user's guide sms replies - help.soeidental.comhelp.soeidental.com/10.16/pdfs/smsreplies.pdf ·...

SMS Replies, EXACT v10.16 rev 3, 12 March 2013 of 70

User's Guide

SMS Replies Leverage the immediacy and convenience of SMS for automated patient communications


Copyright © 2013 Software of Excellence International. All rights reserved

The software contains proprietary information of Software of Excellence International; it is provided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosure and is also protected by copyright law. Reverse engineering of the software is prohibited.

Due to continued product development this information may change without notice. The information and intellectual property contained herein is confidential between Software of Excellence International and the client and remains the exclusive property of Software of Excellence International. If you find any problems in the documentation, please report them to us in writing. Software of Excellence International does not warrant that this document is error-free.

Microsoft Word, Microsoft Office, Excel, Windows®, Windows XP®, Windows 7™, Windows Vista®, Windows NT® and MS-DOS™ are trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.

Software of Excellence International Unit A3, 34 Triton Drive

Albany, North Shore 0632 Auckland, New Zealand

+64 9 414 1220 Internet E-Mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.soeidental.com Subscribers' Portal: http://portal.softwareofexcellence.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.soeidental.com/

http://portal.softwareofexcellence.com/


Contents Contents ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

List of Procedures ........................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Typographical Conventions ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

SMS Replies 6

Overview of SMS Replies ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Purpose of SMS Replies .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Benefits of SMS Replies .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Features of SMS Replies ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Requirements for SMS Replies ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Using the SMS Replies facility ...................................................................................................................................................... 9

Note these points for SMS Replies : ..................................................................................................................................... 10

Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab .............................................................................................................. 10

SMS Replies are listed in Patient Contacts Tab ........................................................................................................... 11

Monitoring status icons in Appointment Book ............................................................................................................ 12

Marking SMS Replies as complete ............................................................................................................................... 12

The importance of Keywords in SMS Replies .............................................................................................................. 13

Monitoring and Matching SMS Replies ................................................................................................................................ 15

The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book .......................................................................................................... 16

The Manage SMS Replies screen ................................................................................................................................. 18

When SMS Replies require user intervention ............................................................................................................. 20

SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS ................................................................................................................. 21

SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS .................................................................................................................. 24

Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists ........................................................................................................................ 27

Manually contacting Patients by SMS .................................................................................................................................. 28

Contacting SINGLE patients by SMS ............................................................................................................................ 28

Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS ........................................................................................................................ 31

Contact Multiple Patients Window ..................................................................................................................... 35

Configuring SMS Replies ............................................................................................................................................................ 37

Checklist: Configure SMS Replies ......................................................................................................................................... 37

Configuring Email Parameters .............................................................................................................................................. 39

Summary of Email Setup Wizard configuration: .................................................................................................................. 41

Opening the Email Setup Wizard ................................................................................................................................. 43

Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN ....................................................................................................... 44

Configuring Account Details ........................................................................................................................................ 45

Scheduling Send and Receive actions .......................................................................................................................... 45

Checking: ..................................................................................................................................................................... 46

Sending and Receiving: ................................................................................................................................................ 46

Valid times for Email and SMS messages: ................................................................................................................... 46


Configuring SMS Provider ............................................................................................................................................ 47

Configuring when SMS messages are sent .................................................................................................................. 49

Configuring Email attachment policy........................................................................................................................... 50

Testing Internet connection, Email Server Setup ........................................................................................................ 51

Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders ................................................................................................................. 53

Opening Automatic Appointment Reminders Wizard ................................................................................................. 53

Configuring Automatic Emails ..................................................................................................................................... 54

Selecting or creating an Email Template ............................................................................................................. 55

Configuring Automatic Reminders and Replies ........................................................................................................... 57

Message Type: ..................................................................................................................................................... 57

Select or create a template: ................................................................................................................................ 57

Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies ................................................................................................................................ 59

Confirmation Keywords ....................................................................................................................................... 59

Cancellation Keywords ........................................................................................................................................ 62

Guidelines for using Keywords .................................................................................................................................... 63

Managing Keywords for a Contact List ........................................................................................................................ 64

Freeing Up Keywords ................................................................................................................................................... 65

Selecting or creating an SMS template ........................................................................................................................ 65

Index .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 69

List of Procedures To display the SMS Replies Tab and the Cancels Tab in the Appointment Book ................................................................. 11

To free keywords for use ..................................................................................................................................................... 14

To open the Manage SMS replies screen ............................................................................................................................. 18

To contact SINGLE patients by SMS ..................................................................................................................................... 28

To contact MULTIPLE patients by SMS................................................................................................................................. 31

To configure Email parameters ............................................................................................................................................ 39

To open the Email Setup Wizard .......................................................................................................................................... 43

To select an Email template ................................................................................................................................................. 55

To create a New Email template .......................................................................................................................................... 55

To create a template ............................................................................................................................................................ 58

To open the Keyword Settings ............................................................................................................................................. 59

To use Confirmation Keywords ............................................................................................................................................ 59

To use Cancellation keywords .............................................................................................................................................. 62

To manage keywords for a Contact List ............................................................................................................................... 64

To free up keywords for use elsewere ................................................................................................................................. 65

To select an SMS template ................................................................................................................................................... 65

To assign Keywords .............................................................................................................................................................. 66

To create a New SMS Template ........................................................................................................................................... 66


Typographical Conventions It is important to understand the terms and typographical conventions used in this documentation.

The following kinds of formatting in the text identify special information.

Formatting convention Type of Information

To perform... Follow these step-by-step procedures to complete a specific task.

Bold Items to select, such as menu options, command buttons, or items in a list.

Emphasis Emphasizes the importance of a point or for variable expressions such as parameters.

CAPITALS Names of keys on the keyboard. for example, SHIFT, CTRL, or [Alt].

KEY-KEY Key combinations for pressing and holding multiple keys, such as CTRL-P, or ALT-F4.

Tip: It is useful but not essential to know this.

Note: Please take note of this point as it will help you to use the system more effectively.

Important: Take careful note of this point, as it has implications for health, safety, or system functionality.


SMS REPLIES

The SMS Replies feature enables patients to reply directly to SMS appointment reminders, promotions, or other queries sent to them.

If configured correctly, EXACT automatically translates the Patient SMS replies into appointment and promotion confirmations / cancellations, and acknowledges back to the Patient via SMS.

Overview Purpose (see "Purpose of SMS Replies" on page 7)

Benefits (see "Benefits of SMS Replies" on page 7)

Features (see "Features of SMS Replies" on page 7)

Requirements (see "Requirements for SMS Replies" on page 8)

Using

Using the SMS Replies facility (on page 9)

Important points (see "Note these points for SMS Replies :" on page 10)

Monitoring and Matching:

Monitoring and matching SMS Replies (on page 15)

SMS Replies Tab (see "The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book" on page 16)

Manage SMS Replies screen (see "The Manage SMS Replies screen" on page 18)

Replies requiring intervention (see "When SMS Replies require user intervention" on page 20)

Managing SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS (see "SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS" on page 21)

Managing SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS (see "SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS" on page 24)

Managing SMS Reply for Contact List (see "Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists" on page 27)

Contacting:

Manually contacting Patients by SMS (on page 28)

Contacting SINGLE Patients by SMS (on page 28)

Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS (on page 31)

Configuring

! Configuration Checklist (see "Checklist: Configure SMS Replies" on page 37)

Email Parameters (see "Configuring Email Parameters" on page 39)

Automatic Appointment Reminders (see "Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders" on page 53)

Keywords for SMS Replies (see "Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies" on page 59)

(May require security permissions)

Resources Online version of this user guide (may have more recently-updated information)


Overview of SMS Replies

Purpose of SMS Replies

The SMS Replies feature enables patients to reply directly to their SMS appointment reminders or other queries with a short text code to either confirm or cancel the appointment (for example "Y" to confirm, "N" to cancel).

With appropriate configuration and compliant Patient SMS text responses, EXACT automatically processes the response (for example, confirming an appointment),and acknowledges with a return SMS to the Patient.

With ambiguous SMS replies from Patients, EXACT provides facilities for identifying whom the SMS is from, what it relates to, and what action to take.

Benefits of SMS Replies

Business efficiency:

The high degree of automation saves time and resources for the Practice.

The SMS Replies facility rounds out the Recalls workflow.

Client convenience:

Because patients reply with a simple code only, such as just YES or just NO, the facility is quick and convenient for them; they need not phone, email or visit to confirm or cancel appointments. Patients typically view this as a professional and helpful service provided by the Practice.

