Time Blocks are helpful for communicating when you or your providers are available to see certain types of appointments.
Note:
Users must have the permission of calendar_manage_timeslots in Admin to add, edit, and remove availabilities including drop-off availability. This permission also controls whether users can create or edit time slot templates directly in Admin.
Users with the permission of calendar_manage_appointments will have the ability to edit notes, appointments, and related functions.
Time Blocks are optional, meaning that an Availability does not need to be created to schedule a new Appointment or Drop-off. Availability can be added from a personal or group calendar by selecting the down arrow next to + New Appt followed by New Availability, depending on user permissions. Additionally, users can also select "Drop-off Appointments" from the same menu to create time slots specifically for drop-off purposes.
When creating availability, you can enter Appointment Type Nurse Appointment in the example below to communicate which Appointment Types should be scheduled during this time block.
Once scheduled, the availability becomes visible on the users personal calendar and any groups they belong to. The Appointment Type is also highlighted as shown below Nurse Appointment:
Note: Any Appointment Type can be scheduled at any time regardless if it’s listed as a preferred Appointment Type. You can also schedule appointments outside of someone’s Availability if needed.
To edit an existing Availability, simply select the 3-dot menu within the Time block followed by Edit you can also create a new appointment or discard this time block using this 3-dot menu.
Clicking Edit opens the initial screen when first scheduling this Availability, allowing you to adjust the start time, duration, and appointment types as needed. The Staff field is locked and in order to edit this, you will need to discard the current Availability via 3-dot menu shown above and create a new Availability under the correct Staff member.
Availability Notes can be added or edited from the 3-dot menu next to the Time block on the Appointment Calendar.
Troubleshooting Scheduling Issues
If only 30-minute appointment slots are showing and you need 60-minute slots, the issue likely lies in the default duration settings for your appointment types. To resolve this:
Navigate to the Appointment Types settings in your calendar.
Locate the relevant appointment type.
Update the default duration to 60 minutes.
Save your changes. Once updated, hour-long slots will appear for the specified appointment types.
Managing Appointment Durations
To support both 30-minute and 60-minute appointment slots, you can use the following approach:
Edit your current appointment type to match the most common duration (e.g., 30 minutes).
Create a new appointment type for the secondary duration (e.g., 60 minutes).
Align your existing availability with these appointment types.
Manually update any existing appointments to the appropriate type if needed. This method ensures flexibility in offering different appointment durations while maintaining an organized schedule.
