forgetfulness and not an unavoidable…

9 Therapy Appointment Reminder Templates to Improve Patient Communication

Your patients have a lot on their minds, which makes it easy to forget things. As a result, they may miss their sessions costing you time and money. Unfortunately, missed appointments are normally not on purpose. People simply forget. As a therapist…

How to Send an Appointment Reminder Text

You run your own business. That means you have plenty of things to worry about, but reminding your clients when and where to show up shouldn’t be one of them. Learn how to schedule and send an automated appointment reminder text to your clients…

How To: Use Zapier to Add Appointments into Google Sheets

Many of our clients manage their appointment-based business through Google Sheets which can be a quick and easy way to keep all of your appointments in one place, especially if you aren’t using a CRM. But it can be cumbersome to continuously…

Zapier and Apptoto solutions

Three Things to Automate Today with Zapier

The “Internet of Things” is a household phrase these days. You can automate anything from your home security system to your morning coffee with the touch of a button. Automation has taken over our homes and is rapidly moving into our…

wall mounted camera

Appointment Reminders and Regulatory Compliance: FCC and TCPA

Apptoto, cannot provide legal advice, however we feel it's important to inform our users of the regulations surrounding automated appointment reminders. This information is not to be used as a substitute for legal counsel. TLDR: If…

zapier webhooks

How to use Apptoto Webhooks

Apptoto Webhooks allow you to integrate Apptoto’s Appointment Messaging & Scheduling Platform further into your workflow, by triggering things to happen when certain events happen in Apptoto (e.g. when someone books an appointment with…

new apptoto feature

New Auto Messages Editor

We’ve recently started rolling out a new version of our “Auto Messages” tab inside of the Apptoto application. All new users have access to it, and all existing users can now try it. This blog post will cover some of the changes to…

new apptoto feature

Staff Messaging with Apptoto’s “To: Field” feature

We all know now just how powerful and flexible Apptoto’s automated messages are for reminding your clients of their appointments, but what if you or your staff also need to receive reminder messages for all appointments? You can now use…

new apptoto feature

Feature Update: Apptoto Connect – Voice Message Enhancements

If you’ve used the compose button on the Agenda or Inbox/Outbox view lately (i.e. our new “Apptoto Connect” feature), then you’ve noticed that you can now send Voice Call messages to one or more recipients easily from your Apptoto phone…

light painted question mark

What is Apptoto?

Tyler Blair has been an account executive/support specialist with Apptoto for almost three years now. Recently he was interviewed for a podcast on Maximum Lawyer's website by Jim Hacking. Tyler does a great job explaining Apptoto and the…

scheduling apps that can save you time

Scheduling Apps That Can Save You Time

A Side-by-Side Comparison of Appointment-Booking Apps* Staying on top of your business is getting easier every day thanks to time-saving apps and software like Apptoto. With a long list of features designed to streamline your daily operations,…

five best apps for small business owners

The 5 Best Apps for Small Business Owners

Founder Stories

With at-your-fingertips access to everything from shopping to medical services, the modern business landscape is all about efficiency and customer service. Whether you’re selling artisanal soaps or architectural design, you need the right…

proper scheduling and sales success

3 Ways Proper Scheduling Can Help You Nail Your Sales Pitch

Picture this: Your ideal sales scenario. Think about the time you need to prepare, the optimal setting, and the model client. Are you seeing it? The friendly banter, the clever pitch, the handshake that seals the deal? While it may be more fun…

customized appointment reminder timing options

Customized Appointment Reminder Timing Options

When setting up your Apptoto account, you may ask yourself - how will Apptoto fit my unique workflow? In most cases, the default reminder templates provided by Apptoto will be all you need to get started. These basic reminder templates are built…

text based appointment reminders confirmations

How Text-Based Appointment Reminders & Confirmations are Changing Business for the Better

Want to know the one thing less convenient than making time to leave a detailed appointment-reminder voicemail? The answer is taking time out of your busy day to listen to that voicemail while scrambling for a pen or a note-taking app, then…

top five benefits of personalized appointment reminders

Top 5 Benefits of Personalized Appointment Reminders

1. Fewer No-Shows & Last-Minute Cancellations Give your clients and your support staff advanced notice of cancellations with friendly appointment reminders to avoid day-of cancellations and no-shows. Services like Apptoto allow you to choose…

no shows are costing your business

How Much “No-Shows” are Really Costing Your Business

If you’ve ever had the displeasure of preparing for an appointment, gathering your documents, and making your way to the designated meeting place only to find yourself idling in wait as usable minutes pass by with no word from your client,…

staying connected with family

Staying Connected with Family Using Call Reminders

It’s always fun to see our clients making use of Apptoto in ways we never thought of when we first built it. Most of our readers/users know us as simply an Appointment Reminder system; however Apptoto is really an appointment messaging platform…

new apptoto feature

Sneak Peek at a New Feature | How to Use Search in Apptoto

Apptoto Releases New Search Feature Apptoto has released a very powerful search feature that allows you to search for your customers, confirmed appointments, no-shows, custom fields, with robust reporting and messaging capabilities. Apptoto…

google my business appointment booking links

Google’s My Business Appointment Links: Everything You Need to Know

It seems like every few months, the way people discover and interact with businesses online undergoes a new shift. From changes to search and social channels to new technology, evolving devices, and consumer habits, things are always in flux. Search…

accountability vs responsibility

Accountability vs. Responsibility in Business

Founder Stories

Most business schools dive into existential topics that surround business but may seem superfluous to actual day-to-day operations. Two ideas often covered are accountability vs responsibility. In the business world, we often see these terms…

