Appointments · 11 min read · Updated:
What is an online appointment system and how do you set one up for your business?
The phone traffic around bookings can move to your website. We explain which level of system you actually need and how each one is set up in Heyşirket.
In short
- An online appointment system lets customers pick a day and time on your website themselves, and the booking lands in your panel.
- On Heyşirket's free Starter plan you collect booking requests through contact and "call me back" forms; an online booking form with day and time selection is in the Professional plan.
- The appointment management system in the Premium plan includes a calendar with a column per doctor or staff member, services, recurring appointments, a waiting list, patient cards, WhatsApp approval and reminders.
- Confirmation and reminder messages to patients or customers are off by default; once you turn them on they go out via WhatsApp, SMS or email in the order you choose.
- The calendar on your site only shows times when at least one person is working and free, so entering working hours correctly is the most important setup step.
In a business that works by appointment, the phone rings all day. A patient or customer asks for a free slot, you check your diary, then someone cancels and that slot stays empty. An online appointment system moves this traffic to your website: the customer picks a time, the booking lands in your panel and the reminder goes out on its own.
But not every business needs the same system. A consultant with a few bookings a week and a clinic with three doctors don't have to use the same tool. In this article we first separate the levels, then show how each one is set up in Heyşirket, using the actual screen names.
- Customer picks a time — Calendar on your site
- Request lands in panel — Awaiting approval
- You approve — Panel or WhatsApp
- Reminder goes out — Before the visit
Part 1 · Definition What is an online appointment system?
An online appointment system is a setup where customers see free days and times on your website, choose one that suits them, and the choice lands in your calendar as a booking or as a request awaiting approval. The difference from phone booking is that most of the work keeps moving while you're busy.
A good system solves three things together. First, availability: only truly free slots are shown, and two people can't book the same time. Second, approval: you decide whether you approve requests yourself or whether a free slot is confirmed immediately. Third, reminders: a short message before the appointment reduces no-shows.
Part 2 · Levels How much of a booking system does your business need?
Before deciding, ask yourself two questions: how many appointments do you give per day, and how many people give appointments? Based on the answer, you pick one of three levels.
| Level | How it works | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Booking request form | The customer writes their name, phone and request; you call and agree on a time together | A few bookings a week, one person |
| Day and time selection form | The customer picks a day and time within your working hours; the request lands in the panel and you follow up | Regular bookings, one calendar |
| Appointment tracking software | Calendar with staff columns, service durations, approval, recurring bookings, waiting list and reminders | Several doctors or staff, busy calendar |
Part 3 · Plans What's included in each Heyşirket plan?
In Heyşirket, appointments are a module that opens in your company panel depending on your plan. A feature that isn't in your plan appears locked in the menu, so you can see what it does and upgrade when you need it.
| Feature | Starter (free) | Professional | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact and "call me back" forms, email notifications | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Online booking form with day and time selection | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Request management: status, notes, assignment, reminders, board, CSV | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Notifications from your own WhatsApp number, SMS notifications | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Appointment management system: calendar, staff, services, patient cards | — | — | ✓ |
| Recurring appointments, waiting list, summary screen | — | — | ✓ |
| WhatsApp approval, reminders and cancellation link | — | — | ✓ |
Professional costs 699.99 TL/month or 6,999.90 TL/year, Premium 14,999 TL/month or 149,990 TL/year; prices include VAT. For the full differences between plans, see site plans, and for current prices see the Pricing page.
Part 4 · Setup Creating a booking system: step by step on the Professional plan
On the Professional plan, online booking is installed as a feature. Setup takes three steps and rarely more than ten minutes.
Putting the online booking form live
Turn the feature on
In the panel, install Online appointments on the Features › Feature store screen. The setup card shows the remaining steps in order.
Enter your working hours
On the Business profile screen, enter the days and hours you take appointments. Only these days can be selected in the form on your site.
Add the form to a page
On the Design › Homepage screen, add the Online appointments or Map and appointments section and drag it into place.
Answer incoming requests
Booking requests are listed on the Features › Requests and bookings screen with the type "Online appointment". Call the customer and set the status to Booked or Cancelled.
Because request management is in the same plan, you can assign a request to a team member, set a reminder for yourself and follow requests in status columns on the board view. For a suggested daily routine, see managing site requests.
Part 5 · Calendar Appointment tracking software: the Premium calendar
If you have several doctors, therapists or staff, a request list isn't enough; you need to see at a glance who is busy when. The appointment management system in the Premium plan is built for that. It's available on themes with an online booking calendar and shows up in the panel as a separate Appointments menu.
- Calendar: day, week and month views. In day view each staff member is a column. Click an empty slot to open a new booking, drag a card to another time or another person's column.
