The official weblog of ClickBook.net. ClickBook streamlines the process of appointment scheduling for small business, schools and other organisations. For technical updates please visit the Technical Blog.

Duplicated Client Files can now be Merged

Mark Demicoli  15 February 2011 09:43:53 PM
Client Files can often become duplicated due to a number of reasons:
  • Accidental creation of duplicate files
  • Clients registering more than once with different email addresses
  • Clients using slightly different names when making a booking

This situation can create an administrative headache, since bookings, notes and details for the same person can appear separately in multiple files, making it difficult to view an accurate history and do proper accounting.

If you've logged in today, you may have noticed tickboxes next to Client File entries in the Clients panel.  ClickBook will now allow you to merge Client Files (2 or more) into a single file, combining all bookings and notes, and using the most up-to-date details from the set of duplicate files.

To use this feature, simply select the Client Files which are duplicated and click on the Merge Clients link in the drop-down which will appear automatically.

The screen will display two new options "Test Run" and "Merge Now".  The Test Run is useful for you to understand and gain confidence in the feature.  By clicking Test Run first, ClickBook will show you exactly what it will do with the selected files, without actually changing anything.  Once you're happy with this, you can click Merge Now to actually do the merge.

This new feature will in future be extended to perform merges automatically based on certain rules, which you'll be able to set.
Comments

1Eugene  06/10/11 3:34:07 AM  Professional review and rank of top10

Professional review and rank of top ten appointment schedulers:

{ Link }

2Robin Shope  29/03/11 6:44:22 AM  Client merge.

Files seem to be merging but not always deleting the duplicate file. Can you give me some insight as to why this is the case?

3Scott Deslippe  12/03/11 9:57:48 AM  Untitled

How about replying to my support email?!

4Exie Buehler  26/02/11 1:06:47 PM  Merge Feature a Dream Come True!

Mark,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I just finished merging all my duplicate files & am sooo happy to have it done!

Thank you so much for continuing to strive for excellence with this system.

5Erin Avelle  18/02/11 3:15:43 AM  Untitled

Thanks for the update! I do agree with Mathew Grubb: the next thing Click Book needs is an easy visual daily/weekly view screen that shows both booked appointments as well as time available in colored blocks. It is highly inconvenient to be "doing the math" every time I schedule a client. Your program caters to service providers and I assume a high percentage of body workers. People who work with their hands are often very "spacial oriented" and a visual calendar will likely increase the number of users significantly.

Thanks

6Miro Hodza  16/02/11 1:58:17 PM  This is just awesome

I was just pondering this very feature for a future suggestion but voila.You guys are just excellent. BTW I love the new interface.

Miro

7Ann Scarborough  16/02/11 8:05:15 AM  Merging of Client Files

This is a great improvement! Thank you for making this so easy to do. My next request is that you make it possible for a single email address to be used my two or more people. I have a parent who makes appointments for her daughter, and they share one email address.

8Rachel Ah Kit  16/02/11 7:05:55 AM  Yay! That was easy!

Thank you! And the Test merge is excellent - being able to check the details before merging is brilliant.

Well done.

Rach

9Thomas Kerr  16/02/11 6:20:53 AM  Wonderful

Fantastic! This was one feature that I'd been waiting for -- it will make things so much more streamlined!

10Stacey T  16/02/11 5:19:58 AM  This is great

Awesome, this is the one thing that I was really waiting for.

11Matthew Grubb  16/02/11 4:59:08 AM  cudos and request for improvement

Thank you for anticipating problems which regularly occur in real world use of your software. My remaining struggle with your software is no ability to EASILY view a daily schedule.

If I have someone scheduled at 9am for 45minutes and then the next one scheduled at 1:15pm for 1 1/2 hours and a 3rd scheduled at 1:30pm for 1 hour, I have to sit and figure mathematically how much time I have between appointments. If visually I could see time blocks on a scale that I put, i.e. 5 minutes or 15 minutes, for the entire day, I would have a smoother transaction with a client.

12Marybeth Smith MM GCFP  16/02/11 2:16:45 AM  File Merging

Thank you SO MUCH for adding this feature. It will help me a lot. Excellent development!