📅 Pet Portal Appointment Requests & Direct Booking Guide
Shepherd makes it easy for both new and existing clients to request or book appointments directly through the Pet Portal. Here’s how it works for both clients and your practice team, depending on whether appointment requests or direct booking is enabled.
Scheduling Configuration Options
Shepherd supports 3 different appointment workflows through the Pet Portal:
1. Appointment Request
2. Direct Booking with Appointment Request + Confirmation
3. Direct Booking
Each workflow offers a different experience for your clients and different levels of engagement and control over your calendar from your team.
🐾 CLIENT EXPERIENCE
1. Appointment Request Experience
New Clients
Access the appointment request button on the Pet Portal homepage—no login required.
Enter contact details and click Next.
Existing Clients
Log into the Pet Portal.
Click the appointment request button on their dashboard.
Request Process Steps:
Select pet(s) – Add new pet info if needed.
Reason for visit – Option to specify a preferred provider.
Availability – Choose preferred days and times.
Review summary – Confirm details and add special instructions.
Submit – Confirmation appears in the portal and is sent via email.
2. Direct Booking with Appointment Request + Confirmation
When direct booking with appointment request + confirmation is enabled, this supports a hybrid scheduling approach where clients can view available appointment dates and times, and request a specific appointment slot, but manual confirmation by your team is still required before the appointment is officially scheduled.
New Clients
Access the New Client button on the Pet Portal homepage.
Enter contact details to register as a new client
Existing Clients
Log into the Pet Portal.
Click the appointment request button on their dashboard.
Request Process Steps:
Select pet(s) – Add new pet info if needed.
Reason for visit – Option to specify a preferred provider.
Availability – Choose preferred day and time of shown available options.
Review summary – Confirm details and add special instructions.
Submit – Confirmation appears in the portal and is sent via email.
3. Direct Booking (If Enabled)
When direct booking is enabled:
New or existing clients can schedule an appointment themselves through the Pet Portal.
These appointments appear directly on your Shepherd calendar, marked with a direct booking icon for quick identification.
🏥 PRACTICE WORKFLOW
1. Managing Appointment Requests
Appointment requests appear under Schedule > Requests.
A red dot in the menu alerts you to new submissions or reschedule actions.
Review & Suggest Steps:
Click the dropdown arrow on a request to view details (reason, availability, special notes).
Click Suggest Appointment.
In the calendar view, select an available time slot.
Fill in remaining appointment details (type, optional note).
Click Suggest Appointment again to:
Apply the request to your schedule.
Trigger an email notification to the client.
Suggested appointments appear under Pending Confirmation in Shepherd.
2. Client Follow-Up: Confirm, Reschedule, or Cancel
✔️ Confirmation
Clients select Schedule if the suggested time works.
The appointment is moved to the Scheduled section and marked as "Upcoming."
No further action is needed.
🔁 Reschedule
Clients click Reschedule and suggest alternate availability.
The appointment returns to the Requests tab, and you can suggest a new time.
❌ Cancellation
Clients can cancel the request at any point.
The appointment moves to the Canceled section in Shepherd.
Appointments scheduled by new clients include an indicator badge on the appointment block for easy visibility in your calendar.
Client Communication Templates
Below are examples of the communications sent during various stages of the appointment request process. These templates ensure pet owners receive clear, actionable updates through each step of the scheduling experience.
📨 Appointment Request Received
Subject: Confirmation – Appointment Request Submission Received
Your appointment request submission for [patient name] has been received. We will review your request shortly. Please monitor incoming communications for further details and any necessary follow-up actions. You can also monitor your request status by logging into your Pet Portal. Click here to log in. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
📅 Appointment Suggested – Confirmation Needed
Subject: Appointment Suggested – Confirmation Required
We have reviewed your appointment request for [patient name], and would like to offer the following appointment: [date] [time] AM/PM. Please confirm your availability for this appointment at your earliest convenience. If the proposed date or time does not work for you, kindly let us know, and we will do our best to accommodate an alternative appointment. You can confirm, request a new appointment scheduling, or cancel your request from your Pet Portal. Click here to log in. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
✅ Appointment Confirmed
Subject: Appointment Scheduled for [Date] at [Time] AM/PM
Thank you for confirming [patient name]'s appointment on [date] at [time] AM/PM. Please ensure that we receive any previous vaccination and medical records before the scheduled appointment. Alternatively, you may present [Patient Name]’s records in person. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
❌ Appointment Request Declined
Subject: Declined – Appointment Request Submission
Your appointment request submission for [patient name] has been declined. If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
🔕 Streamlined Communication
To reduce unnecessary notifications, communications are not sent when appointment requests are deleted within Shepherd.