Dietitians: when video consultations work
Video saves clients a journey and fits busy weeks, but some consultations need the room. How to choose, set up video slots and run them smoothly.
7 min read
Video consultations work well for dietetic follow-ups that are mainly a conversation: reviewing the past weeks, adjusting the plan, answering questions. They work less well when you need to take measurements, examine something in person, or build trust with a client who finds the first contact difficult. Offer video as its own service with its own slots, say clearly what it's for and what the client needs, send the link yourself after the booking, and keep in-person consultations for the moments that need them.
What video is good for, and what it isn't
| Consultation | By video? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-up review and plan adjustment | Often suitable | Mainly discussion; saves the client a journey |
| Food diary review | Suitable | Client can share it on screen or send it beforehand |
| Session with measurements | In person | You need the client in the room with your equipment |
| First consultation | Your choice | Some clients prefer meeting in person first; others live too far |
| Clients living far away | Suitable | Makes follow-up possible at all |
| Group workshop | Possible | Works for talks; harder for hands-on activities |
The decision is yours, and it can change over the course of a client's follow-up. One approach is to meet in person at the start, then alternate, keeping in-person sessions for measurements and key milestones.
Set up video as its own service
On Book, each type of consultation is a service with its own price and optional description, and you open slots for each at the length it takes. Create a "Video follow-up" service, and a "Video first consultation" if you offer one. Clients choose the format when they book, and you know in advance which consultations are remote.
Book doesn't create video links. In the description, say which tool you use and that you'll send the link after the booking. Then send it yourself, by email or message, ideally with the confirmation of the time. The client receives a booking confirmation email from Book, and you receive an email for each new booking, which is your cue to send the link.
Where video fits in your week
Slots of different services can overlap, and a booking on one doesn't block another service's slot at the same time. Give video its own hours rather than opening video and in-person slots over the same period. Some options:
- Video at the end of the day, after your last in-person client, for clients who work.
- A video morning on the day you don't go to the practice.
- Short video gaps between in-person blocks, if you have a quiet room for them.
Repeat those slots by weekday until an end date, so the video hours stay predictable.
Clients in another time zone
Video lets you follow clients who have moved or live abroad. Your booking page shows slot times in your business's time zone, with its name displayed. Mention it in the video service description too, so a client in another time zone checks the conversion before booking. When you send the link, repeat the time in both time zones to avoid a missed session.
Help clients prepare
- A quiet place where they can talk freely about their eating habits.
- A stable connection, with camera and sound tested beforehand.
- Their food diary, recent test results or questions ready, or sent to you before the session.
- If you ask for home measurements, what to measure and when.
Put this list in the video service description. Clients read it before booking, and you spend less time at the start of each session on practicalities.
Keep video sessions on time
Video consultations can start late for technical reasons: a link that doesn't open, a microphone that doesn't work. Connect a few minutes early, and have a fallback, such as a phone call, if the video fails. Leave a short gap after each video slot so a technical delay doesn't push the next client.
If a session needs to move, reschedule or cancel it from your bookings list and tell the client yourself, since Book doesn't email them when you change a booking. Book doesn't send reminders either, so a short message the day before, with the link, is worth sending.
Privacy on both sides
A video consultation happens in the client's home, sometimes with family nearby. Before starting, check they can talk freely, and offer to move the session if they can't. On your side, use a closed room and headphones if others can hear you. Choose a video tool you're comfortable using for health conversations, and say in the service description which one it is, so clients can install it beforehand.