Creating Your First Booking Calendar

Follow these steps to set up a booking calendar in Dental Marketing Tool so patients can schedule appointments directly from your website or a shared link, without a phone call.

Before You Start

If you have not done so yet, take a few minutes to review the Calendars Overview so you understand how calendars, appointment types, and availability settings work together. You will also want your office hours handy, because you will set them during this process.

Step 1: Open the Calendars Section

1. Log in to your dashboard and click Calendars in the left-hand menu.
2. Click the + New Calendar button near the top right of the screen.
3. Select Simple Calendar when prompted to choose a calendar type. (Simple is right for most practices booking one provider. If you need multiple providers sharing a schedule, see Team and Round-Robin Calendars.)

Step 2: Name Your Calendar and Set Basic Details

1. Enter a Calendar Name. Patients will see this name on the booking page, so keep it clear and professional. For example: New Patient Exam or Schedule an Appointment.
2. Add a short Description if you like. A sentence or two helps patients know what to expect when they arrive.
3. Choose which team member or provider will own this calendar under the Assigned To field. Appointments booked here will appear on that person's schedule.

Step 3: Set Your Availability

1. Scroll to the Availability section. Toggle on each day your practice accepts appointments for this calendar.
2. Set the Start Time and End Time for each active day. Leave a buffer before closing if your last slot needs a gap before end of day.
3. Set the Slot Duration to match how long this appointment type takes, for example 60 minutes for a new patient exam.
4. Use the Minimum Scheduling Notice field to prevent last-minute bookings. Entering 24 hours means patients cannot book anything sooner than a day out.
5. Set a Date Range or rolling window (for example, allow bookings up to 60 days in advance) so your schedule does not open further than you want.

You can always fine-tune these settings later. See Setting Your Office Hours and Availability for a deeper look at each option.

Step 4: Configure Appointment Reminders

1. Scroll to the Notifications and Reminders section.
2. Toggle on any automated reminders you want patients to receive. Most practices send a confirmation text right away, a reminder 48 hours before, and another one the morning of the appointment.
3. Review the default message text and edit it to match your practice's tone and include any arrival instructions (where to park, what to bring, etc.).

Automated reminders are one of the most effective ways to cut no-shows. You can customize them further at any time from the Automated Appointment Reminders page.

Step 5: Save and Test Your Calendar

1. Click Save at the bottom of the page. Your calendar is now live.
2. Click the Booking Link that appears after saving to open your calendar in a new browser tab exactly as a patient would see it.
3. Pick a test time slot and walk through the booking form to confirm everything looks and works the way you expect.
4. Check that a confirmation message appears at the end and that any reminder texts or emails are triggered correctly.

Next Steps

Now that your calendar is ready, you will want to share it with patients. Head over to Sharing Your Booking Link and Website Widget to learn how to add the booking form to your website and copy a direct link you can text or email to patients. You may also want to review Setting Up Appointment Types and Durations if your practice offers more than one type of visit and you would like patients to choose when they book.