As admin, one of your key responsibilities is to help ensure our practitioners’ days run smoothly and efficiently. This means actively managing their diaries to allow time for:
Writing session notes
Making follow-up calls
Completing new client documentation
Handling any other clinical admin tasks
Blocking Admin Time
If a practitioner has a particularly busy week, you may need to block out specific times in their calendar to give them a chance to catch up on admin tasks. You can do this directly in Cliniko by creating a non-bookable appointment slot and labelling it accordingly (e.g. “Notes/Admin Time”).
Communicating with Practitioners
Use Slack to communicate with practitioners throughout the day. You can:
Leave reminders or messages (individually or in team threads)
Set personal or shared reminders for follow-ups
Quickly notify the team of any schedule changes or cancellations
Because Slack is open on the main reception computer, it’s easy to respond quickly and keep communication flowing.
Managing Gaps and Replacements
If a client cancels or reschedules, and a gap opens in a practitioner's diary, check with them to see if there’s another task they’d like to prioritise. You can then replace the cancelled session with a placeholder for that task.
Appointment Notes and Reminders
Cliniko allows you to leave short appointment notes. These are helpful for:
Notifying the practitioner of anything important before a session
Leaving reminders about follow-up tasks
Highlighting birthdays or special client requests
Always aim to support the team by thinking ahead and managing the diary proactively!
🔁 Daily Waitlist Review System
At the start of each day, check the waitlist to see if any clients are marked as “high priority” or have preferred days/times.
Compare their preferences with:
Gaps in the schedul
New cancellations
Potential class spots for clients open to group sessions.
Message clients directly or give them a quick call if something opens up that suits.
TIP: You can tag clients in the waitlist notes with “urgent,” “wants after school,” etc., to make it easier to match availability quickly.
🕐 Use Admin Time Flexibly
If you've blocked admin time but an urgent waitlist client needs a slot, check with the EP first. Admin time is flexible, especially for high-priority or new clients.
Use Slack to quickly confirm with the practitioner whether the slot can be converted to a client session.
📝 Appointment Notes = Communication Gold
Add appointment notes in Cliniko to flag things like:
"Client prefers morning only"
"Has been on waitlist since last month"
"Looking to move to weekly"
This helps any admin person see at a glance how flexible the client is and whether they can be slotted in.
✅ Weekly 'No Future Appointment' Report
Run a weekly report (usually Fridays) for clients with no future bookings.
Cross-reference this list with the waitlist—some of these people may be ready for more appointments and just haven’t rebooked yet.
📞 Quick Call-Back System
Create a shortlist of 5–10 ready-to-go waitlist clients and have their info handy for quick calling if:
Someone cancels on the day
A class has a late dropout
A practitioner has admin time that could be opened up
📅 Offer Back-to-Back or Paired Appointments
If a client needs multiple family members seen (e.g. parent and child), flag this in Cliniko and/or waitlist notes.
Look for two adjoining sessions and book them in together, reducing travel/time burden for the client and maximising session use.
✉️ Asana
Add a repeating Asana task to review the waitlist mid-week and before public holidays when gaps are more common.