> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.clinikehr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Schedule your first appointment

> Book someone into the calendar with a service, a provider, a time and a confirmation email.

export const StillStuck = ({topic}) => <div className="ck-callout ck-callout--note" role="note">
    <p className="ck-callout__body">
      <strong>Still stuck{topic ? ` with ${topic}` : ''}?</strong>{' '}
      Check <a href="/platform/help/troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> first —
      it covers the failures we see most often. If that does not resolve it,{' '}
      <a href="/platform/help/contact-support">contact support</a> and include
      your workspace name and the time the problem happened, so we can find the
      matching entry in your audit log.
    </p>
  </div>;

export const TaskHeader = ({before, time, after}) => <div className="ck-task">
    {before ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Before you start</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{before}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {time ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">Takes about</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{time}</p>
      </div> : null}

    {after ? <div className="ck-task__cell">
        <div className="ck-task__title">When you're done</div>
        <p className="ck-task__body">{after}</p>
      </div> : null}
  </div>;

export const Path = ({steps = []}) => <span className="ck-path">
    {steps.map((s, i) => <span key={i} className="ck-path__step">
        {i > 0 ? <span className="ck-path__sep" aria-hidden="true">
            ›
          </span> : null}
        {s}
      </span>)}
  </span>;

export const Availability = ({editions = ['all'], plans, roles, note}) => {
  const list = editions.includes('all') ? ['clinic', 'pharmacy', 'lims'] : editions;
  return <div className="ck-avail" role="note" aria-label="Feature availability">
      <span className="ck-avail__label">Available in</span>

      {list.map(e => <span key={e} className={`ck-pill ck-pill--${e}`}>
          {EDITION_LABELS[e] || e}
        </span>)}

      {plans ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Plan</span> : null}
      {plans ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--plan">{plans}</span> : null}

      {roles ? <span className="ck-avail__label">Who</span> : null}
      {roles ? <span className="ck-pill ck-pill--role">{roles}</span> : null}

      {note ? <span className="ck-avail__note">{note}</span> : null}
    </div>;
};

<Availability editions={['clinic']} plans="Solo and Team" roles="Any staff member with access to the calendar" note="Group sessions, recurring bookings, and SMS and voice reminders need a paid plan." />

Step 3 of the [setup checklist](/practice/get-started). One appointment of any kind completes it.

<Path steps={['Sidebar', 'Appointment', 'Create']} />

You can also select an empty slot on the calendar, which opens the same sheet with that time pre-filled.

<TaskHeader before="One client record. A service makes the booking useful but is not strictly required" time="1 minute" after="An appointment on the calendar, with a confirmation email sent by default" />

## Book it

The sheet is titled **Initial Entry** and has three tabs — **Appointment**, **Event** and **Task**. Stay on **Appointment**. (**Event** and **Task** are disabled on the free plan.)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose individual or group">
    The toggle reads **Individual or couple** / **Group**. Group sessions are a paid feature; on the free plan the option shows **Upgrade for group sessions**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the person">
    Select **Search Client** and type a name. Each result shows their ID. If they are not in the system yet, the inline **Create client** link opens the intake sheet without losing your place — see [Add your first client](/practice/get-started/add-clients).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the service">
    Under **Services**, switch between **Practice** and **Clinic**, then select **Select clinic service**. The **Fee** fills from the service's price and stays editable. **ADD SERVICE** adds another line to the same appointment.

    If the picker says **No clinic services configured**, use **CONFIGURE** to go and create one — see [Add the services you offer](/practice/get-started/services).

    A client on a membership plan shows a **member pricing applied** badge and the fee adjusts automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the time">
    Under **Schedule**, enter the date, then a start and end time. The **Duration** row below updates itself. **All day** replaces the times.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose where it happens">
    **Location** offers **Video Office** for a telehealth visit or **Physical Office**, which reveals a box for the room or address. Choosing **Video Office** is what makes it a video visit — there is no separate telehealth switch.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose the provider">
    **Select Provider** defaults to **Any available provider**. Picking a named person is what makes the slot checks and the double-booking warning meaningful.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add notes and check the reminders">
    **Internal Memo** (**ADD**) opens **Symptoms Description**, **Patient Notes** and **Clinic Notes** — all staff-visible only.

    Under **Notification**, **Email** / **Auto-sent** is on by default, so the person is emailed a confirmation when you book. **SMS** and **Voice** are plan-gated.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Book it">
    Check the **Appointment Summary**, then select **Book appointment**. The button reads **Creating...** while it saves.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Check it worked

* A toast reads **Appointment created successfully**, the sheet closes and the appointment is on the calendar in its chosen colour.
* If **Email** was left on, a confirmation has gone to the address on the record — so if nothing arrived, check that the record has an email and that its permission is not **No Email**.
* The **Get Started** checklist ticks **Schedule your first appointment**.

## If something goes wrong

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="'No bookable slots for this date in your configured schedule'">
    Your working hours have not been set, or the day is outside them. Open **Settings › Booking Settings** to set availability, or use the **CONFIGURE AVAILABILITY** button on the message.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'No bookable slots — the provider, room, or equipment this service needs isn't free'">
    The service reserves resources and one of them is taken for every slot that day. Pick another day, another provider, or edit the service's resource requirements.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'This overlaps an existing appointment for this staff member'">
    A warning, not a block — "You can still book — pick another time to avoid the clash." Deliberate double-booking is allowed; accidental double-booking is what the warning is for.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'This appointment would run past midnight'">
    The end time has crossed into the next day. Pick an earlier start or a shorter duration — appointments do not span two dates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="'No provider configured for this service'">
    That service restricts which providers can deliver it, and none of them are assigned. Edit the service's **Providers** section, or leave every provider unchecked there so any available provider can take it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Book appointment stays disabled">
    No one is selected. The button unlocks once a client is chosen (or, in group mode, at least one person has been added).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<StillStuck topic="booking an appointment" />

Day-to-day scheduling — rescheduling, cancellations, the waitlist and check-in — is covered in [Appointments](/practice/daily/appointments).