This article will take you through the whole process of setting up Video Consultations.
In This Article
Create a Video Consultation Category
We recommend creating a dedicated Video Consultation service category to assign your services and offer video consultations online.
First, go to Manager > Categories > Service Categories, then create a dedicated Service Category.
Create a Video Consultation Service
Next, go to Manager > Services > Add, and add your new Video Consultation service.
Give it a name, such as "Hair Video Consultation" or "Facial Video Consultation," and assign it to your new "Video Consultations" Category.
Set the Price and Duration, then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click the Online Video Consultations toggle switch to Yes.
If you are editing an existing service and have multiple locations in Phorest, please note that you can only enable this setting for all locations or none. You can enable this setting under Manager > Chain Library > Services Library.
Next, go to the Online & App section and add information about the video consultation service, such as how long it takes and what it entails. Then, ensure the service is available online.
Qualify Staff to Provide Video Consultations
Click into a staff profile and go to their Services tab.
If your new Video Consultations category is not on the list, scroll down and click Add Category. From the pop-up window, tick the Video Consultations checkbox.
Next, click into the category, ensure the relevant video services are enabled, and then click Save.
Adding the Staff Member's Video Consultation Link
Head back to the staff member's General tab. From there, click the Video Calls tab at the bottom of the screen.
This is where you will include a unique Video Consultation link for each staff member.
You can copy and paste your meeting ID from Zoom, Google Meet, or other video conferencing services here.
To keep things secure and compliant, each staff member providing Video Consultations should use their own unique meeting ID or link. Please make sure to select and use a video provider that complies with the regulations in your area (such as HIPAA, GDPR, DHA, etc.). It’s a good idea to review the provider’s privacy and security settings, as well as their terms and pricing plans.
To finish, click Save.
Video Consultation Notifications
There are two ways for your clients to receive the Video Consultation meeting link: through an SMS reminder or email.
1. SMS Reminder & Video Link
The Video Consultations SMS will go out to your clients 1-2 hours before their appointment and will only send for services marked as Online Video Consultations. The SMS will include the meeting ID for the specific staff member.
The SMS will be sent to clients who booked either online or in-house.
By default, this SMS is disabled and must be turned on.
To activate the Video Consultations SMS, go to Manager > Settings > Online > Video Consultations, and set the toggle to Yes to send Video Consultation links via SMS.
While you can Preview the SMS, you cannot edit the message at this time.
When you're done, click Save.
2. Online Booking Confirmation Email & Video Link (Online Bookings Only)
If a client books a Video Consultation online, they will receive a booking confirmation email similar to any other service, but this time with the staff member's meeting ID.
Clients who book in-house will not receive this email.
The email will contain a message similar to the following:
"To attend your Video Consultation appointment, you must click this link 5 minutes before your appointment. Please ensure you are in a quiet space with your device sufficiently charged before joining."
This should help in two cases:
- The client doesn't receive the SMS (wrong number, etc.)
- An appointment is booked less than two hours in advance - we won't have time to send the automated SMS in that case, but the client will receive the link in their Booking Confirmation.
Host a Video Consultation
To host your Video Consultation, log in to your video conferencing account (such as Zoom or Google Meet) and start the session.