circleOS supports patient-facing appointment flows through links that open the patient app.
In day-to-day work, you will usually share one of these link types:
- a service booking link when the patient still needs to choose a slot for a service
- a service-variant booking link when the patient should book one specific variant
- an appointment link from an existing booking when the patient should open one known appointment
This guide is specifically about appointment flows. Product-variant checkout links belong to direct checkout rather than appointment management.
On supported pages, copy the patient-facing link from the Action Menu with Copy share link → Copy Patient App URL.
Those links open the patient app in one of three ways:
- a service booking flow
- a specific service-variant booking flow
- a specific appointment page for an existing booking
You will typically copy them from:
- a service detail page
- a service variant detail page
- a booking detail page
If Copy Patient App URL is disabled, that page is not currently offering a patient-facing appointment route or the record is not ready to share that way.
What patients can do
What the patient can do depends on the exact link you send.
Common cases are:
- book a new appointment from a service or variant link
- open an existing appointment from an appointment link
- cancel that appointment where your patient-app flow exposes cancellation
- follow any other appointment-management controls that your workspace exposes on that patient-facing page
Changes made through the patient-facing flow are written back into the booking in circleOS.
If you need the patient to do something very specific, test the exact link first. Not every patient-facing link exposes the same controls.
What your team needs to keep ready
Appointment management works best when the underlying setup is already in place:
- the service or variant is visible and ready to book
- the location is configured correctly
- the link you share matches the flow you want the patient to use
- the booking already exists if you are sending an appointment-management link
- reminder or confirmation workflows point to the correct patient-facing URL
Service links are for choosing from a service. Variant links are for one exact variant. Appointment links are for opening one booking that already exists.
Where this fits with forms
Appointment management and form collection often work together.
For example, after a booking exists, you can separately send the patient forms link when intake is still incomplete.
In practice, a common setup is:
- the patient books through a service or variant link
- circleOS updates the booking record
- the patient receives a forms link if intake is still incomplete