Automation Builder: Instructions

Automation Settings Tab:

Creating new or editing existing automations 

To begin, choose to update the settings of an existing automation or create a new automation by clicking on +Add New, and then set up the following options:

1. Automation Name: Choose a title for the automated reminder

💡 Whatever name is chosen will not be visible to clients, only to clinic users. It is recommended to name the automation type based on the appointment type or forms used for easy visibility.

2. Automation Type: Pick the proper automation type to determine how the automation will interact with appointments

💡Multiple types can be selected for one automation

🔎Automation Types Explained

🔎 From Another Automation - This automation is triggered by answering prompts within a separate automation. The most common use-case for this would be an automated response when a client indicates they wish to reschedule an appointment.

💡To set up this automation successfully, two automations need to be linked. To begin linking, create the automation using a Statement Automaton Prompt, in this example titled “Reschedule”

💡 Using the Buttons Automaton Prompt - link the automations by choosing next step and using the previously created automation titled “Reschedule”

💡When clients choose the Reschedule option, they will now receive the automatic automation titled “Reschedule”

🔎 Appointment Follow Up - This automation will send out after a scheduled appointment. The timing is customizable, but must always happen after the appointment’s scheduled time.

💡It is recommended to use Follow Up’s for at least 24-48 hours after the appointment, this will avoid sending automations to appointments that were cancelled, no shows, or have turned into sensitive appointments (ex. euthanasias)

🔎 Appointment Client Arrival - This automation will trigger before an appointment

💡Used in cases where pre-arrival appointment instructions are necessary (ex. please park in front of the building and call when arrived)

🔎 Appointment Confirm Reminder - This automation will trigger before an appointment that has not been confirmed yet. This automation will not trigger if the appointment has already been confirmed via Otto or manually in the PIMS. The timing is customizable, but the reminder must always go out before the appointment has occurred.

💡This can be useful for keeping clients from getting multiple reminders if they have already confirmed an appointment

🔎 Appointment Reminder - This automation will trigger a certain amount of time before an appointment. The timing is customizable, but the reminder must always go out before the appointment has occurred. Unlike Appointment Confirm Reminder, this reminder type will go out even if an appointment has already been confirmed in the PIMS.

💡This can be used as an initial appointment reminder, to confirm or reschedule the appointment, or a reminder that contains essential information, such as pre-surgical instructions

🔎Appointment Scheduled - This automation will trigger when an appointment is scheduled for a client only within Otto.

💡 Not recommended to be used to send automations for appointments scheduled in the clinic’s PIMS

🔎 Appointment PIMS Sync - This automation will trigger after an appointment is created in the clinic’s PIMS and synced into Otto.

💡Depending on the PIMS to Otto sync time, this automation is recommended for instances where the sync time happens multiple times per hour

💡In instances where the sync time occurs nightly, this automation will fire off the next day for all newly created appointments from the previous day

🔎 Website Widget Request - This automation will trigger when a client makes a specified type of request on a clinic’s website widget. If selected, request types must be chosen that require an automation.

💡Recommended for sending follow up messages to widget requests but not required

💡If utilizing payments, a common use-case for this automation type can be collecting deposits for Request a Virtual Consultation, as a way to prevent clients from no-showing

🔎Lapsed Client - This automation will automatically message clients who have not had appointments recently to encourage them to schedule an appointment.

💡To learn more about how to set up a Lapsed Client automation, click here. 

4. Send Timing: Choose when this reminder will send to the client

💡Setting up Automation Timing

💡 Automation can be triggered to send before or after an appointment. Times can be given in days, hours, or minutes, depending on the clinic’s needs

💡 These times will look at the appointment time itself, for example - a reminder set to go out two days before an exam scheduled for 2pm will fire out 48 hours in advance at 2pm

💡 In cases of drop off appointments, if the appointment is scheduled in the PIMS for a time that conflicts with the desired drop off time, a reminder will send out for the appointment time scheduled. This can be adjusted when creating the automation content in the Compose Tab

💡Not available when utilizing the Appointment Scheduled, Appointment PIMS Sync, From Another Automation, or Website Widget Request prompts