Immediacy:

Cell phone technology is ubiquitous in the population, so patients typically read SMS recall information immediately, and typically are more responsive in replying by SMS than by other media.

Features of SMS Replies

This facility's features include:

EXACT can automatically process SMS replies for appointments, promotions or other queries.

EXACT can automatically send receipt confirmation messages to patients. For example, "Thank you for your SMS reply, your booking is now cancelled."

EXACT can recognise multiple codes as a valid client reply. For example, configure EXACT to recognise all of these options as valid for a Confirmation SMS: YES, YIP, Y, YEAH, YAH, OK.

EXACT lists ambiguous replies (or replies that have been caught by the SMS Replies settings) for manual interpretation and processing. For example, EXACT may classify as ambiguous a patient SMS reply of NO WORRIES MATE, and would require a human to interpret and validate such a reply.

Receptionists need not leave the Appointment Book to monitor ambiguous SMS Replies - an optionally-displayed SMS Replies Tab (see "Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10) in the work area displays a list of ambiguous SMS Replies, and provides Match, Confirm, Cancel functions to deal with them.

Receptionists can monitor the progress of SMS communications by means of SMS status icons (see "Monitoring status icons in Appointment Book" on page 12) in the appointments, and can see when appointments are confirmed by means of a Confirmation icon (see "Monitoring status icons in Appointment Book" on page 12) in the appointment.

Receptionists can monitor appointment cancellations by means of an optionally-displayed Cancels Tab (see


"Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10) in the Appointment Book work area.

Use Merge Fields to create SMS templates.

Customise for your phone-answering capacity. To avoid the practice being overloaded with simultaneous bulk replies, stagger the sending times for bulk messaging, or specify that a message should only be sent every [n] minutes.

Configure EXACT warning prompts if it will take longer than [n] days to deliver any SMS message.

Email and SMS are configured independently, so you can use them to complement each other. For example, send a reminder email two weeks before the appointment, then follow it up with an SMS message a few days prior to the appointment time, and a second SMS message a few hours before.

Requirements for SMS Replies

For the SMS Replies facility your practice must meet all of the following requirements:

Clients need to sign a Software of Excellence SMS Agreement that lays out the terms of SMS usage, even if the SMS module is already activated.

Prerequisites for the SMS Replies setup:

o The EXDOCe module must be registered in Practice Information.

o To use EXDOCe, you need either an Internet connection through a local area network (LAN), or a dialup account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and at least one workstation with hardware and software to connect to the Internet.

o Patients who are to receive Emails as both Email and as SMS messages on their cell phones have the appropriate SMS checkboxes selected in their Patient details.

Appointment reminders will only work if set for a future date; they do not function if set today for today.

Manually generated reminders must be manually processed: SMS Replies software is designed to function with automated reminders sent to Patients. The software links the pending appointment with the automated SMS Reminder, with the patient's SMS Reply. It is possible to manually contact single or multiple patients by means of SMS reminders, but in this case EXACT has no automatic means to link your sent SMS Reminder and the patient's SMS Reply with a pending appointment. So, if you manually create SMS Reminders, EXACT will always send the consequent SMS Replies to the Manage Replies List and to the SMS Replies Tab, for you to manually confirm who this is from, what it relates to, and what actions to take.

Correct configuration for SMS Replies:

o Email Parameters (see "Configuring Email Parameters" on page 39) must be correctly configured (procedures are described in the SMS Replies section).

o Automatic Appointment Reminders (see "Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders" on page 53) must be correctly configured (procedures are described in the SMS Replies section).

o Keywords for SMS Replies (see "Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies" on page 59) must be correctly configured (procedures are described in the SMS Replies section).

IMPORTANT: Keywords must be unique across all active contact lists and automatic appointment reminders. For example, you cannot use YES as a keyword for a currently active contact list and appointment reminder template, but you could use YES for the appointment reminder and YES1 for the contact list.

Recommended configuration for Receptionists:

o Display SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab in the Appointment Book work area (see "Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10) Note that security permissions are required for this setup.

For more detail, including hyperlinks to each requirement see also: Checklist: Configure SMS Replies (on page 37)


Using the SMS Replies facility With the appropriate configuration, EXACT processes SMS replies, matches them to patient name and appointment times, and populates the Appointment Book with confirmed appointments, all without human intervention.

However, if the replies are ambiguous, EXACT cannot match them, and this automation is not possible. Practice personnel (normally Receptionists) should therefore routinely monitor the SMS Replies List for these ambiguous replies and manually match them (establish whom an SMS is from, what it relates to, and what actions should be taken).

Types of SMSes normally displayed in the SMS Replies Lists:

The SMS Replies lists display all incoming SMSes that EXACT cannot confidently classify and act upon. These can include

Arbitrary messages such as "Hi I'm new to the area and want to sign up as a patient"

Ambiguous replies to Contact List SMS campaigns run by the Practice. For example, the Practice outgoing message is "Hi Mrs Smith, we have a promotion. Whitening treatment just $80. Reply just YES1 if interested or just NO1 to decline". And the ambiguous response is "yes but only next month".

Ambiguous replies to appointment reminders. For example, the Practice outgoing automated reminder is "Hi Mr Jones, you are due for a dental appointment at 3pm on 18 Nov. Please reply just Y to confirm or just N to cancel". And the response is "Are you sure? I thought it was the 19th".

These SMS Replies are listed in two near-duplicate screens with equivalent functionality:

The SMS Replies Tab (see "The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book" on page 16), an optional display tab in the work area of the Appointment Book. Receptionists typically manage SMS Replies by means of this tab plus the Cancels Tab, which lists appointment cancellations. It is recommended that Receptionists enable both of these tabs (see Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tabs (see "Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10)).

The Manage SMS Replies screen (on page 18), initiated as a full-screen display from Administration > Manage SMS Replies.

Option to display all SMS Replies, including those that EXACT auto-matches:

The SMS Replies list has a Show Completed checkbox. When checked / ticked, all incoming SMSes display in the list.

This includes clearly matched confirmations and cancellations:


SMS reply scenarios:

SMS Reply Appointment Confirmations (on page 21):

Patients Confirm correctly (with correct keywords)

Patients Confirm ambiguously (with incorrect keywords, no keywords, or with extraneous text)

SMS Reply Appointment Cancellations (on page 24):

Patients Cancel correctly (with correct keywords)

Patients Cancel ambiguously (with incorrect keywords, no keywords, or with extraneous text)

SMS Reply for Contact List (see "Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists" on page 27)

Using keywords in manually-generated SMS notices:

It is possible to manually create SMSes and send them to Patients with keyword options. However, these will not result in automated EXACT responses; users will always need to manually process such messages in the SMS Replies lists.

SEE ALSO: Manually contacting Patients by SMS (on page 28)

Note these points for SMS Replies :

These are important tips or notes relating to SMS Replies.

Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab

In most Practices, Receptionists manage SMS Replies from the Appointment Book Cancels Tab and SMS Replies Tab.

It is highly recommended that you enable these Tabs for use by Receptionists.

NOTE: Users require access permissions to be able to configure these tabs.


To configure access rights for adding tabs:

Select the User/User group and then check (tick) the Manage SMS Replies checkbox:

To display the SMS Replies Tab and the Cancels Tab in the Appointment Book

SEE ALSO: The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book (on page 16)

SMS Replies are listed in Patient Contacts Tab

The Patient file has a Contacts tab where all Contacts are listed:


Each SMS Reply is listed against the SMS Reply icon:

Each SMS Reply includes the text that the patient sent, in the Body Text column:

Monitoring status icons in Appointment Book

SMS status icons:

When SMS messages relating to an appointment have been sent, you can monitor a status icon in the appointment to track the SMS progress:

TIP: Hover your mouse over the icon for a tooltip display.

SMS appointment reminder sent to recipient (delivered)

SMS message received by gateway (sent, but not yet delivered)

SMS delivery failed (where SOE is the SMS provider; password is wrong, insufficient credit, etc.)

Reply received (for SMS reminder sent to patient)

SMS status is now available

SMS status unknown (TXTConnecxions / Icetrak / 4Production)

SMS failed or not sent to gateway

SMS status unavailable (other SMS providers)

Appointment Confirmed:

Marking SMS Replies as complete


Patients sometimes send incorrect keywords or confuse the SMS response by adding additional words with the keywords.

