Pharmacists: booking consultation room appointments

Turn the consultation room into a bookable resource: create one service per type of consultation your pharmacy offers, such as a medication review, a blood pressure check or a screening test, give each the slot length it needs, and open slots only when a pharmacist and the room are both free. Customers book a private appointment instead of waiting at the counter, they arrive with the right documents, and the room is used at planned times rather than whenever someone asks.

A medication review with a list of ten medicines and a quick blood pressure check don't need the same time. Separate services let each have its own length and a description that says what to bring. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Lengths are examples: set your own, and list only the consultations your pharmacy is authorised to provide. Fill the price field or leave it empty, according to the rules that apply to each service.

The consultation room may also be used for vaccinations, private conversations at the counter's request or product fittings. Book doesn't know about rooms, and slots of different services can overlap, so plan the week so that only one booked appointment uses the room at a time. A simple rule works: vaccinations in the morning, consultations in the afternoon, or alternate days, and leave a few unbooked gaps for customers who need the room without an appointment.

Place consultation slots when a second pharmacist covers the counter, or in the quieter hours of your day. Early evening slots suit customers who work, and a short series on one weekday morning can suit customers who would rather avoid busy times. Slots repeat each week on the weekdays you choose until an end date, so the pattern takes a few minutes to set and stays the same from week to week.

If several pharmacists take consultations, you can give each their own services, such as "Medication review with Claire", so customers who want to see the same person again can choose, and you know whose day each booking belongs to. Book has one booking page per pharmacy and no separate staff calendars, so the service name carries the person.

Use each description to list what helps on the day:

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the customer's calendar file. Ask there only for practical details, such as a need for step-free access, and keep health information for the appointment itself.

A carer or relative may book a medication review for an older person. Say in the description that they can book in the patient's name and give their own phone number, and that the carer is welcome to attend. If the booking comes by phone, book it yourself from your calendar; first and last name are required, email and phone optional.

When a review or a check leads to a follow-up, book it before the customer leaves, in the follow-up service. Enter their email so they receive a confirmation with a calendar file. Book doesn't send reminders, so the date in their calendar is what brings them back. Customers can't move or cancel online: they call you, and you move the appointment from your bookings list and confirm it yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes.

Your bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.