snowy freeway

Expect the Unexpected: A Playbook for Handling Unpredictable Schedule Changes

No matter where you live, you’ve probably experienced unpredictable weather patterns over the last few years. In the U.S., changing weather patterns have brought floods, storms, and huge snowfalls to new areas and at different times of…

wayne metro case study

Case Study: Wayne Metro Community Action Agency

Use Cases - Case Studies

When we profile businesses that use Apptoto, we tend to focus on the most common: healthcare clinics, dental offices, and lawyers. But these aren’t the only kinds of organizations that need help managing their schedules and keeping their constituents…

commercial messaging regulation

Understanding CAN-SPAM: U.S. Commercial Message Regulation

Now going on its 15th year as law, the 2003 CAN-SPAM act was originally signed by George W. Bush. As the internet, online businesses, and online marketing were growing, the law was meant to reign in some of the more insidious marketing practices…

chaotic calendar

How to Turn Complex Calendars into a Sleek Patient Scheduling Process

Whether your practice books 20-minute, 30-minute, or 90-minute appointments, there are common challenges and hurdles that come with booking, managing, and coordinating time between your business, its providers, and each and every one of your…

apptoto customer feedback

Survey Results: View Our Clients’ Success Using Apptoto!

We recently conducted a survey of nearly 200 businesses using Apptoto to get feedback on how well we’re doing and to get insight that will drive our future priorities. We were very pleased with the results! Reviewing the data, it’s…

auto replies to custom fields

From Auto Replies to Custom Fields, Get the Most from Apptoto with These Functions!

We spoke with Tyler, one of our customer support specialists, about the needs and pain points our customers seek help with. Luckily, Apptoto has an arsenal of tools that can make life a lot easier for businesses - and they're easy to use. Check…

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)

Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL): Stay Compliant & Avoid Costly Fines

On July 1, 2014, a sweeping piece of legislation called Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) went into effect. After a three-year grace period, it’s now time to comply. Canadian businesses — or any business that sends electronic…

M Scott hair salon

Apptoto + Hair Salons: A Case Study with M. Scott Salon

Use Cases - Case Studies

Scott M is a world-renowned hairdresser and makeup artist. Throughout the years, he has worked with a host of celebrities, including Danica Patrick, Sandra Bullock, and Liza Minelli. In Salt Lake City, M. Scott Salon is known as a destination…

apptoto support q&a

Tips and Tricks From Apptoto Customer Support [Part 1]

Our nimble support team is here to help you get the most out of Apptoto! We sat down with Jessica, one of our account executives/support specialists, to get the answers to a few frequently asked questions. Jessica has been working for Apptoto…

youth sports

Apptoto + Youth Sports: A Case Study with Homewood Baseball & Softball

Use Cases - Case Studies

Homewood Baseball and Softball Leagues (HBSL) brings the magic of baseball, t-ball, and softball to more than 900 kids in Homewood, Illinois, from the ages of four to 18. The non-profit organization serves the community’s kids and their…

calendar appointment confirmed

The Psychology Behind Consistently Confirming Appointments with Clients

Founder Stories

Appointments can be unpredictable. Any business that operates with patient or client appointments knows that the logistics of booking, keeping, confirming, and managing appointments presents a number of huge challenges. People forget, they…

client meeting

Creating an Intake Process that Benefits Businesses & Clients

For almost any kind of business, the intake process is a critical component of building relationships. How customers and clients feel when they first enter into a relationship with a business matters. And how a business organizes and manages…

tutoring businesses

Apptoto + Tutoring Businesses: A Case Study with Huntington Learning Center

Use Cases - Case Studies

When it comes to providing their children with an academic boost, there’s almost nothing parents won’t do. But students and parents also lead incredibly busy lives. Between work, class, sports practice, and clubs/organizations, finding…

veterinarian business

Tips and Tools for Structuring Your Veterinary Business

Most veterinarians chose their career path because of their love for animals. They want the opportunity to do something meaningful and helpful. But in order to make that dream happen, veterinarians often need to also have a firm grasp of…

alberto brothers law

Apptoto Customer Case Study: Alberto Brothers Law

Use Cases - Case Studies

For lawyers and other legal professionals, time is expensive. Every minute spent doing anything other than billable legal work is time and money lost. So, it’s no surprise that Apptoto has been a popular tool among law firms and legal offices.…

entrepreneur

7 Vital Personal Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

Founder Stories

Being an entrepreneur is not just about starting a company. It’s about building value for yourself, your employees, and your customer. This generally takes years of hard work, perseverance, and failure before it pays off. It’s no coincidence…

annoyed man at coffee shop

The Anatomy of a Successful Appointment Cancellation Policy

If you run a business that relies on appointments, then you're all too familiar with the frustration of no-shows and late arrivals. It can create huge strain on your business (not to mention stress levels). There have been many studies and…

therapy session

The Simple Tool for Reducing Missed Therapy Appointments

As a therapist, you’ve dedicated your professional life to supporting others. You know your education and skills will likely benefit them greatly, but it’s not always an easy or short road. It may take months or years of work to help…

clocks on the wall

Getting the time right (dealing with multiple time zones)

It goes without saying that appointment reminders should say the right time or else you risk hurting your business as opposed to helping. Sometimes getting the time right can actually be tricky. This typically applies if you hold appointments…

schedule your appointment reminders

How-To: Schedule Appointment Reminders using Apptoto

There are multiple ways to schedule appointment reminders using Apptoto once you've connected your calendar. Approach #1) Manually Apptoto allows you to schedule reminders manually through the Apptoto appointments interface. You can find…

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