For example,

Instead of replying "YES" to confirm, a patient replies "YES but I'll be five minutes late because I'm dropping my child at the Preschool".

Instead of replying "NO" to cancel, a patient replies "No mate, not this time".

EXACT displays these ambiguous replies in a List for interpretation / manual processing by Practice personnel.

It is necessary for someone to

1. Click the Match Reply button and match the SMS to the appropriate patient and appointment / contact list.

2. Click the Confirm Appt button to confirm who this is, what it is for, and what to do.

3. Check (tick) the SMS Reply to mark it as completed and remove it from the SMS Replies Tab and from the Manage SMS Replies list:

As you tick the checkbox: this SMS Reply will disappear from both Lists.

Note: When EXACT automatically confirms an appointment with the patient, EXACT also automatically marks it as complete and you will not see it in the SMS Replies Tab or SMS Replies List.

The importance of Keywords in SMS Replies

Configured keywords are an integral element in the SMS Replies software.

When a reminder or promotional SMS is sent to Patients, it contains instructions on how to answer using code words.

For example,

"... Please answer just YES to confirm or just NO to cancel your appointment".

"Interested in our Whitening Promotion? Answer just YES3 or NO3".


Keyword Conventions and limitations:

Keywords need to follow certain conventions:

Keywords maximum size is 25 characters.

Keyword minimum size is 1 character.

Keywords cannot contain spaces.

Keywords must be alphanumeric (special accented characters are OK).

Keywords cannot occur in a single keyword list twice.

The total length of all the keywords in a list cannot exceed 250 characters.

(IMPORTANT) A keyword cannot exist in any other active keyword list, whether for appointment reminders or contact lists (inactive contact lists are not counted).

For example, you cannot use YES as a keyword for a currently active contact list and for an appointment reminder.

If you need multiple options for YES and NO, variations could include YES1, YES2, Y1, Y2, OK, OK1, NO1, NO2, N1, N2, etc.

To free keywords for use

Keywords associated with lists may be made available to new lists in two ways:

Deleting the keyword from the original list

Checking the list as Complete (inactive)

Appointment Reminder Keywords are configured mainly from these screens:

Configure > SMS Templates...

Configure > Automatic Appointment Reminders and Replies:


Configure > Automatic Appointment Reminders and Replies > Keyword Settings:

Monitoring and Matching SMS Replies

This section describes EXACT's two SMS Replies screens, lists circumstances when user intervention is required,


and describes procedures for Appointment Confirmations and Cancellations with either of these screens:

Two near-duplicate screens:

The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book (on page 16)

The Manage SMS Replies screen (on page 18)

Procedures with either of these screens:

When SMS Replies require user intervention (on page 20)

Flowchart - SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS (on page 21)

Flowchart - SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS (on page 24)

Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists (on page 27)

For a general overview of SMS Reply information, see SMS Replies (on page 6).

The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book

The SMS replies Tab is an optional tool for Receptionists or other users of the Appointment Book. It is a near duplicate of the list in the Manage SMS Replies list (see "The Manage SMS Replies screen" on page 18).

It only displays if enabled (see Display SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tabs (see "Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10)).

It lists those SMS Replies (and other incoming SMSes) that do not meet configured keyword requirements, and therefore need human intervention to determine what they are and what to do with them.

EXACT populates the columns as best it can based on the incoming SMS Reply.

The Reply column is especially significant - this is the text content in the Patient's SMS Reply.


Match Reply

Click to match this SMS message against a Contact List or against an Appointment, to establish who this SMS is from, what it relates to, and what should be done with it.

Manually match the SMS Reply (identify exactly who, what, when):

The top part of this screen contains the details of the reply received: when it was received, and what number it was sent from.

If the number matches any patients, the Patient field will have either the patient name, or a drop-down with a choice of possible names (for example, where two or more patients have the same mobile phone number). If you can determine which patient the message was from, select the name here, and their other details will display.

Immediately below this is the reply received in the SMS - in this case "huh???".

In the middle of the screen there is a choice of matching options, which defaults to No match because it didn't match any current contact lists' keywords.

You can select Contact List: and choose an active list from the selector, to show the keywords for that list (this is useful if the reply was merely misspelled).

You can click Appointment and view the current patient's appointments, which may help with identifying what the reply was for.

In the unlikely event that you cannot match the reply against a patient or appointment, you can use the Replying Number field to contact them.

When you have matched the reply against a patient and their contact list or appointment, click the

button to return to the SMS Replies list.

You will notice that the Confirm Appt and Cancel Appt buttons are then active.

Confirm Appt button

If the SMS message is an appointment confirmation, and if it is matched successfully, click this button

to confirm the appointment in the Appointment Book ..


Cancel Appt button

If the SMS message is an appointment cancellation, and if it is matched successfully, click this button

to cancel the appointment in the Appointment Book, and to list this as a cancellation in the Cancels Tab.

SEE ALSO:

Managing SMS Reply Appointment Confirmations (see "SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS" on page 21)

Managing SMS Reply Appointment Cancellations (see "SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS" on page 24)


The Manage SMS Replies screen

This screen lists all the SMS messages that were received by the practice that were either not automatically processed by EXACT, or were added to the Manage SMS Replies list because the settings in EXACT directed them to be.

To open the Manage SMS replies screen

Either access from the Administration Menu or from the Workspace shortcut:

(requires appropriate security access)

(requires enabling from Configure > Customise Workspace...)

The Manage SMS Replies screen

This is a near duplicate of the list in the SMS Replies Tab (see "The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book" on page 16) of the Appointment Book.

EXACT populates the columns as best it can based on the SMS Reply.

The Reply column is especially significant - this is the text content in the Patient's SMS Reply.


Match Reply

Click to match this SMS message against a Contact List or against an Appointment, to establish who this SMS is from, what it relates to, and what should be done with it.












Confirm Appt button

If the SMS message is an appointment confirmation, and if it is matched successfully, click this

button to confirm the appointment in the Appointment Book ..


Cancel Appt button

If the SMS message is an appointment cancellation, and if it is matched successfully, click this button

to cancel the appointment in the Appointment Book, and to list this as a cancellation in the Cancels Tab.

SEE ALSO:

Managing SMS Reply Appointment Confirmations (see "SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS" on page 21)

Managing SMS Reply Appointment Cancellations (see "SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS" on page 24)


When SMS Replies require user intervention

Circumstances where SMS Replies require manual action:

Circumstance Manual action required

If you manually create SMS Reminders, EXACT will always send the consequent SMS Replies to the Manage Replies List and to the SMS Replies Tab, for you to manually confirm who this is from, what it relates to, and what actions to take.

Read the reply and take appropriate action.

The SMS was received by the practice and has nothing to do with appointment reminders.

Read the message, take appropriate action (such as contact the sender), then remove it from the list.

The reply comes from a mobile phone number that matches a patient record, but the reply does not contain a valid keyword.

Read the message, take appropriate action (such as contact the sender), then remove it from the list.

The reply contains a valid Confirmation keyword, but the appointment list option to add the reply to the Manage Replies list is ticked.

If you have chosen the configuration option to have the appointment automatically confirmed in the appointment book, or for the patient to be sent a 'confirmation of receipt' message, no further action is required. Once the details have been checked, click the entry to delete it from the Manage Replies list.

The reply contains a valid 'cancellation' keyword, but the appointment list option to add the reply to the Manage Replies list is ticked.

In this case, you may wish to contact the patient to make an alternative appointment booking.

The reply contains a valid keyword, but EXACT cannot match the reply to a particular patient record. This can happen if the number the text was sent from is different to one listed against the recipient, or if more than one patient has the same mobile number.

Read the message, take appropriate action, then remove it from the list.


SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS

This applies to automated appointment reminders and to appointment reminders sent out via Contact List, where

the Contact List has the appointment function enabled: Use list for appointment booking


If SMS Replies functions as intended, there is no need for user intervention. EXACT automatically matches incoming SMS replies correctly to the patient and the appointment, these replies do not normally show in the SMS Replies lists, and Receptionists will simply see pending appointments being confirmed in the Appointment Book:

If you wish to also see these replies in the SMS Replies list, tick the Show Completed checkbox:

Ambiguous SMS Replies cannot be matched, so they are listed in both the Manage SMS Replies screen (see "The Manage SMS Replies screen" on page 18) and in the SMS Replies Tab (see "The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book" on page 16).

For example:

NOTE: Hover your mouse cursor over the Reply in the Reply column for a tooltip of the full text reply.













