# Confirmation and attendance status

## Why this matters

Confirmation status tells you who intends to come, so the service can chase non-responders and
refill slots before the day. Attendance status records what actually happened, and it is the
source of the DNA (Did Not Attend) figures in Diarybook's reports. Kept accurate, the two together
show whether reminders are reducing non-attendance.

## Two statuses, two questions

Every client in an appointment carries both statuses, and each starts empty. Diarybook's own menus
describe the difference: confirmation is the *prediction of client attendance*; attendance is the
*actual client attendance*.

| | Confirmation status | Attendance status |
|---|---|---|
| The question | Is the client coming? | Did the client come? |
| When it is set | Before the appointment | On the day, or afterwards |
| Usually set by | The client, replying to a reminder; or staff | Staff; or the client at a Self-Check-In terminal |
| Drives | Which reminders are sent; whether the time slot is still taken | Waiting room notifications; DNA reporting; waiting list prompts |
| Reported as | Confirmation chart; **UTA** (Unable To Attend) counts | Attendance chart; **DNA** counts |
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A group appointment holds a separate status for each client in it.

### Confirmation statuses

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| No Status | No response captured. This is not a refusal: the client may never have been reached |
| Confirmed | The client said they will attend |
| Tentative | The answer is unclear: a qualified reply, or one reply covering several appointments on the same day |
| Unable To Attend (UTA) | The client said they cannot attend |
| Cancelled By Client | The client cancelled the appointment |
| Cancelled By User | The service cancelled the appointment |
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Unable To Attend, Cancelled By Client and Cancelled By User free the appointment's time. No
Status, Confirmed and Tentative keep it booked, so they still cause
[time conflicts](/docs/appointments/time-conflicts/).

### Attendance statuses

| Status | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| None | | No attendance status set |
| Is Waiting | In person | The client has arrived and is waiting |
| Is Active | In person | The client is with the service provider |
| Finished | In person | The appointment is over |
| DNA | In person | Did Not Attend: the client did not arrive |
| Was Contacted | Remote | The client was reached for a phone appointment |
| Contact Failed | Remote | Contact was attempted and failed |
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[Attendance and DNA](/docs/appointments/attendance-and-dna/) covers recording attendance in detail,
including the keyboard shortcuts.

### The same status under different names

Different screens use different names for some statuses. They are the same status.

| Status | Appointments Menu and Appointment View | List, calendar and report filters | Reports and Additional Messaging |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tentative | Maybe | Tentative | Tentative |
| Unable To Attend | Unable To Attend | Unable to Attend (UTA) | UTA |
| Is Waiting | Arrived and Waiting | Checked In | |
| Is Active | Active with User | Appointment Active | |
| Finished | Finished | Finished | Completed |
| Was Contacted | Was Contacted | Was Contacted | Contacted |
| DNA | Did Not Attend (DNA) | Did Not Attend (DNA) | DNA / Did Not Attend |
| None / No Status | Clear Status (to reset) | No Status | No Status |
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## How confirmation status is updated

### By the client

| Route | What the client does | Status set |
|---|---|---|
| [SMS reply](/docs/reminders/sms-reminders/) | Replies to a reminder sent from a reply-enabled number | **Confirmed**, **Unable To Attend** or **Tentative**, depending on the keywords in the reply |
| [Voice reminder](/docs/reminders/voice-reminders/) | Follows the call's prompt: presses **1** to confirm or **3** to cancel | Confirmed, or a cancellation. Recorded in the appointment log |
| [DiaryPage](/docs/reminders/diarypage/) | Selects Confirm or Cancel on the page | **Confirmed** or **Unable To Attend** |
{.table}

The reply keywords are managed by Diarybook across the service, not set per account.

<!-- NEEDS CAPTURE: which confirmation status a voice keypad cancellation (press 3) sets -
     Unable To Attend or Cancelled By Client -->

Client cancellations by SMS and DiaryPage are recorded as **Unable To Attend**, never **Cancelled
By Client**. Only staff set Cancelled By Client.

An SMS reply carries no appointment context. If the client has several appointments on the same
day, Diarybook logs the reply against each, marks them all **Tentative** and notes that the
client's intention is unclear.

### By staff

Use one of three places:

- **Appointments List.** Updates every client in each ticked appointment.
- **Appointment View, Confirmation card.** Updates one client. The card appears only for
  appointments from tomorrow onwards.
- **Appointment View, Attendees view.** Updates the ticked attendees, using the **Confirmation
  Status** button.

To change it from the Appointments List:

1. Open the **Appointments** area and select **Appointments List**.
2. Tick each appointment to change.
3. Select **Appointments Menu**, then **Change Confirmation Status**.
4. Select the status. **Clear Status** sets it back to No Status.

Diarybook shows "Confirmation status changed" when it is done.

To change it from the Appointment View:

1. Open the appointment.
2. On the **Confirmation** card, select **Change**.
3. Select the status.

For [synced appointments](/docs/appointments/synced-appointments/), the daily sync never
overwrites a confirmation or attendance status set in Diarybook.

## How attendance status is updated

Staff set attendance in the same three places:

- **Appointments List.** **Appointments Menu** → **Change Attendance Status**, or the keyboard
  shortcuts. Updates every client in each ticked appointment.
- **Appointment View, Attendance card.** Updates one client. The card appears only on the day
  of the appointment.
- **Appointment View, Attendees view.** Updates the ticked attendees, using the **Attendance**
  button.

