Overview
From the internal calendar, you can now:
Create a brand-new client and patient, or
Add a new pet to an existing client
…all from the Add Appointment modal, without navigating to separate Client or Patient screens.
This replaces the old Quick Appointment and gives you:
A single, fast booking flow for new callers
No extra effort to add client and patient information
Full appointment functionality (reminders, forms, deposits, as soon as the appointment is booked)
Where you start
From the Calendar view:
Click on an empty time slot or click the global Add Appointment button.
The Add Appointment modal opens.
On the left side, click “New Client or Patient?” (above the Patient field).
You’ll now see the header: “Add Appointment for a New Client or Patient”.
The modal is split into:
Left pane: Client & Patient details
Right pane: Appointment details (clinic, staff, visit type, time, status, forms, etc.)
Only the left side has changed. The appointment side works exactly as before.
Flow A – New client + new patient (new caller)
Use this when the caller has never been to your clinic.
Open Add Appointment modal and go to New Client or Patient?
In the Client section, fill in:
First Name (required)
Last Name (required)
Phone (required – validated in international format)
Email (optional, but needed for email confirmations and app invites)
Address (recommended for mobile clinics; optional otherwise)
In the Patient section, fill in at least:
Name (required)
Species (required)
Breed (required)
Optional: Sex, Reproductive status, Age
If you leave them blank, they’ll be stored as Unknown and can be updated later in the healthcard.
Fill in the mandatory Appointment details on the right:
Click Add Appointment.
What happens on Save
A new Client and Patient are created.
The appointment is booked for that patient.
If a phone is present, SMS confirmations/reminders follow your notification rules.
If an email is present, the welcome message and email confirmations are sent, according to your clinic settings.
Flow B – Existing client, new pet
Use this when the caller is already a client and they’re bringing a new pet.
You can connect them in two ways:
Option 1 – Search for an existing client
In the “Search for existing client” field at the top left, type the client’s:
Name, or
Email, or
Phone number
Pick the correct client from the results list.
The selected client appears in a Client card above the Patient section.
Fill in the new pet’s details (Name + Species at minimum).
Complete the appointment information on the right.
Click Add Appointment.
Result:
Existing Client is reu
sed.
A new Patient is created and linked to that client.
The appointment is booked for the new pet.
Option 2 – Start as “new” and resolve duplicates
Sometimes reception starts typing as if it’s a new client, but they’re already in Digitail. The system helps you avoid duplicates.
Phone duplicates (orange warning)
When you type a phone number that matches one or more existing clients, you’ll see an orange warning:
“We found X clients with the same phone number. Select one of them to avoid duplicates.”
Click Select client to open a dropdown with the matching clients.
Pick the correct one and the Client card will be populated automatically.
Email duplicates (red warning)
If you enter an email that already belongs to a client, you’ll see a red warning:
“We found :client_name (:email) with the same email. You cannot create a new client with this email.”
Click Select this client.
The client is attached, and you can proceed to add a new patient for them.
From here, the flow is the same as Option 1: add the new pet, complete the appointment, and click Add Appointment.
Data validation & when records are created
Phone is required and validated; email is optional but recommended.
Duplicate handling:
Matching phone → suggests using an existing client.
Matching email → you must use the existing client (no duplicate emails).
The client and patient are only created when you click “Add Appointment”.
If you close the modal or cancel, no partial clients/patients are saved.
Unsaved changes warning
If you’ve entered any data (client, patient, or appointment details) and then try to close the modal:
A confirmation popover appears, letting you know that closing will discard all progress.
You can Cancel (stay and keep editing) or Close anyway.
This prevents accidentally losing a half-completed booking.
What happened to Quick Appointments?
The Quick Appointment flow has been removed and replaced by this unified Add Appointment flow.
Benefits:
Every booking now creates a proper Client + Patient record.
Notifications, deposits, forms, wellness plans, and reporting
The quick appointments option has been greyed out and users will be informed that they can complete the new client and/or patient directly in the add appointment flow.
FAQ
Q: Do I have to fill in all patient fields?
A: No. Only Name ,Species and Breed are required. Sex, Reproductive status, and Age can remain Unknown and be updated later.
Q: Will reminders still be sent if I don’t have an email?
A: Yes. As long as the phone number is valid and your appointment reminders use SMS channel, reminders will go out by SMS. Email confirmations and app invitations require an email address.
Q: Can I go back if I clicked “New Client or Patient?” by mistake?
A: Yes. Use “Go back to Select Patient” at the top left to return to the standard patient search.
Q: What if the client changes their mind and doesn’t book?
A: Just close the modal. Since client and patient records are only created on Add Appointment, nothing is saved.