> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fentufsm.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Appointments

> Schedule and manage customer appointments for service visits

## Overview

Appointments in Fentu FSM provide a lightweight scheduling layer for managing confirmed customer visit slots. While work orders and tasks represent the work to be done, appointments track the specific date, time, and location that has been agreed upon with the customer — giving dispatchers and customers a shared reference point for upcoming service visits.

<Note>
  Appointments link directly to service requests and work orders. Creating an appointment does not replace scheduling tasks on the dispatcher — it records the customer-facing commitment so everyone knows when to expect a technician.
</Note>

## When to Use Appointments

Use appointments when you need to:

* Confirm a specific visit slot with a customer
* Give customers a reference date and time they can rely on
* Track upcoming visits across all service requests
* Distinguish between "work is planned" and "visit is confirmed with customer"
* Send appointment confirmations or reminders to customers
* Report on scheduled visit volumes by branch or technician

***

## Appointments List View

### Key Features

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Confirmed Slot Visibility" icon="calendar-check">
    See all upcoming confirmed appointments in one view, sorted by date. Quickly identify which visits are happening today, this week, or next week.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Customer and Case Linkage" icon="link">
    Every appointment links to a customer and a service request (Case), giving full context without leaving the list view.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Status Tracking" icon="circle-check">
    Track each appointment through its lifecycle: Scheduled, Confirmed, Completed, Cancelled, or No Show.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Technician Assignment" icon="user-gear">
    See which technician is assigned to each appointment at a glance and filter by resource to plan daily routes.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### List Columns

| Column         | Description                                                       |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**       | Appointment reference (e.g., "APT-0042 — Cooling System Service") |
| **Customer**   | Customer name. Click to open the customer record                  |
| **Location**   | Service address where the technician will visit                   |
| **Case**       | Linked service request. Click to view full case details           |
| **Technician** | Assigned technician or team                                       |
| **Date**       | Scheduled date of the appointment                                 |
| **Time From**  | Appointment start time (as communicated to the customer)          |
| **Time To**    | Appointment end time                                              |
| **Status**     | Scheduled, Confirmed, Completed, Cancelled, No Show               |
| **Actions**    | View, edit, cancel, or send confirmation to customer              |

### List Features

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Date Range Filter" icon="calendar">
    Filter appointments by date range to focus on a specific period — today, this week, or a custom range. Helps dispatchers manage their daily view without clutter.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Branch Filter" icon="building">
    Narrow appointments to a specific branch location. Useful for branch managers reviewing their own team's upcoming visits.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Status Filter" icon="filter">
    Show only appointments with a specific status — for example, filter to "Scheduled" to see visits that have not yet been confirmed with the customer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Search" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Search by customer name, location, appointment name, or technician to find a specific appointment quickly.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Creating an Appointment

Appointments can be created directly from the Appointments list or from within a service request.

### From the Appointments List

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Appointments">
    Go to **Service Apps → Appointments** and click **New**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the Case">
    Search for and select the service request (Case) this appointment is for. The customer and location will populate automatically
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Date and Time">
    Enter the agreed visit date, start time, and estimated end time
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign a Technician">
    Select the technician or team who will attend
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Notes">
    Add any instructions for the technician or internal notes about the visit
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**. The appointment is created and appears in the list and on the dispatcher calendar
  </Step>
</Steps>

### From a Service Request

1. Open the service request from **Service Management → Service Requests**
2. Scroll to the **Appointments** tab on the case detail view
3. Click **Add Appointment**
4. Fill in date, time, and technician — the Case and Customer are pre-filled
5. Save

<Tip>
  Creating appointments from within the service request automatically links them to the case, saving a step and reducing the chance of linking errors.
</Tip>

***

## Appointment Fields

| Field                 | Description                                                       | Required    |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- |
| **Name**              | Auto-generated reference number, or a custom descriptive name     | Auto        |
| **Case**              | Linked service request. Drives the customer and location          | Yes         |
| **Customer**          | Auto-populated from the linked Case                               | Auto        |
| **Location**          | Service address. Defaults to the Case location, can be overridden | Yes         |
| **Technician**        | Assigned technician or team                                       | Recommended |
| **Date**              | Date of the visit agreed with the customer                        | Yes         |
| **Time From**         | Start of the appointment window                                   | Yes         |
| **Time To**           | End of the appointment window                                     | Yes         |
| **Status**            | Current status of the appointment                                 | Yes         |
| **Customer Notified** | Flag confirming confirmation was sent to the customer             | No          |
| **Notes**             | Internal notes or instructions for the technician                 | No          |
| **Remarks**           | Customer-facing notes (included in confirmation communications)   | No          |

***

## Appointment Statuses

| Status        | Meaning                                                            |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Scheduled** | Visit slot is set but not yet formally confirmed with the customer |
| **Confirmed** | Customer has acknowledged and confirmed the appointment            |
| **Completed** | The visit took place as planned                                    |
| **Cancelled** | Appointment was cancelled by customer or your team                 |
| **No Show**   | Technician attended but customer was not present                   |