Confirm the Appointment after matching the SMS Reply, so that EXACT can confirm it in the Appointment Book (this is the same as EXACT automatically matching and confirming the appointment).

Select and highlight the reply, and click the Confirm Appt button at the bottom right-hand corner of the screen:

The appointment in the Appointment Book will then show a confirmation icon .


Check to complete this SMS Reply.

It will immediately disappear from both the Manage SMS Replies List and the SMS Replies Tab.

(To view all "completed" (non-displayed) SMS Replies, simply check the Show Completed checkbox)

SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS

This applies to automated appointment reminders and to appointment reminders sent out via Contact List, where

the Contact List has the appointment function enabled: Use list for appointment booking


If SMS Replies functions as intended, there is no need for user intervention when the user cancels. Receptionists will simply see pending appointments disappear from the Appointment Book and cancellations being listed in the Cancels Tab of the Appointment Book work area:

If you want the replies to also show in the SMS Replies list, tick the Show Completed checkbox:

Ambiguous SMS Replies are listed in both the Manage SMS Replies screen (see "The Manage SMS Replies screen" on page 18) and in the SMS Replies Tab (see "The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book" on page 16).

For example:

NOTE: Hover your mouse cursor over the Reply in the Reply column for a tooltip of the full text reply.


Match the SMS Reply (identify exactly who, what, when):


If the number matches any patients, the Patient field will have either the patient name, or a drop-down with a choice of possible names (where two or more patients have the same mobile phone number). If you can determine which patient the message was from, select the name here, and their other details will be displayed.


In the middle of the screen there is a choice of matching options, which defaults to No match because it didn't match any current contact lists' keywords or appointment reminder keywords.


You can click Appointment and view the current patient's appointments, which may help with identifying what the reply relates to.

In the unlikely event that you cannot match the reply against a contact list, patient or appointment, you can use the Replying Number field to contact them.



You will notice that the Confirm Appt and Cancel Appt buttons become active.

Cancel the Appointment after matching the SMS Reply (this is the same as EXACT automatically matching and cancelling the appointment):

EXACT cancels it in the Appointment Book and adds it to the Cancels Tab .

Check to complete this SMS Reply.

It will immediately disappear from both the Manage SMS Replies List and the SMS Replies Tab.

(To view all "completed" (non-displayed) SMS Replies, simply check the Show Completed checkbox)


Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists

Patient Contact Lists enable a Practice to contact specified lists of Patients by means of a template and keywords,

with an option to Use list for appointment booking.

With this appointment option enabled, the SMS Replies procedures are the same as for automated appointment reminders:

If a Patient receives an SMS from an existing Contact List and replies correctly, EXACT automatically matches the patient to the contact list and the appointment, and confirms or cancels the appointment in the Appointment Book. No user intervention is required.

However, if a Patient replies with ambiguous keywords (not specified on the Contact List), EXACT cannot match the SMS, so it cannot act upon it. EXACT users need to manually match ambiguous Contact List SMS Replies, to a patient and an active Contact List, and then Confirm Appointment or Cancel Appointment.

Contacts List screen and Contacts List Tab

Contacts Lists can be managed from two other areas of EXACT:

From the Administration > Contact Lists.

In the Multi Column appointment book in the Contact Lists Tab.

From these screens, patients can be contacted, patient records can be updated, and appointments can be booked in the Multi Column appointment book. Patients are removed from the list when marked as Completed.

Contact List configuration example: A Practice creates a Whitening Promotion contact list that is applicable to Patients with no future appointments booked. It is based on a WHITEPROMO SMS template, and specifies that interested Patients should reply with the code smile, after which the Practice will contact them to arrange a whitening appointment:


! Manually contacting Patients by SMS

SMS Replies software is designed to function with automated reminders sent to Patients. The software links the pending appointment with the automated SMS Reminder, with the patient's SMS Reply.

But what if you want to manually contact patients by means of SMS with keywords?

It is possible to manually contact single (see "Contacting SINGLE patients by SMS" on page 28) or multiple (see "Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS" on page 31) patients by means of SMS reminders, but in this case EXACT has no automatic means to link your sent SMS Reminder and the patient's SMS Reply with a pending appointment.

So, if you manually create SMS Reminders, EXACT will always send the consequent SMS Replies to the Manage Replies List and to the SMS Replies Tab, for you to manually confirm who this is from, what it relates to, and what actions to take.

Contacting SINGLE patients by SMS

To contact SINGLE patients by SMS

(See also Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS (on page 31))

1. Select the SMS button from either:

o The Recalls window (Administration > Manage Recalls > Double-click on a recalls list), or

o The Contact Lists window (Administration > Contact Lists > Double-click on a list)

The Contact by SMS window launches:

2. Select the Single SMS option.

The Group by Family checkbox will apply to SMS as it does for letters, and allows email to family members to be sent together. It is greyed out and unavailable if the Single SMS option has been clicked.

The Tick as complete when message sent checkbox will flag the recall procedure for the SMS recipient(s) as completed once the SMS is sent.

3. Select OK to display the SMS Details window.


4. Select the Provider, Specialist and SMS templates (click in each field to activate the selection controls for that

field).

5. If you select a Category, it will be added against the SMS and displayed in the Category column in the Contacts tab as EXACT does for letters, as a quick reference to identify the purpose of the message.

6. Click the button to open the Create SMS window, with the Description and Message fields defaulted (if you chose an SMS template), or the screen blank to enable you to enter your own details. In the case of a defaulted message, you still have the option to edit the details (see below).

7. In this window, you can edit the Description - which is used for the Contacts tab - and can also edit the

message to be sent.

8. If the message to be sent is a Flash message, tick the Flash checkbox, if it is not already ticked by default for the SMS Template (if one is used). Alternatively, if the template is for a Flash message, you can untick the checkbox to send it as an ordinary SMS if you wish.

(Flash Message: On some cellphones a Flash message will appear on the screen immediately upon arrival, without the need to press any buttons on the phone. This is a useful alternative to normal SMS to catch the recipient's attention. The recipient has the option of 'saving' the Flash SMS to their Inbox.)

9. As you enter text, the line under the message box will display the approximate character count (excluding merge fields), and how many 153-character SMS messages this represents, which will be charged against your SMS account credit. If you wish to limit this, you can either delete text and/or merge fields (such as the patients name, or other details) to shorten the message, or click in the Truncate To field and select the maximum length of the message, in message unit multiples (1 to 9) of approximately 160 character length (1 SMS) or 153 characters for longer messages.


10. Clicking the button on this window will create the SMS messages for the selected patient in EXACT, and either send the SMS message or queue it to be sent, depending on your settings. The contact list entry will be updated with the appropriate SMS status icon in the Type column. For an SMS message, one of the following icons may appear, depending on the status:









There is also a tooltip displayed when you hover your mouse cursor over each of the icons.

11. The SMS message will also appear in the Email Outbox until it is sent, when it will be removed and will appear in the Sent tab.

It will have the appropriate icon in the Status column.

Only email replies will appear in the Email Inbox.

If staggered recall settings are in effect, the column marked with a clock icon will have a corresponding icon for any items in the Outbox which are subject to the settings.

If you hover your mouse cursor over the icon, a tooltip will tell you when the SMS is due to be sent, as in this example:


Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS

To contact MULTIPLE patients by SMS

(See also Contacting SINGLE Patients by SMS (on page 28))

1. Select the SMS button from either:

o The Recalls window (Administration > Manage Recalls > Double-click on a recalls list), or

o The Contact Lists window (Administration > Contact Lists > Double-click on a list)

The Contact by SMS window launches:

2. Select the Multiple SMS option.

The Group by Family checkbox will apply to SMS as it does for letters, and allows email to family members to be sent together. It is greyed out and unavailable if the Single SMS option has been clicked.

The Tick as complete when message sent checkbox will flag the recall procedure for the SMS recipient(s) as completed once the SMS is sent.

3. Click OK to display the Contact Patients (see "Contact Multiple Patients Window" on page 35) window. You can either untick all options to include everyone on the recall / contact list, or select options according to your preferences.


4. Once you have selected your list of patients and clicked , you will be presented with the following screen, if you have set up staggered recalls in your email configuration:

At this point, you can either:

o Click the Send all SMS straight away to send the SMS messages.

o Accept the staggered SMS settings, as listed.

o Change any of the delivery times by clicking on a line, and then delete the line using the Delete button.

A new delivery time can then be added via the Add button.

o Accept the delivery times, but change the delivery frequency.