- Staff and working hours: on the Appointment settings › Staff screen you enter hours including breaks, leave and closed days.
- Services: duration, color and, if needed, buffer time (cleaning, preparation). When a service is selected, the booking's duration fills in automatically.
- Recurring appointments: weekly or every two weeks, by number of sessions or end date. A session that falls on a holiday is skipped and added to the end of the series.
- Waitlist: add people who say "call me if an earlier slot opens"; when a slot frees up, the system suggests who it fits.
- Patient card: on the Patients screen you see contact details, consents, past and upcoming bookings and sent messages. Contact details are stored encrypted.
- Summary: occupancy, no-show and cancellation rates, where bookings come from and bookings per staff member.
A request from the site appears on the calendar as a card with a dashed border; tap it and choose Approve or Reject. Mark someone who didn't come as No-show from the card menu, and the no-show rate on the summary screen updates accordingly. Step-by-step guide in the panel: Help › Appointment tracking.
Part 6 · Rules How do you set online booking rules?
The rules that decide who can book, when and how much through your site's calendar are on the Appointment settings › Online booking screen. Setting them correctly from the start saves you from fixing things by phone later.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Approval | With I approve them the request waits for approval; with Confirm immediately if the time is free a request for a free slot is confirmed directly |
| Minimum notice | Blocks last-minute bookings, e.g. at least 2 hours ahead |
| Maximum days ahead | Sets how far ahead the calendar shows, e.g. 30 days |
| Daily maximum | Limits how many bookings can be made through the site in one day |
| Time step | Offers times on the site in 10, 15, 20, 30 or 60 minute steps |
| Staff selection | The customer can choose a person or say "no preference", and the booking goes to whoever is free |
| Cancellation link | The customer gets a personal link and can cancel up to the time you choose; you get a notification |
When the public holiday calendar on the Appointment settings › General screen is on, holidays are closed in your site's calendar. A staff member without working hours shows no free slots on the site at all; this is the step most often skipped during setup.
Part 7 · WhatsApp How does a WhatsApp appointment system work?
In many businesses, bookings are already arranged on WhatsApp. In Heyşirket, WhatsApp helps in two separate places: approving requests and informing customers.
- WhatsApp approval (Premium): on the Online booking screen you enter your approval number. When a new request comes from the site, a message arrives on that number; just reply "Yes" or "No". Up to three numbers can be added.
- Messages to customers (Premium): on the Appointment settings › Messages screen you turn on confirmations, reminders and, if you like, review requests. You choose the channel order: WhatsApp, SMS, email. A second reminder can be set for bookings made shortly before the appointment.
- Your own number (Professional and up): if you connect your WhatsApp number by QR code, notifications and customer messages go out from your own number.
Part 8 · Checklist Common mistakes with online booking
Check before going live
- Working hours and breaks are entered for every staff member.
- Leave and closed days are marked; the public holiday calendar is on.
- Service durations are realistic; a buffer is set where preparation time is needed.
- The approval method is a conscious choice: do you approve, or is a free slot confirmed immediately?
- The form only asks for what's needed: name, phone, preferred day.
- Reminder messages are on and you've read the template text.
- You've made a test booking from the site and seen it land in the panel.
Can I set up an online appointment system for free?
On Heyşirket's free Starter plan you can add a contact or "call me back" form to your site and collect booking requests; requests are listed in the panel and you get an email notification. The online booking form where customers choose a day and time is in the Professional plan.
What's the difference between appointment tracking software and an online booking form?
An online booking form sends you the day and time the customer chose as a request; you call to confirm. Appointment tracking software manages the whole booking with a staff-column calendar, service durations, approval, recurring appointments, a waiting list and reminders. In Heyşirket the first is in the Professional plan and the second in Premium.
Can I approve bookings over WhatsApp?
Yes, with the appointment management system in the Premium plan. You enter your approval number in the online booking settings; when a new request arrives, a message comes to that number and you approve or reject it by replying Yes or No.
Can customers cancel their own booking?
If messages are on, the confirmation and reminder include a personal link. The customer can cancel through it up to the time you set, and you get a notification.
Can each doctor see only their own calendar?
Yes. You link a staff member to a panel user; a user who isn't an administrator only sees and edits their own column.
Does it work with another booking software I already use?
Connections to some practice and booking software are enabled per site from the Integrations screen of the appointment management system. When connected, that software's bookings appear on the calendar and close the matching free slots on your site. Write to us about the software you use.
Open your appointment calendar Enter your staff and working hours, choose your online booking rules, and let requests from your site land in your calendar. Go to appointments
If you don't have a site yet, start for free; as your booking needs grow, you upgrade your plan from the panel.
Author: Heyşirket Editorial Team