A client can also set their own status to Is Waiting at a Self-Check-In terminal.

Setting **Finished** can prompt a waiting list update when the appointment type is linked to a
waiting list. See [Appointments and Waiting Lists](/docs/waiting-lists/appointments-and-waiting-lists/).

## Seeing the statuses

- **Appointments List.** Rows are coloured by confirmation status, with a separate highlight for a
  waiting client. The status column shows the attendance status, or the confirmation status if no
  attendance status is set.
- **Filters.** The **Appointments List**, **Appointments Calendar** and **Received** screens each
  have a **Confirmed** filter and an **Attendance** filter.
- **Appointment log.** Status changes made by the client from a reminder are recorded in the
  appointment log.

## How reminders use the statuses

Main reminder schedules (SMS, email, voice and letter) look only at confirmation status:

- **Confirmed appointments are skipped.** Once a client confirms, later reminders stop, unless
  **Include Confirmed Appointments** is selected on the schedule item.
- **Unable To Attend and cancelled appointments are never reminded** by a main schedule.

[Additional Messaging](/docs/reminders/additional-messaging/) items filter by status:

| Item timing | Filters on | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Before the appointment | Confirmation status | Chase only clients with **No Status**; send a message written for clients marked **Unable To Attend** or cancelled, such as how to rebook |
| On the day or after | Attendance status | Follow up a **Did Not Attend**; send a survey after **Completed** |
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An Additional Messaging item that targets one of these statuses is the only way to message an
Unable To Attend or cancelled appointment. After-the-appointment items fire once the appointment's end time has passed, not when
an attendance status is set.

## How user notifications use the statuses

Notifications are set per user in **Settings** → **My Profile** → **Notifications**, and go to
the service provider the client is booked to see. Two notifications relate to these statuses:

| Notification | Triggered by | Delivery options |
|---|---|---|
| Client Waiting | A client's attendance status changing to Is Waiting ("Be notified when a client has checked-in for their appointment") | **SMS Notification**, **Email Notification**, **Popup Notification**, **Mobile App Notification** |
| SMS Replies | A client replying to an SMS from Diarybook, which is how most confirmation status changes arrive | **Email Notification** |
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The popup reads "Client *name* has checked-in and is waiting". It also appears for 24 hours in the
**Notifications** panel under the toolbar bell, where **View appointment** opens the appointment.

There is no notification for a change in confirmation status itself, or for an appointment being
set to Finished. To follow confirmations, use the **Received** screen or the SMS Replies email.

To turn a notification on:

1. Select **Settings**, then **My Profile**, then **Notifications**.
2. Select the notification.
3. Switch on each delivery option you want.
4. Select **Save**.

## How reports use the statuses

Every appointment report has **Confirmed** and **Attendance** filters, so a report can be limited
to, for example, confirmed appointments only. See [Running Reports](/docs/reporting/running-reports/).

| Report | Uses |
|---|---|
| [Appointments Summary Report](/docs/reporting/appointments-summary-report/) | Attendance chart and Confirmation chart. **DNA** counts come from attendance status; **UTA** counts come from confirmation status. Is Waiting and Is Active are left out of the attendance chart |
| [User Appointment Report](/docs/reporting/user-appointment-report/) | DNA and UTA per client, with rates per user |
| [Appointment SMS Reminders Summary](/docs/reporting/appointment-sms-reminders-summary/) | Replies split into positive (Confirmed), negative (Unable To Attend or either cancelled status) and Tentative |
{.table}

A DNA and a UTA are different outcomes. A UTA is a client who told you in advance, so the slot
could be reused. A DNA is a client who did not turn up, so the slot was lost. Reported side by side,
they show how much of the non-attendance reminders caught in time.

## What to watch for

**Cancelling for the service with the wrong status**
When the service cancels, use **Cancelled By User**. **Cancelled By Client** and **Unable To
Attend** record that the client cancelled, which distorts UTA figures. See
[Cancelling a Day of Appointments](/docs/appointments/cancelling-a-day/).

**One change updated every client in a group appointment**
The Appointments List changes every client in each ticked appointment. To change one client, use
the Appointment View card or the Attendees view.

**The Confirmation or Attendance card is missing**
The cards depend on the date. Confirmation shows only for appointments from tomorrow onwards, and
Attendance only on the day. On other dates, use the Attendees view or the Appointments List.

**An appointment shows Tentative though the client replied clearly**
The client has more than one appointment that day and the reply could not be matched to one of
them. Check with the client and set each appointment's status by hand.

**No Status after a voice reminder**
An unanswered call, an answering machine and a call with no key pressed all leave **No Status**. A
client who was never reached looks the same as one who heard the message and did not respond.

**A client stopped receiving reminders after confirming**
This is the default. Select **Include Confirmed Appointments** on later schedule items if every
reminder should go out.

**Attendance figures show more No Status than expected**
Attendance was not recorded on the day. The reports can only count what staff set.

## Related

- [Attendance and DNA](/docs/appointments/attendance-and-dna/)
- [How Reminders Work](/docs/reminders/how-reminders-work/)
- [Additional Messaging](/docs/reminders/additional-messaging/)
- [Appointments Summary Report](/docs/reporting/appointments-summary-report/)

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Source: https://diarybook.com/docs/appointments/confirmation-and-attendance-status/