Once you have reviewed (and edited the staggered settings, if required), click the button.

5. The SMS Details window is now displayed, to enable you to enter Provider and/or Specialist codes, if there are pertinent merge fields that need to be included in the SMS:


If you wish to also send an SMS to a specialist, select their code in the Specialist field, then tick Email the Selected Specialist checkbox.

You can also choose an SMS template if you wish to use a preset message as a basis for the SMS.

If you do so, the Description field is automatically filled, but may be edited if required. Similarly, the Category field is usually defaulted but can be changed or deleted if you wish.

The Category becomes important in the Patient Contacts Tab, where we can sort by Category column to see what kind of contacts have been made with the patient:

6. Click the button; the Create SMS window will now be displayed, as for the single SMS option.

If you have selected an SMS template, the text from the template will be displayed, but you may still edit the details of this if you wish, by clicking in the field.

Note the following:

o The Flash box is checked for Flash SMS messages; do not delete the FLASH inserted at the beginning of the message - this tells the SMS provider to send this as a Flash message.

o The text in the box is counted in the Character count field below it, to let you know how long the message is. This will not be accurate if any merge fields are present, so you will have to estimate how long each


merge field is likely to be, based on what it represents.

7. Clicking the button on this window will create the SMS messages for the selected patients in EXACT, and either send the SMS messages or queue them to be sent, depending on your settings.

The contact list entries will be updated with the appropriate SMS status icon in the Type column.

For an SMS message, one of the following icons may appear, depending on the status:









A tooltip displays when you hover your mouse cursor over each of the icons.

8. The SMS messages will also appear in the Email Outbox until they are sent, when they will be removed and will appear in the Sent tab.

In each case they will have the appropriate icon in the Status column.

Only email replies will appear in the Email Inbox.

If staggered recall settings are in effect, the column marked with a clock icon will have a corresponding icon for any items in the Outbox that are subject to the settings.

If you hover your mouse cursor over the icon, a tooltip will tell you when the SMS is due to be sent, as in this example:


Contact Multiple Patients Window

This window is displayed when you select to contact multiple patients or print multiple labels for a recall list or contact list.

The same window is used for letters, labels, emails, and SMS messages, with slight changes to the prompts and options.

This window will allow you to choose certain criteria to create a sub-list of patients from the list to send letters to. The options are controlled by checkboxes and any combination of these checkboxes can be selected to create the required list of patients. Unticking all options will simply use the entire recall list and not limit the range in any way.

Option/Field Details

These options refer to the recall "marked as completed" status of the patients in the list.

This option will be set to 0 by default but you can alter this number as required. It will filter the list based on how many times a patient has been contacted by any method available in EXACT e.g., email, SMS or letter.

This option will default to "Letter" when sending letters, "Email" when sending email, and "Mobile" when sending SMS messages but can be changed to another from the drop-down list if required.


[Labels only] This field allows you to select patients who had letters created on a certain date, so that you can print corresponding address labels for the envelopes.

To select a range of patients, choose the first and last names in the list; all patients between (and including) the two listed names will be selected

Use this to select patients for one or more providers, or for

providers with a specific category. Click the button to select more than one provider

You can use this field to select patients who have a recall due (set, but not yet actioned) by dentist recall only, hygienist recall only or both.

This checkbox will be enabled only if the "Group by family" checkbox has been ticked on the previous (Contact by Letter) window . If you tick this option, only those patients that are part of a family will be selected.

If your selection criteria produce no patients as a result, a warning of “There are no patients that match the selected criteria” will be displayed.

Once a valid selection is obtained and the button is selected, you will then be presented with the ‘Document Details’ window, if you are creating letters / emails / SMS messages, or the 'Label Details' window for mailing labels.

Printing a long list of letters may take a long time, and once it has commenced the process cannot be stopped.

Rather than print all letters at once, break them into batches using the "From Patient" and "To Patient" fields. For example, select patients from A-F, then G-M, N-R, and S-Z.


Configuring SMS Replies As an automated facility in EXACT, SMS Replies relies on multiple configuration requirements in three integrated areas:

Configuring Email Parameters (on page 39).

Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders (on page 53).

Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies (on page 59).

IMPORTANT:

Appointment reminders will only work if set for a future date; they do not function if set today for today.

Manually generated reminders must be manually processed: SMS Replies software is designed to function with automated reminders sent to Patients. The software links the pending appointment with the automated SMS Reminder, with the patient's SMS Reply. It is possible to manually contact single or multiple patients by means of SMS reminders, but in this case EXACT has no automatic means to link your sent SMS Reminder and the patient's SMS Reply with a pending appointment. So, if you manually create SMS Reminders, EXACT will always send the consequent SMS Replies to the Manage Replies List and to the SMS Replies Tab, for you to manually confirm who this is from, what it relates to, and what actions to take.

TIP: Use the Checklist (see "Checklist: Configure SMS Replies" on page 37) as a starting point. It provides an overview of the configuration tasks and includes hyperlinks to specific task procedures.

Checklist: Configure SMS Replies

Check that you complete each of these configuration requirements, or that they have already been correctly configured elsewhere in EXACT. Each requirement has a hyperlink to the appropriate instructions:

Configuration requirement / task Links

Prerequisites:

The EXDOCe module is registered in Practice Information.

EXDOCe module

Registering EXACT

Practice Information

For EXDOCe you have either an Internet connection through a local area network (LAN), or a dialup account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

(You can set this up from this dialog: Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN (on page 44))

For EXDOCe you have At least one workstation with both hardware and software to connect to the Internet.

Refer to your System Administrator or IT consultant)

Patients who are to receive Emails as both Email and as SMS messages on their cell phones have the appropriate

SMS checkboxes selected in their Patient details.

Patient Contact Lists

Patient details

The Patient Contact Lists for appointment reminders have been set up and are being maintained.

Patient Contact Lists

In Email Setup, correctly configure the following parameters: Configuring Email Parameters (on page 39)


Select whether you use a dial-up service using a modem, or the workstation is on a local area network (LAN) with a constant connection to the internet via a DSL connection.

Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN (on page 44)

Configure the Account details for automated connection. This includes the Practice email address, User Name, Password, Incoming Mail Server, and Outgoing Mail Server.

Configuring Account Details (on page 45)

Schedule email sending and receiving activities, specify whether your practice sends all mail immediately or batch-sends it, and specify the valid times (during the 24-hour cycle) for email and SMS communication.

Scheduling Send and Receive actions (on page 45)

Specify Software of Excellence as SMS Provider, enter a valid Practice ID and Password, and check that you have sufficient SMS credits for the number of SMS messages likely to be generated.

If necessary, purchase further SMS credits from Software of Excellence.

Configuring SMS Provider (on page 47)

Specify whether SMS messages should be sent immediately or whether they should be staggered in order to receive staggered appointment replies. If required, set the interval between sent SMSes, and create a Warning policy for SMS messages that will take too long to deliver (in terms of the sending intervals versus number of SMSes).

Configuring when SMS messages are sent (on page 49)

! Create a security policy for opening email attachments, in relation to your anti-virus program.

Configuring Email attachment policy (on page 50)

Test your Internet connection and the functioning of your Email Server, and confirm that these are functioning correctly.

Testing Internet connection, Email Server Setup (on page 51)

In Automatic Appointment Reminders, correctly configure the following reminders and parameters:

Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders (on page 53)

Create an automated email for New patients. Configuring Automatic Emails (on page 54)

Selecting or creating an Email Template (on page 55)

Select / create a template for automatically sending to each patient as the patient's appointment is booked.

Create an email signature for adding to an email template.

Configure EXACT to automatically generate and send appointment reminders to patients by Email, SMS or both. Because the Email and SMS settings are independent for each, optionally setup Email and SMS reminders to complement each other. For example, send a reminder email two weeks before the appointment, then follow it up with an SMS message a few days prior to the appointment time, and a second SMS a few hours beforehand.

Configuring Automatic Reminders and Replies (on page 57)


Specify Keywords that patients need to use in SMS replies to trigger automated EXACT responses.


Be aware of the important Guidelines for using Keywords, without which your SMS replies strategy will not function.

Guidelines for using Keywords (on page 63)

Set up Confirmation Keywords for patients to use in confirming appointments.


Set up Cancellation Keywords for patients to use in cancelling appointments.


Once the Keywords are set up, manage them per Contact List. this includes checking that they are up to date.

Managing Keywords for a Contact List (on page 64)

When necessary, free up Keywords for use in other configurations.

