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Troubleshooting your availability

If your availability isn’t appearing for online appointment requests as expected, use the checklist below to review the most common causes.

In this guide, we'll cover:

Note: To learn more about managing your availability, see Setting up availability for the first time and Managing your availability blocks.


Reviewing your availability blocks

Make sure that the availability blocks you've created have Allow online appointment requests selected.

Availability block settings showing Allow online appointment requests selected


Checking for conflicting appointments

Review your calendar to make sure that you don’t have any conflicting appointments or events that block times from appearing as available. 

Note: An All day event, which will block out availability for the entire day, will appear at the top of the calendar. 

Calendar showing an all day event that blocks availability


Confirming daily appointment limits

Check your daily appointment limits on your Availability schedule. Availability won’t display for online appointment requests on days that have the maximum number of appointments scheduled or requested.

For more information, see How can I limit the number of appointment requests I receive each day?

Availability schedule showing daily appointment limit settings


Verifying your online appointment requests settings

Double check your online appointment requests settings at Settings > Scheduling and inquiries > Client portal permissions. Make sure that your appointment slots work within the parameters that you’ve set up, including when clients can request appointments and if new clients can request appointments

Client portal permissions showing online appointment request settings


Checking your Accepting new clients status

If your availability isn’t appearing for new clients, make sure your Accepting new clients status is toggled on in the Inquiries page. This setting determines whether new clients can view available appointment times on the Client Portal or Professional Website, Therapy Finder, and in-network referrals from health plans.

yes.simplepractice.inquiries.png

To manage this, see How do I manage my Accepting new clients status?


Reviewing your services

Check under Other appointment requests to see the services offered in the availability. A service must be selected in an availability block to appear available to clients

Availability block showing selected services under Other appointment requests


Confirming time blocked off before and after appointments

Navigate to Settings > Services and products > Services and review the time you’ve added as a buffer before and/or after each service. 

Services settings showing buffer time fields around Default Duration

Keep in mind that this buffer time is added to a service's duration, and that the total service duration (the Default Duration plus any time you've added as a buffer) must fit within an availability block to appear for online appointment requests.


Checking your clinician’s blocks

Make sure that you have separate availability blocks set up for each clinician in your group practice. Each block is designated for 1 clinician.


Using longer availability blocks

Instead of having multiple, shorter availability blocks, consider creating one full-day block. A longer block for your entire workday will allow for more seamless booking.