# Your first week

This page gives the order in which to set up a new account. The order matters because many
settings screens pick from lists that other screens fill. If you set up a reminder setting before
its location exists, you'll have to go back and add the location later.

## Why this matters

A well-structured account makes booking faster and less error-prone. Staff see only the options
that apply, and each appointment gets the right reminder without anyone having to think about it.
Most setup is done once. The order below saves doing it twice.

## Before you start

- Most **Settings** screens need **Account Owner**, **Account Administrator** or **Change
  Settings**.
- Adding users needs **Account Owner** or **Account Administrator**. **Change Settings** isn't
  enough.
- **Account Policies** can be changed by the **Account Owner** only.
- Decide whether your account is standalone or synced with another system. See
  [Standalone or Synced](/docs/start-here/standalone-or-synced/). The steps are the same up to
  step 6.

## Steps

### 1. Foundations

These screens don't depend on anything else, so set them up first. All are optional, but later
screens can only offer what exists here.

1. **Departments** (**Settings** → **Departments**): add these if you want to report by
   department, or let colleagues see each other's appointments. See
   [Departments](/docs/setting-up/departments/).
2. **Locations** (**Settings** → **Locations**): add these if you work from more than one site, or
   want the address and directions in reminders. See [Locations](/docs/setting-up/locations/).
3. **Waiting Rooms** (**Settings** → **Waiting Rooms**): add these if clients wait in a named room,
   or you want to limit how many appointments share it. See
   [Waiting Rooms](/docs/setting-up/waiting-rooms/).
4. **SMS Send IDs** (**Settings** → **SMS Send IDs**): apply for a sender ID if you'll send SMS that
   clients can't reply to. Do this on day one, because a new sender ID shows **Pending** until it
   is approved. See [Sender IDs](/docs/setting-up/sender-ids/).

### 2. Reminder settings

**Settings** → **Reminder Settings**. A reminder setting decides when and how clients are
reminded. Each one can use a **Physical Location** from step 1.2.

- If **Enable Replies** is off for SMS, you must choose a **Sender Id** from step 1.4.
- **Letter By SMS** always needs a sender ID.

See [How Reminders Work](/docs/reminders/how-reminders-work/).

### 3. Users and work hours

**Users** → **User List**. See [Users and Permissions](/docs/setting-up/users-and-permissions/).

1. Add each user. **Department** (step 1.1) and **Use Reminder** (step 2) are optional choices on
   the user record. A user's **Use Reminder** is selected automatically on appointments where they
   are the first or only service provider.
2. Turn on **Can Take Appointments** for everyone clients will be booked to see. Only those users
   can be chosen on an appointment.
3. Each user sets their own **Work Hours** under **Settings** → **My Profile** → **Work Hours**.
   See [Work Hours](/docs/your-user-profile/work-hours/).

### 4. Resources and schedules

These use the locations from step 1 and the users from step 3.

- **Resources** (**Settings** → **Resources**): rooms or equipment booked alongside an appointment,
  optionally limited to a location or to selected users. See
  [Resources](/docs/setting-up/appointment-resources/).
- **Schedules** (**Settings** → **Schedules**): leave, meetings and other times users are
  unavailable. See [Schedules](/docs/setting-up/schedules/).

### 5. Appointment types

**Settings** → **Appointment Types**. A type can set a default **Department**, **Waiting Room**,
**Default Reminder** and **Physical Location**, so this step comes after all of those exist. When
staff pick the type on an appointment, those values fill in automatically. See
[Appointment Types](/docs/appointments/appointment-types/).

### 6. Getting appointments in

This is where the two modes differ.

**Standalone**
1. Add your clients, or import them in bulk. See
   [Importing Clients](/docs/clients/importing-clients/).
2. Start booking. See [Adding an Appointment](/docs/appointments/adding-an-appointment/).

**Synced**
1. Agree the clinic codes with Diarybook. See
   [Integration Overview](/docs/integrations/integration-overview/).
2. Go to **Settings** → **Automatic Syncing** and add one record per clinic code. Each record
   picks a **Reminder Setting**, an **Appointment Type** and a **User**, so steps 2, 3 and 5 must be
   done first.
3. Add the **Email Addresses** that should receive the daily sync report.

### 7. Account policies

The **Account Owner** reviews **Settings** → **Account Policies**. See
[Policies](/docs/setting-up/policies/). Turn on **Mandatory Waiting Rooms** only once the
waiting rooms from step 1.3 exist and your appointment types select them.

## Minimum path for a synced account without replies

A synced account that doesn't take client replies needs very little:

1. An approved sender ID (step 1.4).
2. A reminder setting that uses it (step 2).
3. A user (step 3).
4. An appointment type (step 5).
5. An Automatic Syncing record for each clinic code (step 6).

Everything else is optional. After that, staff don't need to use the screens day to day. See
[Standalone or Synced](/docs/start-here/standalone-or-synced/).

## What to watch for

**An Automatic Syncing record points at the wrong reminder or user**
The **Reminder Setting**, **Appointment Type** and **User** lists on a syncing record have no
blank option, so the first item is selected automatically. Check all three before saving,
especially if you create syncing records before the correct reminder setting or type exists.

**A reminder setting won't save**
If SMS replies are off, a **Sender Id** is required. Apply for one in step 1.4, and allow time for
approval. See [Sender IDs](/docs/setting-up/sender-ids/).

**An appointment type won't save with a location**
If the type has both a **Default Reminder** and a **Physical Location**, the reminder setting must
use the same location.

**Staff can't find a colleague in the appointment's "To See" list**
That user doesn't have **Can Take Appointments** turned on.

**Saving an appointment fails with "Please assign a waiting room for this appointment"**
**Mandatory Waiting Rooms** has been turned on. Add waiting rooms and assign them to your
appointment types, or turn the policy off.

## Related

- [Account Setup](/docs/setting-up/account-setup/): the fields on each settings screen
- [Standalone or Synced](/docs/start-here/standalone-or-synced/)
- [Welcome Tutorial](/docs/start-here/welcome-tutorial/): for staff joining once setup is done

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Source: https://diarybook.com/docs/start-here/your-first-week/