Appointment Scheduling
Introduction
Whether you're conducting a sensory test or a home use test (HUT) study, efficient appointment scheduling is crucial. It ensures that participants are available at the designated time, maximizing the effectiveness of your research efforts. Additionally, prompt reminders and easy cancellation options contribute to higher participant engagement and smoother research operations. With EyeQuestion's appointment scheduling functionality, this process is streamlined, making it easier than ever to invite panelists to your sensory facility or arrange appointments for various studies.
Create Time Slots
Once you've created a new project, if you wish to ask individuals to schedule appointments for participation, navigate to Distribution > Panel. Here, activate the "Appointment" toggle. Once enabled, access the Appointment section and click on "Create Time Slot(s)".
To create time slots, begin by choosing the location where you intend to invite your panelists. If you haven't set up a location yet, you can do so by accessing Site Management > Location. For more detailed instructions, refer to the provided article: https://support.eyequestion.nl/portal/en/kb/articles/how-to-setup-a-location-with-booths
- Date(s): Select the date or dates for your test.
- Start Time: Choose the time of day when your test will start.
- End Time: Specify the time of day when your test will conclude.
- Capacity: Determine the number of available slots to be booked within each time slot. This typically corresponds to the number of sensory booths set up at the location.
- Duration (minutes): Set the duration for each time slot.
- Clean Up Time: Allocate the time interval between each time slot for booth cleanup. If not required, you can type 0.
- Break Time: Designate periods within your schedule when panelists cannot book appointments, such as a lunch break. This ensures availability for essential breaks.
If you've configured Duration (minutes), Clean Up Time, and Break Time as default fields in your Location setup, they will automatically populate in the time slot creation pop-up after you select the location. This eliminate the need to manually add these fields each time. These fields can always be adjusted.
After you select Create the Time Slot(s) will be shown in the Appointment Table.
Within this table, you can change the time slot by clicking on each time slot's pencil icon (1). You can also delete multiple time slots (3) by selecting them (2) as well as creating a sign-in/out sheet (4).
Sign In/Out Sheet
A sign-in/out sheet is a document used to track the arrival and departure of panelists participating in sensory testing sessions. This sheet includes fields for panelists to sign on the date and time they arrived, and the date and time they left the testing facility.
The sign-in/out sheet serves several purposes:
- Attendance Tracking: It helps organizers keep track of which panelists have arrived for the testing session and who is currently present in the facility.
- Session Management: By recording the time of arrival and departure, organizers can ensure that panellists adhere to the scheduled testing times and allocate resources accordingly.
- Safety and Security: In cases of emergencies or evacuations, the sign-in/out sheet provides a roster of individuals present in the facility, aiding in accountability and evacuation procedures.
Appointment Settings
Under General Settings, you have the option to specify the Appointment Deadline (HH:mm), which determines how far in advance panelists are permitted to schedule an appointment before the designated time. After this Appointment Deadline it is not possible for panellists to create, change or cancel an appointment anymore themselves via the portal. They would need to call to do so; it is still possible for Users to change appointments of panellists. It's typically advisable to set this deadline to 24 hours before the appointment to ensure sample preparation time for the upcoming sessions.
Additionally, you can define when to send appointment reminders in the field Sending Reminder Prior to Appointment (HH:mm). Panellists will receive an email reminder notifying them of their booked appointment at the time specified here. This helps panellists stay informed and prepared for their scheduled appointments.
Within the Advanced Settings, you have the option to limit the number of panelists permitted to schedule appointments. This functionality can be particularly useful if you plan to invite more individuals than your facility can accommodate. You can set this functionality under Maximum Scheduled Panellists.
Furthermore, you can customize the default text sent to panelists for various scenarios, such as when they book an appointment (Confirmation Email), receive a reminder (Reminder Email), cancel an appointment (Cancellation Email), or if a panel leader decides to cancel a time slot for which panelists had appointments (Time Slot Email).
Send an Email to Book Appointment
To send an email inviting panelists to book an appointment, navigate to Distribution > Panel. Once you've added your panelists to the panel list, select "Contact Panelists." If appointment scheduling is enabled in your project, the system will automatically display an email template tailored for inviting panelists to schedule appointments. This template includes placeholders that provide panelists with access to the questionnaire link ($$pm:portalLink$$).
Additionally, from this interface, you can choose to send reminder emails to those who were previously contacted but have not yet made an appointment. You also have the option to send a general message to panellists, which can be used, for example, to share information about the test day with those who have booked appointments.
Monitor Panellist Appointment Status
Once panelists have been contacted, you can monitor their status and any booked appointments in the Distribution Panel Page under the "Status" column. If you need to adjust a panellist's time slot, simply click on the edit icon and make the necessary modifications or cancel the time slot altogether. Upon making changes, the panellist will automatically receive a new confirmation email or a cancellation email.
You can not directly delete panellists that have the status Planned, you would need to cancel their appointment first.
On the Appointment page, you can review the status of booked time slots, including those that are filled and those with available places. Additionally, you can view the list of panellists who have booked appointments by clicking on the "Planned Panellists" button.
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