Freeing Up Keywords (on page 65)

Configuring Email Parameters

IT information required:

Important! Before you begin the procedure below, check through the settings listed below and ask your IT Systems Administrator or your ISP for any details that you may require.

To configure Email parameters

1. Set Email options from either

The Configure > Email Parameters...

- or -

The email application itself. Click on the email button on the taskbar:

, then click the button on the email screen.

2. The Email Setup Wizard Welcome screen displays.

Follow the wizard through the setup. Each screen includes text information.


Summary of Email Setup Wizard configuration:

(This is a Summary of the sequential screens in the wizard, with a hyperlink to a description of each screen).

Internet Connection screen:

(See Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN (on page 44))

Select either Connect via Dialup or Connect via LAN


Account Details screen:

(See Configuring Account Details (on page 45))

Practice Email Address: Type the full practice email address. Clients will send Email to this address and this address will appear on your outgoing Email.

User Name: Type the user name used to access the Internet connection.

Password: The password used to access the Internet connection.

Incoming mail Server: Port: Type the address of the mail server used to receive incoming mail. It can be specified by name (e.g. pop3.ihug.co.nz for a dialup setting, or server name for a LAN setting), or by numeric IP address (e.g. 190.167.250.112). Type the Port number.

Specify if SSL.

Outgoing Mail Server: Port: Type the address of the mail server used to send outgoing mail. It can be specified by name (e.g. smtp.ihug.co.nz for a dialup setting, or server name for a LAN setting), or by numeric IP address (e.g. 190.167.250.112). Type the Port number.

Specify if TLS/STARTTLS

Specify if you need to Use Authentication for outgoing email.

Specify if you need to Allow email setup without account details.

Scheduled Send and Receive screen

(See Scheduling Send and Receive actions (on page 45))

Checking:

Specify how often your Email server must check for new mail (in minutes), and/or specify Preset Times for checking. You can Add Preset Times if necessary.

Leave the fields blank / unchecked if you send and receive manually, by right-clicking the Send/Receive Email button in the main Inbox.

Sending and Receiving:

Specify whether to Send all mail immediately (as you create it), or to Wait for the next Manual or Scheduled connection.

Valid times for Email and SMS messages:

Specify valid hours during which to send and receive Email and SMS messages, as suited to your practice. You can also Add Valid Times.

SMS Messages - Provider screen

(See Configuring SMS Provider (on page 47))

Use this screen to configure the ability to send Email as SMS messaging to a cell phone if required.

SMS Provider: If you use SMS, select Software Of Excellence as the SMS Provider for routing SMS messages.

Practice ID and Practice ID Password: Type these to validate your practice.


Test button: Click this to test the service configuration and to validate how many SMS credits you have. You should see a message:

" Test successful. Your account is configured and you have [n] credit

remaining."

None: Select None if you do not wish to use SMS text message reminders.

Custom option (not always available): Type the appropriate SMS address for a custom provider for routing SMS messages.

SMS Messages - Sending screen

(See Configuring when SMS messages are sent (on page 49))

This screen relates to your phone answering capacity. To avoid a sudden overload of replies to the practice, these fields allow you to stagger the sending times for bulk messages such as contact lists and recalls.

Select Send all SMS when the list is generated if you do not need to stagger the SMS sending.

Select Enable staggered SMS sending to customise the sending (and by implication for reply) intervals.You then have the option to configure and select delivery times.

A message should be sent every [n] minutes: Specify the intervals for sending (and by implication for reply) intervals.

Warn if it will take longer than [n] days to deliver a message: Customise to your practice.

Open Email Attachments Directly screen

(See Configuring Email attachment policy (on page 50))

This is a security setting for email attachments. By default EXACT requires that attachments must be saved and then opened only from the saved location.

However, it is possible to specify that email attachments can be opened directly. This is only advisable if your anti-virus program is capable of scanning emails before they are saved.

If this is the case, you can opt to Open email attachments directly.

Important notes to avoid virus infection of your practice:

If your anti-virus program cannot scan emails before saving, you risk virus infection by selecting this option.

Keep your anti-virus program updated, or it may fail to recognise and deal with new viruses.

Test Connection screen

(See Testing Internet connection, Email Server Setup (on page 51))

This screen has the means to test Internet Connection and Email Server Setup, both of which are required for sending and receiving emails and SMS.


Opening the Email Setup Wizard

To open the Email Setup Wizard

1. Select Configure > Email Parameters...

This displays the Welcome screen:

2. Read requirements specification in the Welcome screen and then click Next >.


Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN

(This is a step in Configuring Email Parameters (on page 39))

Select either Connect via Dialup or Connect via LAN



Configuring Account Details


Practice Email Address: Type the full practice email address. Clients will send Email to this address and this address will appear on your outgoing Email.

User Name: Type the user name used to access the Internet connection.

Password: The password used to access the Internet connection.

Incoming mail Server: Port: Type the address of the mail server used to receive incoming mail. It can be specified by name (e.g. pop3.ihug.co.nz for a dialup setting, or server name for a LAN setting), or by numeric IP address (e.g. 190.167.250.112). Type the Port number.

Specify if SSL.

Outgoing Mail Server: Port: Type the address of the mail server used to send outgoing mail. It can be specified by name (e.g. smtp.ihug.co.nz for a dialup setting, or server name for a LAN setting), or by numeric IP address (e.g. 190.167.250.112). Type the Port number.

Specify if TLS/STARTTLS

Specify if you need to Use Authentication for outgoing email.

Specify if you need to Allow email setup without account details.

Scheduling Send and Receive actions



Checking:

Specify how often your Email server must check for new mail (in minutes), and/or specify Preset Times for checking. You can Add Preset Times if necessary:

Leave the fields blank / unchecked if you send and receive manually, by right-clicking the Send/Receive Email button in the main Inbox.

Sending and Receiving:

Specify whether to Send all mail immediately (as you create it), or to Wait for the next Manual or Scheduled connection.

Valid times for Email and SMS messages:

Specify valid hours during which to send and receive Email and SMS messages, as suited to your practice. You can also Add Valid Times.


Configuring SMS Provider


Use this screen to configure the ability to send Email as SMS messaging to a cell phone if required.

SMS Provider: If you use SMS, select Software Of Excellence as the SMS Provider for routing SMS messages.

Practice ID and Practice ID Password: Type these to validate your practice.

Test button: Click this to test the service configuration and to validate how many SMS credits you have. You should see a message:

" Test successful. Your account is configured and you have [n] credit

remaining." (see below)


None: Select None if you do not wish to use SMS text message reminders.

Custom option (not always available): Type the appropriate SMS address for a custom provider for routing SMS messages


Configuring when SMS messages are sent


This screen relates to your phone answering capacity. To avoid a sudden overload of replies to the practice, these fields allow you to stagger the sending times for bulk messages such as contact lists and recalls.

Select Send all SMS when the list is generated if you do not need to stagger the SMS sending.

Select Enable staggered SMS sending to customise the sending (and by implication for reply) intervals.You then have the option to configure and select delivery times.


For example:

A message should be sent every [n] minutes: Specify the intervals for sending (and by implication for reply) intervals.

Warn if it will take longer than [n] days to deliver a message: Customise to your practice.EXACT calculates how long it will take to send the current list of SMS messages. If it exceeds the number set here, you will be warned so you can adjust the delivery sessions accordingly.

Your currently chosen settings will allow [n] messages to be delivered in [n] days: As you configure the settings above, EXACT calculates the number of messages that can be sent in the 'days' set in the previous field. This enables you to determine if your usual number of recalls can be sent in the time allocated using your settings.

Configuring Email attachment policy


This is a security setting for email attachments. By default EXACT requires that attachments must be saved and then opened only from the saved location.

However, it is possible to specify that email attachments can be opened directly. This is only advisable if your anti-virus program is capable of scanning emails before they are saved.

If this is the case, you can opt to Open email attachments directly.


Important notes to avoid virus infection of your practice:

If your anti-virus program cannot scan emails before saving, you risk virus infection by selecting this option.

Keep your anti-virus program updated, or it may fail to recognise and deal with new viruses.

Testing Internet connection, Email Server Setup


This screen has the means to test Internet Connection and Email Server Setup, both of which are required for sending and receiving emails and SMS.


Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders

Automatic Appointment Reminders is an option on the Configure menu. It runs a wizard specifically for setting up automatic appointment reminders to patients, and managing their SMS replies.