5. Send Conditions: Control what conditions need to be met for an automation to send

💡 Choosing Send Conditions

💡The criteria can be appointment type, room, and/or provider. All appointment types, rooms, and providers will sync from the PIMS regardless if they are actively in use and attached to appointments

💡For each of these criteria, multiple options can be selected and the automation will apply for appointments with any of those options selected. However, if multiple different criteria are selected, the appointment must include options from both criteria. (E.g., if an automation is set to trigger for the appointment types Annual, Vaccines, and Wellness, an appointment may be any one of those three types to trigger the automation. However, if an automation is set to trigger for the appointment types (Annual, Vaccines, and Wellness) AND the appointment provider Dr. Smith, the appointment must be scheduled using any one of those appointment types AND the appointment provider Dr. Smith to trigger.)

💡Best Practice: send automations using appointment types (instead of rooms or providers) to avoid sending out reminders to sensitive appointments (ex: euthanasias)

💡Not available when utilizing From Another Automation, or Website Widget Request prompt

💡 Helpful Tip: Using appointment types vs rooms and providers to schedule appointments allows for more customized automations

6. Send Hours: Control the time period when an automation will be sent out to clients

🔎Send Hours Explained

🔎24 Hours can send at any time of day.

💡Recommended when using Automation Prompts like Appointment Follow Up

🔎Clinic Hours will look to the clinic’s operating hours as defined in Settings > Clinic Hours. If a reminder is set to send outside of clinic operating hours due to the way an appointment is scheduled, it will be reserved until the clinic reopens and send then instead.

💡Recommended if it is desired that automations only go out when the clinic is open

🔎Automation Hours are customizable hours during which automations will send.

💡Recommended if clinics do not want to be restricted to sending either any time of day or only during business hours

💡These can be defined in Settings > Automations, but are not mandatory to configure

7. Send Frequency: Control how many reminders a client should get if they have appointments for multiple animals on a single day

🔎Send Frequency Explained

🔎Per Patient Appointment will send an automation out for every pet scheduled

💡Best use for automations - will write back as confirmed into the PIMS (if the PIMS supports confirmation write-backs)

💡Recommended for appointments that need individual patient forms

🔎Per Client Visit will include all appointments that have that automation for a given day

💡Recommended for cases where clients have multiple pet appointments scheduled for the same day (example: Double Pet Appointment types, Litter Appointment Types)

💡This feature is best used for sending a single form to a pet parent if multiple pets are listed in the visit (example: a new client that needs to fill out a New Client Information Form)

💡This feature will only list one pet not all pets when the automation is sent

🚫This feature will not confirm appointments in the PIMS (if the PIMS supports confirmation write-backs)

8. Entering Compose Mode: Click Next or the Compose tab to create content seen by clients.

🛑 Troubleshooting: If the behavior of an automated reminder is not what was intended or expected, checking the settings listed above will be the first step in understanding why an automation misbehaved.

Automation Compose Tab:

Create specific content for the automation that will be sent to clients

Notification Message

Begin by editing the notification message that pet parents receive prompting them to log into their Pet Portal to view the automation. The wording here can be unique content or left as the default messaging. Changing this is not mandatory.

💡 Setting Up the Notification Message Successfully

💡A default message will generate. Changes can be made, or left as is. To see the list of default messaging generated, click here

💡Utilize Tags to autogenerate the Pets Name, Client Name, Time, Clinic Name, etc. if creating unique messaging

💡Choose the date format to fit the appointment. The tag {{time}} will display whatever the Date Format is set as. For example, if the automation is for a drop off procedure appointment, toggle the date format to just show the date, not date AND time. Information for when the client should drop off can be created in an Automation Prompt

💡 Helpful Tip: The Buttons Prompt is the most frequently used prompt to send appointment reminders and appointment follow ups

Automation Prompts

Prompts are the bread and butter of automations; use them to deliver appointment information and collect information from clients.

To begin, choose a starting prompt.

• 🔎Automation Prompts Explained

  🔎Text Field - This will prompt clients for an open response to reply to.

  💡This can be a useful way to collect information from clients regarding an upcoming appointment

  💡The automation will not continue until/unless the client responds with a text response

  🔎Form - This will provide a form for a client to fill out. To select a form, click on the drop down menu to find all available forms.

