There are two ways to configure how client change and cancellation requests are processed: Clients can send a message through the Client Portal or Mobile App with their request to be reviewed and processed, or they can select specific visits that they would like to change or cancel. Visit your Client Settings > Portal Settings to make your preferred selection.
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When a client makes a request to change or cancel a visit, you'll see a red notification bubble on your Scheduler. Selecting this will take you to the Scheduler, where you will select the "Change Requests" tab.
NOTE: When a client submits a change or cancellation request through their Client App/Portal, there is a ten minute delay between the submission of the request and when Admins will receive a notification regarding the request.
Depending on your settings, you can receive notifications when a client makes change or cancellation requests via your Admin Dashboard, the mobile app, and email. To ensure you and your team aren't missing any important notifications, check out our help documentation on managing Staff Notifications!
Change/Cancellation Requests When Client Sends A Message
If your configuration for change and cancellation requests is set to "Client Sends General Message," you will see their message and be able to process the request accordingly.
Once you have either canceled or updated the scheduled visit, you can send the client a message as confirmation.
Change/Cancellation Requests When Clients Make Specific Requests
If your configuration for change and cancellation requests is set to "Client Makes Request Against Specific Visits," you'll see a "Cancellation" or "Change" banner to reflect what type of request is being made. When selecting "Process," you will be taken to a screen below to process the request.
From this screen, you can see the client's requested change, as well as any staff conflicts with this change.
If cancellation requests are set to be automatically approved in your Portal Settings, this will already be reflected. The client will receive an automatic message letting them know their visit was canceled.
If the cancellation needs to be processed, you will be able to accept or deny the request and change the cancellation charge if needed.
You will also be able to view the Template that the event is on if it is not yet approved. For more information on how changes and cancellations work with unapproved events, check out our help article on Cancelling And Modifying Future Template Events.
When a client submits a cancellation request for a pending Template event, and that event is then approved and scheduled, the system reads that as a denial and will void the cancellation request.In such cases, it is important to recognize that Time To Pet treats approval of the Template as overriding the pending cancellation request. Once the cancellation request is voided, it will no longer be automatically processed by the system.
In these cases, you would need to approve the cancellation request before approving the Template or cancel the event manually if the Template is approved while the request is still pending.To minimize manual interventions, it is recommended to review all pending cancellation requests and approve them before proceeding with Template approvals. This ensures that cancellation requests are processed efficiently and avoids additional administrative overhead.
Managing Ignored or Voided Cancellation Requests
Why Are Cancellation Requests Ignored or Voided?
Cancellation requests for Template events that are pending approval (not yet approved or scheduled) may be ignored or voided if the Template is later approved and scheduled before processing the cancellation request. The system interprets Template approval as overriding any pending cancellation request, thereby voiding it. Once voided, the system will not automatically cancel the event.
How to Identify Ignored or Voided Cancellation Requests
To identify ignored or voided cancellation requests, navigate to the Scheduler and review the details of the request. The Scheduler will indicate which requests were successfully processed and which were ignored, providing clear insight to address the issue.
How to Handle Ignored Cancellation Requests
Review Cancellation Requests: Use the Scheduler to locate the details of cancellation requests marked as ignored or voided.
Manually Cancel Events: For any events that were scheduled despite a cancellation request, process manual cancellations using the Scheduler.
Prevent Future Issues: Ensure that all pending cancellations are appropriately approved before approving related Templates or events.
By following these steps and proactively reviewing pending cancellations, you can prevent scenarios where requests are ignored or require manual resolution.
Finalizing Changes
When you're finished, you can select "Finalize Changes" or manually approve or deny all requests in bulk from the dropdown menu in the upper right-hand corner.
In the next screen, you can review these changes and select whether or not to send a confirmation to the client.