Screens of setup parameters:

Configuring Automatic Emails (on page 54): Includes New Patient Email, Appointment Email, and Email Signature

Configuring Automatic Reminders and Replies (on page 57):

Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies (on page 59): Includes keywords for confirmation and cancellation, managing keywords for a contact list and freeing up keywords for use.

Opening Automatic Appointment Reminders Wizard

Configure > Automatic Appointment Reminders...


Configuring Automatic Emails

(This is part of the Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders Wizard (see "Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders" on page 53))

New Patient Email

Select a template for automatically sending an email to each new patient.

This is an excellent welcome to the practice and can include useful information such as surgery hours, road map and available parking.

For information on creating these templates please refer to the email templates section.

Appointment Email

Select a template for use when automatically prompting to send an email to each patient as an appointment is booked.

For SMS replies you will need to set up templates with keywords to use for confirming appointments and cancelling / not accepting appointments.

For information on creating these templates please refer to the email templates section.

Selecting a template in this area will automatically send an email to each patient [n] hours (as specified in the Send Appointment Reminders field) prior to a booked appointment for the patient.

If a valid SMS address was entered previously, selecting a template in this area will send the appointment reminders as SMS to a mobile phone, which will enable patients to receive their


reminder as a text message on their phone. If this is not activated, appointment reminders will be sent via email.

Email Signature

Configure an email signature or footer for automatically adding to any email messages that are not created via email template.

To add a signature or footer, click in the entry box, then select the required template file using the List or up/down buttons.

If the email template file does not already exist, you will have to create one. When you create a template, the footer or signature can simply be written into the template.

SEE ALSO: Selecting or creating an Email Template (on page 55)

Selecting or creating an Email Template

Note: The interface and procedure for creating Email templates differs to that for creating SMS templates.

To select an Email template

1. Click in a field to see the selector controls for that field.

2. Either click the Up/Down arrows to scroll through options, or click the List icon to view the Email Templates list:

3. Select a template and click OK.

To create a New Email template


2. Either click the Up/Down arrows to scroll through options, or click the List icon to view the Email Templates list:

3. Select the Plus 1 button to open the Add Email template window:


4. Type a Code and a Description. These will display in the list of templates (as demonstrated above, in Selecting an Email template).

5. Create the body of the email using the available controls. However, wherever you need a Form Field, insert from the Letter Merge Fields list:

Appointment Email example:

Without Merge Fields: With Merge Fields:

Mr. Jones, you have an appt at 08:00 on 12 July 2012.

Please confirm by replying just YES or NO.

Thank you, Helen Radcliffe, Dreamy Teeth.

[patient.title][patient.lastname], you have an appt at [patient.nextappttime] on [patient.nextappdate].

Please confirm by replying just YES or NO.

Thank you, [provider.name], [practice.name].

You can also use category selection to display specific Merge Fields:


Configuring Automatic Reminders and Replies

(This is part of the Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders Wizard (see "Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders" on page 53))

This is an excellent and easy-to-use tool for reducing the number of missed appointments.

These settings enable you to have EXACT automatically generate and send appointment reminders to patients by email SMS or both.

Configuration requirement: To ensure delivery of reminder messages, the settings on the Scheduled Send and Receive section in the Email Setup wizard (see "Scheduling Send and Receive actions" on page 45) must be properly configured. These must be set to either deliver messages immediately, or send and receive times must be entered. If you have delivery set to manual (i.e., Wait for next manual or scheduled connection), reminder messages may not be delivered as expected.

Message Type:

When your practice is set up to use both email and SMS, each of the three reminder messages has the two options, chosen by clicking on the Type drop-down. The Delivery Time is then used to set how many weeks, days, or hours in advance of the appointment each reminder is to be sent.

The Email and SMS settings are independent for each, so you could, for example, send a reminder email two weeks before the appointment, then follow it up with an SMS message a few days prior to the appointment time, and a second SMS a few hours beforehand.

Configure up to three messages, as indicated above.

Select or create a template:

Click in the Template field and use the List or button to select a template.


If you select Email in the Type drop-down, the List button will show email templates, and if you select SMS in the Type drop-down, only SMS templates will be listed.

To create a template

If the template you require does not exist, you can create it via the button in the View Email Templates or View SMS Templates window displayed. This in turn will display the Add Email Template window, or Add SMS Template window.


Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies

Keywords are critical to the function of the SMS Replies feature, as they are used to match a reply with the appropriate contact list or automatic appointment reminder.

EXACT can recognise multiple codes as a valid client reply. For example, you could configure EXACT to recognise all of these options as valid for a Confirmation SMS: YES, YIP, Y, YEAH, YAH, OK.

There are some Guidelines for using keywords (on page 63).

To open the Keyword Settings

The Keyword Settings button becomes active when you select a new or existing template:

Click the button to maintain keywords (see "Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies" on page 59) for that particular automatic appointment reminder, and the appropriate template is displayed with keyword management options, as in the example below:

For information on creating these templates please refer to the SMS Templates section.

Confirmation Keywords

To use Confirmation Keywords

1. Click the List button (or press the key) to access the Manage Keywords dialog:


2. Use the two buttons at the lower right of the entry pane to add keywords and remove keywords from the Contact List.

3. To create a New keyword, click the button to display the Add Keyword dialog:

4. Click in the entry field, and start typing the new keyword; EXACT will immediately start evaluating what you

type. It will compare it to existing keywords and keyword validation rules - as you type, a message is displayed, according to validity

Keyword is valid:

...or otherwise (for example A keyword cannot be blank):

Message examples:

A Keyword cannot be blank

This is displayed (and the button is inactive) until some valid characters are typed in. You have already added that keyword; keywords are case-insensitive


There is already another active contact list or appointment reminder list using that word. Also, when comparing keywords, EXACT treats upper- and lower-case letters as equivalent. You can change the keyword (if it is less than 25 characters) by adding more letters or numbers to it to make it unique. Alternatively, if the existing keyword is no longer required in the contact or reminder list that uses it, delete it from there, or mark the other list as inactive. A Keyword can’t contain spaces Remove any spaces in the keyword. A Keyword can only contain letters and numbers You have typed in a non-alphanumeric character; delete it or substitute another character.

5. Once you have typed a valid keyword, click the button to add it to the list.

6. Repeat the above steps to add more words, then click again to return to the Appointment Reminder Reply dialog. The Keywords field will now show the changes you have made to the list of keywords.

7. Click in the checkbox next to any of the options you wish to apply:

Display in Manage Replies list This will cause any SMS reply with a valid keyword to be added to the Manage Replies list for viewing (in addition to the auto-confirmation in the Appointment Book).

We do not recommend that you use this option, except for testing or monitoring purposes, as it will create extra work for you.

Note that per user you can tick the Show Completed checkbox in the above screen to achieve the same display.


Show as confirmed in the Appointment Book A received keyword will automatically confirm the patients appointment by showing the handset icon in the appointment.

Send patient automatic confirmation of receipt An SMS reply will be sent to the patient acknowledging receipt of their SMS. To do this, you will have to click

in the Template field, and Use the button to select an existing template set up for this purpose, or create one.

NOTE: These additional SMSes that incur the standard SMS charges.

To select a Template for the SMS:

Cancellation Keywords

To use Cancellation keywords

The process for this is the same as for Confirmation Keywords above.

When the patient replies with a cancellation keyword that matches the reminder SMS template (for example "No"), EXACT automatically removes that appointment from the Appointment Book and it won't be visible under the SMS Replies Tab unless you check the Show completed checkbox.


All cancellations are listed in the Cancels Tab:

(Recommended: enable this tab for the Appointment Book (see "Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab" on page 10))

If you choose to automatically cancel the appointment in the appointment book, you can also select a Cancellation Reason to be attached to this:

Or you can Add a New Cancellation reason:

Tip: You may also wish to set up cancellation keywords to be automatically added to the Manage Recalls list so that you can follow up with the patient to make an alternative appointment.

Guidelines for using Keywords

Guidelines for keywords:

The keywords used must be unique to that list or reminder; they must not appear on any other active list.

Keywords cannot occur in a keyword list more than once.


EXACT automatically cross-checks to ensure that when you create a new keyword or edit a keyword it is not already in use elsewhere.

EXACT has facilities for editing or removing redundant keywords (see "Freeing Up Keywords" on page 65).

Keywords should reflect the word, text or number the practice requires the patient to return in the SMS reply.

Provide Keyword options for confirming an appointment or cancelling/not accepting.

Each keyword can have up to 25 alphanumeric characters.

