This guide explains how to set up and manage the After Hours messaging feature within Curogram. This feature automatically sends a customizable message to individuals who contact your practice outside of your designated working hours, informing them
Feature Overview
The After Hours messaging feature helps manage patient communication outside of regular business hours by sending an automated response. This response typically informs the caller that the office is closed and advises them to call 911 in case of an emergency.
Accessing After Hours Settings
The configuration settings for After Hours messaging are located within your General Settings in Curogram.
You will no longer find these settings under the "Conversations" menu.
Configuring Your After Hours Message
Navigate to the General Settings section. Locate the "After Hours Message" setting. Here, you will find a drop-down menu to control the behavior of the after hours message:
- Off: Select this option to disable the automated after hours message. Callers will not receive a specific message when contacting you outside of business hours.
- Follow Call Center Hours: Choosing this option means the after hours message will be triggered based on the working hours configured for your main Call Center.
- Follow Per Location: This is the recommended setting for practices with multiple physical locations that may have different operating hours. When selected, the system will check the specific working hours configured for the individual location that received the incoming message or call to determine if the after hours message should be sent.
Configuring Working Hours (Call Center and Locations):
If you select "Follow Call Center Hours" or "Follow Per Location," you need to define the working hours:
- Click the icon situated next to the After Hours Message drop-down menu. This action will open a modal window displaying the working hour configurations.
- In the modal, you will see options to configure hours for the Call Center and for each of your registered Locations (e.g., Location A, Location B).
- The interface for setting hours is consistent for both the Call Center and individual Locations:
- Each day of the week (Sunday to Saturday) is listed.
- For each day, you can specify a Start Time and an End Time to define the open hours.
- You also have the flexibility to mark a day as Open 24 Hours or Closed entirely.
- Carefully configure the working hours to accurately reflect the operational schedule for your Call Center and each of your practice locations.
How Curogram Uses Your Configured Hours
- If you have selected "Follow Call Center Hours," any communication received outside of the defined Call Center working hours will automatically trigger the after hours message.
- If you have selected "Follow Per Location," the system identifies which location was contacted. It then checks the specific working hours set for that location. The after hours message will only be sent if the contact occurs outside of that particular location's configured open hours. This ensures that callers contacting a location that is still open do not receive an incorrect "after hours" message.
Important Note: After Hours vs. Availability Settings
It is crucial to understand that the working hours configured within the After Hours Message settings are exclusively for controlling the automated after hours response.
Curogram may have other settings that display working hours, such as those related to Availability for features like patient registration or online scheduling. These settings, while potentially looking similar in their day-of-the-week and time format, are separate configurations and are used solely for their designated purpose (e.g., determining when patients can book appointments online). Always ensure you are configuring the correct setting for after hours messaging.
Update based on 1.268 Release (November 28, 2024)