Introducing DaySmart Appointments NextGen!

Same Powerful Scheduling System, All New Look

DaySmart Appointments is excited to announce the latest innovation in online Appointment scheduling solutions. The DaySmart Appointments  NextGen  platform is built on best-in-class technology and brings 16 years of scheduling industry expertise to life on a modernized interface that includes an enterprise-ready API.

What is NextGen?

The NextGen platform brings you all the same power of our Classic scheduling application with an updated visual design and optimized experience for increased efficiency related to Appointment booking operations. Among the biggest changes you will see is the placement of the navigational "tabs" and expanded use of the available space.

What can you do in NextGen?

While the initial Beta release of the NextGen platform supports specific Appointment-related features, AppointmentPlus is dedicated to enhancing and updating this platform with many more features in the future. Today, you can schedule and manage many of the core elements of your online scheduler, including:

• Appointments (the combination of the various elements and visible on the Calendar)
• Staff Members (the provider of the Appointment)
• Services (the purpose of the Appointment)
• Customers (the receiver of the Service of the Appointment)
• Rooms (a fixed asset or resource that has availability)
• Terminology settings for Global Terms and Input Field Settings for Appointments or Customers

Now, let's see some of the differences.

Appointments

Viewing and Managing the Calendar

One of the biggest changes to the online scheduler is the look and feel of the calendar. With changes to the navigation and improved visual design elements, the layout and display of the Calendar seeks to make the most of the available window size of your web browser. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Classic and NextGen Calendars.

Classic Calendar

NextGen Calendar

The Calendar in the NextGen platform adapts to the number of Staff Members you need to view, enabling you to make the most of display. Additionally, the controls for changing the date, view style or selected Staff Members has moved above the Calendar. Easily navigate to past or future dates, as well as return to Today with the click of a button!

Creating a New Appointment

Similar to the Classic application, you can still click in an available area (the white section) to create an Appointment. Clicking in the white area for Julie will initially select Julie as the Staff Member for the Appointment. You may change this as needed, however, starting with a Staff Member may make it faster to book the Appointment.

As many of you shared feedback with us, the NextGen platform re-introduces a single-page Appointment window.

Classic Appointment Window Pages

NextGen Appointment Window

Visit the article Appointments & Reserves on the Calendar to learn more about managing the calendar.

Staff Members

The Staff Member is a third key element associated with Appointments. The Staff Member is the resource that fulfills or provides the Service. Similar to Services, you may view the current list of Staff Members by accessing the Staff Members section of the administrative application.

Quick Tip: To change the display sort order, click into the Sort field, enter a new number and then press the tab key or click anywhere on the screen. The new sort value will update and the list will refresh to display the new order.

As with the Classic application, any Services that have the same value in the Sort field will then display following alphabetical sort rules.

To add a new Staff Member, click the Create New button and complete the required information on the next page. You can then finish or continue to create a schedule and continue for the new Staff Member that should have an active calendar.

There is more you can do with your Staff Members. Read about how to manage administrators or Staff Members.

Services

Another key element of any Appointment is the Service. The Service is the purpose or reason for the Appointment. Using the NextGen platform, you can review existing Services, change the display sort order or add a new Service. Similar to Customers, you can quickly view the Services from the side navigation.

Quick Tip: To change the display sort order, click into the Sort field, enter a new number and then press the tab key or click anywhere on the screen. The new sort value will update and the list will refresh to display the new order.

As with the Classic application, any Services that have the same value in the Sort field will then display following alphabetical sort rules.

To add a new Service, click the Create New button and complete the required information on the next page. You can then finish or create a custom schedule for the new Service.

Read more about managing Services in your account.

Customers

While the online scheduler can be used to support an almost unlimited set of appointment scheduling situations, the Customer is a primary element. The Customer is normally the receiver of the Service or the individual to which the Appointment is delivered. The NextGen platform supports creating new, and editing or searching for existing Customers. Here’s a view of the new Customers section in the NextGen platform.

Some key changes to note:

• The list of Customers is displayed when you click into this section.
• Easily create a new Customer by clicking Create New
• Search for existing Customers by First or Last Name
• Appointment History review 

Customer Search

Customer’s Appointment History

Check out the overview article for more information on managing Customers.

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Article published March 2, 2018

Supports Single and Multiple Appointments versions - Available on all pricing tiers