Keywords cannot contain spaces (trailing and preceding spaces are trimmed in the 'Add Keywords' dialog and so are disregarded).

The total length of all the keywords in a list cannot exceed 250 characters.

Managing Keywords for a Contact List

To manage keywords for a Contact List

When you have ensured EXACT is configured as in the previous sections, you can manage the keywords as follows:

1. Select 'Manage Contact Lists' from the 'Administration menu.

2. Highlight the contact list you wish to set up SMS Replies keywords for, and click the button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

3. The "Information About Contact List" dialog will open, like the following example:

4. In the 'Keywords' field, click on the 'List' button (or press the key) to access the 'Manage Keywords' dialog:


5. The two buttons at the lower right of the entry pane are used to add keywords and remove keywords

from the Contact List. Click the button to add a new keyword, and the 'Add Keyword' dialog is displayed:

6. Click in the entry field, and start typing the new keyword; EXACT will immediately start evaluating what you

type. It will compare it to existing keywords and keyword validation rules - as you type, a message is displayed, according to validity ('Keyword is valid') or otherwise: 'A Keyword cannot be blank'

This is displayed (and the button is inactive) until some valid characters are typed in. 'You have already added that keyword; keywords are case-insensitive' There is already another active contact list or appointment reminder list using that word. Also, when comparing keywords, EXACT treats upper- and lower-case letters as equivalent. You can change the keyword (if it is less than 25 characters) by adding more letters or numbers to it to make it unique. Alternatively, if the existing keyword is no longer required in the contact or reminder list that uses it, delete it from there, or mark the other list as inactive. 'A Keyword can't contain spaces' Remove any spaces in the keyword. 'A Keyword can only contain letters and numbers' You have typed in a non-alphanumeric character; delete it or substitute another character.

7. Once you have typed a valid keyword, click the button to add it to the list.

8. Repeat steps 5 to 7 above to add more words, then click again to return to the "Information About Contact List" dialog. The Keywords field will now show the changes you have made to the list of keywords.

Freeing Up Keywords

To free up keywords for use elsewere

If you wish to use a keyword for a contact list, but it is already in use elsewhere, you can either

Delete the word from the original list, provided the list is either no longer active or not yet in use. Flag the original list as completed, which makes the keywords in that list redundant.

Modify your intended keyword slightly (e.g., change the spelling, add letters or numbers to make it unique); for example, change CONFIRM to CONFIRM2.

Selecting or creating an SMS template

Note: The interface and procedure for creating Email templates differs to that for creating SMS templates.

To select an SMS template


2. Either click the Up/Down arrows to scroll through options, or click the List icon to view the SMS Templates list, from which you can select a template:


3. Assign Keywords

(This step is explained in the Keywords for SMS Replies (see "Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies" on page 59) section, which includes Guidelines for using keywords (on page 63), Managing Keywords for a Contact List (on page 64), and Freeing Up Keywords (on page 65).)

4. Click OK.

To assign Keywords

Keywords are critical to the function of the SMS Replies feature, as they are used to match a reply with the appropriate contact list or automatic appointment reminder. Users need to keep to the .

This step is explained in the Keywords for SMS Replies (see "Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies" on page 59) section, which includes Guidelines for using keywords (on page 63), Managing Keywords for a Contact List (on page 64), and Freeing Up Keywords (on page 65).

To create a New SMS Template


2. Either click the Up/Down arrows to scroll through options, or click the List icon to view the SMS Templates list:

3. Select the button to open the Add SMS Template window:


4. Type a Code and a Description. These will display in the list of templates (as demonstrated above, in selecting

an SMS template).

5. Optionally specify as a Flash SMS, if it is not already ticked by default for the SMS Template (if one is used). Alternatively, if the template is for a Flash message, you can untick the checkbox to send it as an ordinary SMS.

What is Flash SMS? On some cellphones a Flash message will appear on the screen immediately upon arrival, without the need to press any buttons on the phone. This is a useful alternative to normal SMS to catch the recipient's attention, and the recipient still has the option of saving the Flash SMS to their Inbox. (Note: Do not delete the "FLASH" text inserted at the beginning of the message - this tells the SMS provider to send this as a Flash message)

6. Use the Truncate To field in combination with the Approximate Length of the SMS message, as ex[plained below.

7. Create the body of the SMS using plain text and Form Fields, and monitoring the Approximate length display (below).

SMS character length, charging, truncating:

As you type text and insert Form Fields, the line under the message box will display the approximate character count, and how many 153-character SMS messages this represents, which will be charged against your SMS account credit. This count will not be accurate if any merge fields are present, so you will have to estimate how long each merge field is likely to be, based on what it represents.

If you wish to limit this, you can either delete text and/or merge fields (such as the patient's name, or other details) to shorten the message, or click in the Truncate To field and select the maximum length of the message, in message unit multiples (1 to 9) of approximately 160 character length (1 SMS) or 153 characters for longer messages.

Using Form Fields:

Wherever you need a Form Field, insert from the Letter Merge Fields list as displayed in the image above.

SMS Appointment Reminder example:

Without Merge Fields: With Merge Fields:


Mr. Jones, you have an appt at 08:00 on 12 July 2012. Please confirm by replying just YES or NO. Thank you, Helen Radcliffe, Dreamy Teeth.

[patient.title].[patient.lastname], you have an appt at [patient.nextappttime] on [patient.nextappdate]. Please confirm by replying just YES or NO. Thank you, [provider.name], [practice.name].

You can also use category selection to display specific Merge Fields:


Index B

Benefits of SMS Replies • 6, 7

C

Checklist

Configure SMS Replies • 6, 8, 37

Configuring Account Details • 37, 40, 44

Configuring Automatic Appointment Reminders • 6, 8,

37, 38, 52, 53, 56

Configuring Automatic Emails • 38, 52, 53

Configuring Automatic Reminders and Replies • 38,

52, 56

Configuring Email attachment policy • 38, 41, 49

Configuring Email Parameters • 6, 8, 37, 39, 43, 44, 46,

48, 49, 50

Configuring Keywords for SMS Replies • 6, 8, 37, 38,

52, 58, 65

Configuring SMS Provider • 38, 40, 46

Configuring SMS Replies • 37

Configuring when SMS messages are sent • 38, 41, 48

Contact Multiple Patients Window • 31, 35

Contacting MULTIPLE patients by SMS • 6, 28, 31

Contacting SINGLE patients by SMS • 6, 28, 31

D

Displaying SMS Replies Tab and Cancels Tab • 7, 8, 9,

10, 15, 62

F

Features of SMS Replies • 6, 7

Freeing Up Keywords • 39, 63, 64, 65

G

Guidelines for using Keywords • 38, 58, 62, 65

M

Managing Keywords for a Contact List • 39, 63, 65

Managing SMS Reply for Contact Lists • 6, 10, 15, 18,

20, 27

Manually contacting Patients by SMS • 6, 10, 28

Marking SMS Replies as complete • 12

Monitoring and Matching SMS Replies • 6, 15

Monitoring status icons in Appointment Book • 8, 11

N

Note these points for SMS Replies : • 6, 10

O

Opening Automatic Appointment Reminders Wizard •

52

Opening the Email Setup Wizard • 42

Overview of SMS Replies • 7

P

Purpose of SMS Replies • 6, 7

R

Requirements for SMS Replies • 6, 7, 8

S

Scheduling Send and Receive actions • 37, 40, 44, 56

Selecting or creating an Email Template • 38, 54

Selecting or creating an SMS template • 64

SMS Replies • 15

SMS REPLIES • 6

SMS Replies are listed in Patient Contacts Tab • 11

SMS Reply Appointment CANCELLATIONS • 6, 10,

15, 18, 20, 24

SMS Reply Appointment CONFIRMATIONS • 6, 10,

15, 18, 20, 21

Specifying Internet connection via Dialup or LAN • 37,

40, 43

T

Testing Internet connection, Email Server Setup • 38,

41, 50

The importance of Keywords in SMS Replies • 13

The Manage SMS Replies screen • 6, 9, 15, 18, 22, 25

The SMS Replies Tab in the Appointment Book • 6, 9,

11, 15, 18, 22, 25

TYPOGRAPHICAL CONVENTIONS • 5

U

Using the SMS Replies facility • 6, 9

W

When SMS Replies require user intervention • 6, 15, 20

user's guide sms replies - help.soeidental.comhelp.soeidental.com/10.16/pdfs/smsreplies.pdf ·...

Documents