Standalone or synced
Diarybook runs in one of two modes:
- Standalone: Diarybook is the complete system. Appointments are created and managed in Diarybook itself.
- Integration layer (synced): Diarybook sits alongside an existing patient management or hospital information system. Appointments arrive in a daily data file, and Diarybook adds messaging and scheduling without replacing the existing system.
Why this matters
A synced service keeps its existing system as the master record and adds reminders and confirmations without retraining staff on a new booking system. A standalone service gets the whole scheduling system in one place. Both use the same product and the same screens.
Same screens, two ways in
The screens and features are the same in both modes. Every page in this documentation applies to both, unless it says otherwise. The only real difference is how appointments get into Diarybook:
- Standalone: staff add clients and appointments in Diarybook.
- Synced: appointments and their clients arrive from the source system. Staff can still add appointments by hand in Diarybook, for example for a clinic that isn’t in the feed, but they don’t need to.
What differs
| Standalone | Synced | |
|---|---|---|
| Where appointments are booked | In Diarybook | In the source system, then copied to Diarybook once a day. Manual booking in Diarybook still works |
| How each appointment gets its user, appointment type and reminder setting | Chosen when the appointment is made | Set by the appointment’s clinic code, mapped under Settings → Automatic Syncing |
| Cancellations and changes | Made in Diarybook | Made in the source system. An appointment that drops out of the file expires, and a moved appointment arrives as a new one |
| Short-notice appointments | Reminded as soon as the schedule allows | Picked up on the next daily run |
| Changes made in Diarybook | Are the record | Stay in Diarybook. They aren’t sent back to the source system, unless the service has set up the optional reply write-back |
The technical detail (the file format, the daily run and how records are matched) is in the Integration Overview.
Do staff need to use Diarybook?
Standalone: yes. Diarybook is where the appointments are.
Synced, with client replies or other feedback turned on: yes. Replies, confirmations and cancellations show up only in Diarybook, so someone needs to check the Received screen or the confirmation status on the appointments list. See Synced Appointments.
Synced, with no replies or feedback: no. Reminders are sent automatically from the daily file, and nothing comes back that needs acting on. The screens are still available for anyone who wants to check what was sent, or to look up a client.
How to tell which mode your account uses
Go to Settings → Automatic Syncing (the screen is titled Appointment Syncing). If it lists clinic records, your account receives synced appointments. If it’s empty and shows an introduction to syncing instead, your account is standalone.
An account can do both: synced clinics for some services, and appointments added by hand for others.
What to watch for
A client replies once but has two appointments that day An SMS reply doesn’t say which appointment it refers to. Diarybook logs the reply against each appointment, marks them Tentative and notes that the client’s intention is unclear. Someone has to resolve it by hand.
An appointment cancelled in Diarybook still goes ahead at source In a synced account, the source system is the master record. Cancel or move the appointment there as well.
A clinic stops getting reminders The clinic code in the file and the code in Automatic Syncing must match exactly. A code that exists on only one side is ignored without an error. Check the daily sync report.