Scheduling by phone or email is a slow game of ping-pong. A patient suggests a time, the front desk replies with a different one, the patient answers a day later, and by then the slot is gone. Each round costs staff time and gives the patient another reason to give up.
Appointment slots are designed to cut most of that out. You publish the times you are open, patients choose from them, and your team confirms. This guide explains how the feature works, what it does and does not do, how to set it up, and how to run it well.
How Appointment Slots Work
SecureVideo describes appointment slots as a public-facing scheduler. Patients reach a booking page, pick a service, and see a calendar. Dates with at least one open time are shown with a blue background. From there, patients can check up to three date and time options and rank them with up and down arrows, then register or log in, add any notes for the provider, and submit their request (how to request a scheduled session).
The booking page can be reached through a Book Appointment link, the account’s branded domain with “/book” added, or a unique URL for the account. Patients who do not need to pay see a confirmation and wait for an email update from the host (help article).
Request and Accept, Not Instant Booking
One detail matters for how you describe this to patients. Appointment slots work as request and accept. The patient submits up to three preferred times, and a provider or scheduler responds. When someone accepts, the platform creates the session and sends the invitation automatically. When someone declines, the patient sees the response on their dashboard (accepting and declining requests).
That is a feature for many practices. It keeps a person in the loop to check the visit type, the provider match, and any intake details, while still cutting out the long email chain. If you want patients to see “confirmed” instantly, make sure your messaging does not promise it.
Setting It Up
Appointment slots are not on by default. SecureVideo explains that the feature must be enabled by SecureVideo. An Account Administrator emails support and names the account service or services patients will be able to book. A new service needs a name, a description, whether payment is required, and a scheduling duration (How do Appointment Slots work?).
For smaller organizations, a Virtual Clinic setup wizard walks Account Administrators through the basics. It is available to organizations with three or fewer hosts, and larger organizations contact support. The steps are:
- Click Start Setup.
- Enter a Public User Label, such as “Patients” or “Clients.”
- Enter a service name and description, which appear on the public booking calendar.
- Add appointment slots.
- Return to the wizard and finish to get your booking link (setup wizard help article).
Adding Slots
Slots are added from the profile icon in the upper right. Choose Appointment Slots, then Add an Appointment Slot, then decide whether the slot is one time or weekly. For a one-time slot, set the From Time and To Time (in your account’s time zone) and the date. For a weekly slot, set the times, check the days of the week, and choose the starting and ending dates. Leave the ending date blank for a slot that continues indefinitely (adding an appointment slot).
Scheduling staff can also add slots for providers. From the Scheduling tab, choose Providers, then click the Slots button in that provider’s row (help article). If a provider has linked a Google Calendar or Outlook calendar, they can enter general hours and the system hides times that conflict with other calendar entries (help article).
Added slots appear in green and are viewable to users.
Designing Slots That Work
A few decisions shape how well this runs:
- Match slots to visit types. Each service has its own scheduling duration, so consider whether different visit types, such as a new patient visit and a short follow-up, should be separate services.
- Offer enough choices. Patients can submit up to three times, so having several open times per week gives them real options.
- Use weekly patterns. Recurring slots keep your calendar open without constant upkeep. Review them each quarter.
- Protect your own time. Only open slots you are willing to fill, and block time for charting, breaks, and urgent needs.
- Think about time zones. Slot times follow your account’s time zone, and patients provide their own when they register, so state the time zone in every message.
Handling Incoming Requests
When a request arrives, a Video Session Request email goes to the provider, or to a scheduler who handles requests for them. Schedulers click the Scheduling tab, then Requests, where pending requests are listed from oldest to newest. They can filter by clinic if they schedule for several. Clicking Assign opens a popup where they choose a provider, accept one of the requested times or decline, and type a message in the Response to Requester box before clicking Accept or Decline (accepting and declining requests).
The popup shows whether the provider is available, based on either an on-demand toggle or the clinic’s appointment slots. It also lists possible conflicting sessions, meaning any of the provider’s sessions within two hours of a requested time (help article).
Speed matters. Practice-management guidance recommends letting patients request appointments electronically and then confirming the date and time promptly (AUA News). A patient who hears back within a few hours feels looked after. One who hears back in three days may have booked elsewhere.
Payments and Paperwork
A service can be set to require payment. In SecureVideo’s booking flow, patients who must pay enter a credit card, and the card is verified but not charged until the appointment is scheduled and the patient clicks Enter Waiting Room (help article). The help center also points to Stripe for paid bookings (setup wizard help article).
You can pair slots with E-Documents so patients complete consent and intake forms before the visit, and with the Virtual Waiting Room for any last steps (E-Documents; Virtual Waiting Room).
Set Patient Expectations
Tell patients, in plain words, what happens after they submit. For example: “Choose up to three times that work for you. Our team will confirm one within one business day, and you’ll receive an email with your visit link.” That one sentence prevents most “did it go through?” calls.
Also tell them what to do if none of the times work, such as calling the office or checking back for new openings.
Measure the Results
After a month or two, look at how long requests wait for a response, how many are accepted, how many are declined and why, and whether no-show rates change. If requests sit too long, add scheduling staff coverage or narrow your slots. If many are declined, your open times may not match demand.
Common Mistakes
- Promising instant confirmation when your process is request and accept
- Opening more slots than you can staff
- Letting requests sit for days
- Leaving out the time zone
- Forgetting to remove slots for holidays and time off
Frequently Asked Questions
Can patients pick any time?
No. They choose from the open slots you publish, and can submit up to three options.
Do I need SecureVideo’s help to turn this on?
Yes. An Account Administrator emails support to enable the feature, naming the services patients can book.
Can staff schedule on a provider’s behalf?
Yes. Scheduling staff can add slots and handle requests for providers.
Make Scheduling Easier for Everyone
Appointment slots turn a long exchange of messages into one request and one reply. Learn more about scheduling and notifications and the Virtual Clinic, or request a demo.