Key takeaways
Show accurate, recurring, and near-term appointment availability to new and existing patients who are searching for care.
If patients can’t find an open slot, they’ll likely book elsewhere.
Calendar accuracy prevents reschedules, cancellations, and negative patient experiences.
Keeping your Zocdoc Calendar up-to-date ensures patients can confidently book appointments that your practice can honor. And since nearly half of appointments booked on Zocdoc take place within 72 hours, it's a good idea to show as much near-term availability as possible. Otherwise, you're missing out.
Important tips:
Show accurate, recurring, and near-term appointment availability to new and existing patients who are searching for care.
Use our free Calendar Integration to connect your scheduling software and automatically keep your availability up-to-date. Learn how to set up a Calendar Integration.
If an integration isn’t available for your scheduling software, follow the guidelines below to maintain accurate availability in your Zocdoc Calendar.
Zocdoc Calendar guidelines
Showing accurate availability builds trust—patients expect the appointment slots they see to be real. Rescheduling appointments damages patient perception and can lead to negative reviews.
Investing a few minutes each day ensures a smoother patient experience and maximizes your practice’s efficiency. If you’re not the one managing your Zocdoc Calendar, share these guidelines with your staff.
Many successful practices have their Zocdoc Calendar and EHR open at the same time, so they can make changes in both places quickly.
In the morning
Spend 10 minutes reviewing provider availability, focusing on the next two weeks because most patients on Zocdoc are looking for near-term appointments.
Set working hours as recurring availability (e.g., 9 AM–5 PM, Monday–Friday) and block off busy times as needed. You can also set an end date for recurring availability to encourage patients to book more near-term appointments.
To avoid rescheduling patients or double bookings, add busy blocks to your Zocdoc Calendar when providers are not available because they have other appointments (including appointments from your EHR) or time off.
Check the Zocdoc Inbox to make sure any new appointments that were booked overnight are added to your EHR. (All relevant patient information can be found in the appointment card on Inbox.)
Throughout the day
If an appointment is booked outside of Zocdoc (for example, over the phone), immediately add a busy block in your Zocdoc Calendar.
At the end of the day
Spend 10 minutes ensuring your availability is updated in Zocdoc before you leave, as you may receive bookings overnight when the office is closed.