  💡Forms can be created and/or edited by navigating to Forms in the lower-left corner of Otto

  💡The automation will not continue until/unless the client fills out the selected form

  💡Forms utilizing fill-in-the-blank tags can not be used in automations

  🔎Buttons - This will provide a client one or more buttons to press as options, each of which will have a prescribed effect. When a client presses a button, it can:

  • Confirm the appointment in the clinic PIMS (ONLY for specific PIMS that can support this)
  • Update the status of the conversation, so that conversations reflect the option selected by the client
  • Initiate a next step, either moving to the next step of the automation, ending the automation altogether, or starting a different automation (see From Another Automation)

  💡The most common use-case for buttons would be giving clients the opportunity to confirm or reschedule an appointment

  💡Rescheduling in Otto will not change the PIMS schedule, clinic staff will need to manually communicate with the client and change the appointment (see specific PIMS on how to delete or cancel an appointment)

  💡 From Another Automation is the recommended use for this automation to fire off successfully when utilizing a Reschedule option

  🔎Payment - This will prompt the client for payment and give them a link to enter their credit card information, just like using Otto's text-to-pay option.

  💡The conversation will be tagged with the ‘Payment Requested’ tag, and will update to ‘Payment Received’ when payment is received

  💡Common use-case for requesting payments via automations are for deposits to prevent no-shows on telemedicine appointments, surgeries, or new client appointments

  🔎Statement - This will always present text to the client and end the automation.

  💡Statements do not require any input or follow-up from the client

  💡Best practice to use them as a final step in automations, usually thanking the client for completing all of the required steps

  💡 Statements end the automation making them the only automation component that cannot be used multiple times within an automation

Once a starting prompt has been chosen (in this example the Buttons prompt is used):

A. Change the Initial Status Change (the conversation status tag that will appear when the automation first gets sent out) then change the Question or Message text or leave as it

💡Helpful tip : Use the ‘Not Confirmed’ status tag when creating an appointment reminder

B. Modify the Date Format based on if this appointment will be reminded on the time the appointment is scheduled or if it will be reminded for the date or time only

💡If it is a drop off appointment, the Message portion can contain the appropriate drop off time, see example below:

💡Best practice to use Date and Time for appointments that need to arrive as scheduled and Date only for drop off appointments

C. Decide the Call to Action for each Button.

💡Best use cases are “Please click the buttons below to confirm:” or “Please click the buttons below to tell us…”

D. Decide the Button Action for each choice

💡This will determine if that button choice will confirm in the PIMS

🔎The PIMS that support confirmation write-backs are Cornerstone, ImproMed, Neo, and AVImark

E. Choose the Status Change for each Button.

💡This will trigger a conversation status change to appear for the clinic when the choice is made by the client

💡Best use case is to choose Confirmed or Rescheduled when sending out appointment reminders

F. Decide the Next Step for each Button.

💡When this Button is selected, it will bring the client to the next step in the automation, either to the next Prompt (typically Form or Statement) or to Another Automation (if already created this will be visible, if not create a new automation using the From Another Automation and link it once created)

💡 Helpful Tip: Navigate to Settings>Conversations to create additional conversation statuses that can be used in automations.

1. Choose the next Automation Prompt - this may be a prompt that needs to gather more information from a client or a prompt that ends the automation

   💡Example: Use the Forms prompt if requesting forms to be filled out by clients or the Text Prompt if information is required to be filled out by clients

2. It is best practice to end the automation by using the Statement Prompt or by changing the Next Step in the ending prompt to End Automation.

G. Decide the Initial Status Change. This will the final conversation status visible to clinic staff.

💡Archived Conversation Status can be used here to automatically archive a conversation when the button choice has been picked

H. Choose an ending message for clients to see after they have made a button choice.

💡Best use case is to thank them for confirming their appointment

I. Use End Automation to finish out the automation

1. Click Activate to start the automations.

   

2. Automations can easily be activated/inactivated by navigating to Settings>Automations

   

🛑 Troubleshooting: The automation builder will prevent saving an automation if further steps are required, or items are missing. A red banner will appear stating that it is unable to save the automation.  Clicking on Show Details will explain which step in the automation has an issue.