Scheduler
- 04 Apr 2024
- 6 minute read
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Scheduler
- Updated 04 Apr 2024
- 6 minute read
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Article Summary
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Scheduler is the powerful management tool for one-on-one appointments or interviews. Managing appointments and interviews in Slate is similar to event management in that a Scheduler template can be created that includes the registration form, communications, and basic details. Scheduler differs from events in the following ways:
Each Scheduler slot has a registration limit of 1.
A report form can be associated with the Scheduler template so feedback may be submitted.
Scheduler slots that occur at the same time for the same template in the same location (such as when only the user is different) appear as a single item on the public-facing event landing page.
Best Practice
Take time to outline your process on paper before getting started within Slate and consider the following:
Who conducts the appointments or interviews? This will help you determine who should have access to Scheduler.
Who is interviewed? This will help you determine the scope of your Scheduler forms.
How are slots scheduled? Consistent? Variable?
This is also a good opportunity to rethink the current process and move forward with a new Slate-based strategy.
Conducting Alumni Interviews?
Scheduler requires that the appointment holders or interviewers are Slate users. If an alumni network conducts interviews as well, consider using a portal to manage and assign alumni interviewers.
Scheduler Templates
Just like event templates in Slate, Scheduler templates save time and effort by allowing the configuration of components in a central location. Scheduler templates can be used to batch create slots without the need for any additional configurations.
A Scheduler slot will use its template’s registration form and communications. If changes to these items are needed after the slots have been created, those changes only need to be made to the template. To begin creating a Scheduler template, take the following steps:
Click Scheduler in the Slate navigation bar. The Scheduler summary calendar appears.
Click New Template. A New Template popup appears.
Enter the following configurations:
Template Name: Give the template a descriptive name.
Status: Set to Active.
Time Zone: The setting value of Autodetect from Location uses the information entered on the Location tab to determine the time zone for the interview slot.
User: This defaults the to user account. If slots are created in batch, the appointment holder or interviewer can be set as the user for particular slots. This setting can also be left blank.
Admin Notify Email: Skip this setting.
Override Template Info!
It is possible to override the template settings on an individual Scheduler slot. For example, if a single slot per week meets at a different location, the location for that individual slot can be customized, but all other slots continue to use the location from the template.
Since the slot is still associated with the template, the registration form, communications, landing page, and report form still function as normal.
If the Scheduler slots associated with this template regularly occur in the same location, enter that information on the Location tab of the template:
Location Name: Enter the location name.
Address (Country, Street Address, and so on): Enter the address information.
Preserve Formatting: All addresses are sent to the USPS for validation and standardization. Select this checkbox to prevent the address from being automatically validated. This is generally useful for addresses when the USPS abbreviates a city name, or if a building name or room number information needs to be included.
Description information can be added and will appear publicly on the registration page below the title, time, and location information. Any information entered on the Notes tab will only appear administratively.
When the basic template configurations are saved, the template management page appears.
Template Management Page
This page includes resources to configure template settings while also providing an at-a-glance view of the existing slots using the template.
Registration Form
Create a registration form for the Scheduler template. Each slot associated with the template will use this same form, providing a central location to update the registration form for all slots.
On the template management page, click Edit Form. The form editor page appears.
Including Scheduler Slots as Related Events
If events include the use of Related Events, consider adding Scheduler slots as a Related Event. If the Related Events Selector is used, there is no need to customize the registration form for the Scheduler template or make a unique Event Landing Page since registration will occur through the main event template.
Scope
The scope of a Scheduler registration form determines who can register and how the form is accessed.
Edit the registration form and click Edit Properties to access the scope configuration.
If the Scope of the interview registration form is set to Person or Dataset, determine if the form should be accessible to anyone, or only to people with an existing login. If the registration is publicly accessible, remember to include registration form fields that Slate can use to create a new record or match an existing record (for example, Email Address, First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth for Person records). If the Scope of a Scheduler template is set to Application, applicants are required to sign in when accessing the registration form. Therefore, do not include matching fields (such as First Name, Last Name, Email Address, or Date of Birth) on the registration form.
Scheduler Slots
Use the template to create slots. On the Scheduler template management screen click Create Slots:
Click New Sessions. A New Session popup appears.
Enter the following configurations:
Page Title: Give the page for the slots a title. This title will appear on the public registration page. If a title is not provided, the template name will appear.
Folder: Save slots in a folder. These slots will appear publicly, based on the folder name.
Status: Set to Confirmed/Active.
Recurrence: If creating more than one slot, select Add multiple sessions. Additional fields appear to configure the date, time, and slot settings.
Time Zone: Template-level time zone information is used unless another setting is provided.
User: Refer to the following section for information on setting a user and interview assignment strategies.
Assign Users
Pre-Assign Users to Slots
If the appointment holders or interviewers are to be assigned to certain slots, the appropriate user can be configured when slots are created from the template. For example, Counselor Dan and Counselor Lucy always hold interviews every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 am and 10:00 am.
Note: Multiple slots scheduled at the same time appear as a single slot on the public-facing registration page as long as slots remain available. When the last available slot is taken, the slot no longer appears as an available time. Registrants do not see the user assigned to a slot and the slot assignment is random if there are multiple slots available at that time.
Form-User Merge Fields
Consider using Form-User merge fields within the registration form communications.For example, if the user is pre-assigned, an “Upon Registration communication” to registrants can come directly from the host of the appointment or interview.
If users are assigned at a later date, an “Hours before deadline” communication to registrants can contain this information. Also, consider making a separate reminder communication to users that includes a link to the report form {{Form-Report-Link}}.
Post-Assign Users to Slots
If user assignments are done after a constituent has registered for a slot, or after the slots have been created, navigate to an individual slot and update the User configuration.
Batch Manage Slots
Use the Configurable Joins - Related - Form base in the query tool to isolate slots and batch manage configurations. Add the Type direct filter and select Scheduler, then make sure to add at least one export.
For example, Counselor Dan might go on vacation for one week, and he already has interview slots assigned to him during that time. Use filters to find interview slots that are assigned to Counselor Dan. Use date filters to restrict results to only those slots scheduled during the week Counselor Dan is on vacation.
After running the query, select the Form/Event Output and click Export. Use the Form/Event Management popup to batch manage the configuration settings for interview slots:
Form / Event Property - User
User - Select the User
Calendar View
After creating individual slots, they will appear in the calendar or list view.
The folder structure will appear in the right-side column. Click a folder name to view the slots in that folder.
For example, clicking the On-Campus Interviews folder will only display the slots saved in that folder.
When constituents begin registering for Scheduler slots, use the calendar view to see available slots and to see registration details for scheduled slots.
Canceled Registrations
When a registration in Scheduler is canceled, the registration disappears from the session management page and from the timeline on the registrant’s record. By default, Scheduler slots with a canceled status are also excluded from the queries you run directly from the template.
However, you can still access the information for these canceled slots by updating the Registration Status filter to include the Cancelled status.
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