<Warning>
  Marking an appointment as **No Show** does not automatically close the linked service request. Follow up manually to reschedule or close the case as appropriate.
</Warning>

***

## Sending Appointment Confirmations

Once an appointment is saved, you can notify the customer:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Appointment">
    Click the appointment from the list view to open its detail view
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Send Confirmation">
    Click the **Send Confirmation** action button
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the Message">
    Preview the confirmation email or SMS that will be sent. It includes the date, time window, technician name, and any customer-facing remarks
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send">
    Click **Send**. The **Customer Notified** flag on the appointment is set automatically
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Info>
  Confirmation message templates are configured in **Administration → Settings → Document Templates**. Contact your administrator to adjust the wording, branding, or included fields.
</Info>

***

## Rescheduling an Appointment

If a customer requests a different time or a technician becomes unavailable:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Appointment">
    Find and open the appointment in the list
  </Step>

  <Step title="Edit Date and Time">
    Update the **Date**, **Time From**, and **Time To** fields to the new agreed slot
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reassign if Needed">
    Change the technician if a different resource will attend
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Save the changes. The appointment record updates and reflects on the dispatcher calendar
  </Step>

  <Step title="Re-notify the Customer">
    Send a new confirmation to the customer using **Send Confirmation** so they have the updated details
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Cancelling an Appointment

To cancel a confirmed appointment:

1. Open the appointment
2. Click **Cancel Appointment** or change **Status** to **Cancelled**
3. Add a cancellation reason in the **Notes** field
4. Save
5. If the underlying service request is still open, return to the Case and create a new appointment for a rescheduled visit

<Note>
  Cancelling an appointment does not cancel the linked service request (Case) or work order. The case remains open and can be rescheduled at any time.
</Note>

***

## Appointments and the Dispatcher

Appointments feed directly into the **Dispatcher** and **Resource Dispatcher** views:

* Confirmed appointments appear as scheduled blocks on the technician's calendar
* Dispatchers can see at a glance which technicians have committed visits
* Dragging an appointment block on the dispatcher timeline updates the **Time From** and **Time To** on the appointment record

<Tip>
  Use the dispatcher to manage task-level scheduling and the Appointments module to manage customer-facing commitments. Together they give you an operational view (what work is happening) and a customer view (what was promised).
</Tip>

***

## Best Practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Set Realistic Time Windows" icon="clock">
    Give customers a window (e.g., 9:00–12:00) rather than an exact time. Windows allow for travel variability and reduce customer frustration when exact times can't be met.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Always Send a Confirmation" icon="envelope">
    Use the Send Confirmation action for every appointment. Customers who receive a confirmation are significantly less likely to result in a No Show.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Create Appointments Early" icon="calendar-plus">
    Schedule appointments as soon as a visit is agreed — don't wait until the day before. Early scheduling prevents double-booking and gives technicians time to prepare.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Keep Notes Updated" icon="file-lines">
    Add site access instructions, parking notes, or customer preferences in the Notes field. Technicians can review these before heading to the job.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Review No Shows Promptly" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    Follow up on No Show appointments the same day. Contact the customer to reschedule and understand the reason. Repeated No Shows may indicate a contact or communication issue.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Link to the Correct Case" icon="link">
    Always link an appointment to its Case. Unlinked appointments break the traceability chain and make reporting inaccurate.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Common Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is an appointment required for every service request?" icon="question">
    No. Appointments are used for planned customer visits. Remote support, phone resolutions, or internal administrative tasks typically don't need a customer appointment record.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can a Case have more than one appointment?" icon="question">
    Yes. A single Case can have multiple appointments — for example, an initial assessment visit and a follow-up repair visit. Each is tracked and confirmed independently.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does creating an appointment automatically assign a technician on the dispatcher?" icon="question">
    No. The appointment records the commitment; the task assignment and dispatcher scheduling are managed separately. Both should reflect the same technician and time slot.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I create an appointment without a linked Case?" icon="question">
    It is not recommended. Without a Case link, the appointment has no customer history, no work order connection, and will not appear in case-level reporting.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I handle back-to-back appointments for the same technician?" icon="question">
    Check the technician's calendar in the Dispatcher or Resource Dispatcher before creating the appointment to confirm they have capacity. Allow travel time between visits.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

***

## Related Documentation

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Service Requests" icon="inbox" href="/service-management/service-requests">
    The Cases that appointments are linked to
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dispatcher" icon="map" href="/service-apps/dispatcher">
    Schedule and visualize technician assignments on the calendar
  </Card>

  <Card title="Resource Dispatcher" icon="users" href="/service-apps/resource-dispatcher">
    Balance workload and manage technician availability
  </Card>

  <Card title="Work Orders" icon="clipboard-list" href="/work-orders/work-orders">
    The work orders generated from service requests
  </Card>
</CardGroup>