This article will take a closer look at Microsoft Bookings and how this app is used by those who work in the healthcare industry. 

What is Microsoft Bookings?

Bookings is part of the Microsoft 365 family of applications. This tool for online scheduling and booking was created to help small businesses manage their scheduling needs for both patients and employees. Bookings is used in many industries, such as law firms, hair salons, dental practices, government agencies, and healthcare providers, to manage appointments, meetings, and bookings. 

Bookings provides three core components for users: a bookings page, web browser pages, and a mobile app:

Bookings Page

Patients looking to schedule appointments come to the Bookings page to access the available appointments. Often, bookings pages are shown on the organization’s web page or on Facebook, where they will be readily available to customers. Those who access the bookings page via Facebook can easily book any open slot, simply by clicking on “Book Now” to find the available times. Since Facebook automatically fills in their contact information based on their profile, they don’t have to add any additional details to reserve their appointment. 

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Web Browser Pages

For healthcare providers looking to keep track of patients’ preferences, convey what services they provide, or show their office’s hours of operation, web browser pages are used. These pages can be customized to reflect a specific brand and to provide personalized appointment scheduling options most suited to your work culture and availability.

Mobile App

Bookings also provides users with a mobile app through which they can quickly see bookings, access a database of their patients’ contact information, and schedule appointments.

How is Microsoft Bookings Used in the Hospitality Industry

Those working in the hospitality industry have many demands on their time. They must be ready to provide quality care to patients who may be in critical need of treatment, and do so as quickly and efficiently as possible. Microsoft Bookings provides a bevy of features and tools to assist healthcare workers more effectively treat patients, manage time, and provide an overall better quality of care:

  • Healthcare workers who use Bookings can easily stay track of their clients by maintaining an up-to-date client database where patients can be added or deleted at any time.
  • When an appointment is made in Bookings, it can be synced to Google Calendar or other central calendars.
  • Bookings can be used either as a stand-alone application or embedded directly onto a healthcare provider’s website. Because there are a variety of customization options available, brand colors or the healthcare provider’s logo can be added. Providers can also customize fields as well; additional options can be incorporated, such as a field that provides an option for patients to make an initial payment or pay a prior outstanding bill.
  • Real-time updates can be sent to potential patients to alert them if an appointment slot becomes available. 

Microsoft 365 for Frontline Workers

Recently, Microsoft Bookings became a part of Microsoft 365 for Frontline Workers. This new plan, which is designed especially for frontline workers, helps to alleviate some of the stress and time commitment of scheduling virtual appointments. Now, Bookings is offered as an app in Microsoft Teams, which provides healthcare workers with a convenient and time-saving tool for managing, as well as conducting, virtual appointments.

Microsoft 365 for Frontline Workers offers an array of helpful features and tools that are designed to help better manage patient care. Here are just a few ways this app can help a healthcare organization:

  • It provides a way for more patients to have access to virtual doctor visits.
  • Because it makes collaboration between care teams more streamlined, patient outcomes are improved by using this application.
  • Healthcare organizations can cut down on costs while getting the most out of resources by addressing fragmented workflows.
  • The Bookings app in Teams provides a centralized resource with which frontline workers and other healthcare providers can perform a variety of tasks, all without having to leave Teams. They can:
    • Make their own calendars
    • Book new appointments
    • Assign staff to different roles
    • Provide consults and virtual visits
    • Schedule interviews with job applicants
    • Provide customer support
    • Schedule financial consultations 
  • In addition, the virtual health appointments scheduled in Bookings and held in Teams provide all the core benefits of the Teams platform:
    • Doctors can share their screens so that their patient can see their test results.
    • Financial institutions can perform remote transactions by asking for electronic signatures on financial documents.
    • Meetings can be recorded so doctors have a record of the meeting, or so patients who may wish to spend more time understanding what was discussed could have access to important content.
  • With the help of automated technology, repetitive scheduling tasks that frontline care teams must perform can be taken care of automatically. For example, Bookings is able to access doctors’ Outlook calendars to see if there are any schedule openings. In addition, it offers customized confirmation options, as well as email or text reminders containing the meeting link, which are sent to patients. Best of all, patients are able to connect with a healthcare provider by joining the meeting right from their mobile device without having to install the app.
  • Bookings includes safety features designed to protect patient data, as well as to comply with various healthcare regulations.

The Virtual Visit Selection tool is also available for healthcare providers who are still deciding which virtual appointment options are most suited to their professional needs and work culture.

Start Learning Microsoft Office with Hands-On Classes

Do you want to gain a better understanding of how to use Microsoft Office and its many applications? If so, a great way to get started learning about Microsoft 365 is to sign up for one of Noble Desktop’s Microsoft Office courses. These small group classes are offered in-person in Manhattan, as well as in the live online format. For students and professionals on the go, there are also in-person and live online Microsoft Office courses available through Noble Desktop or one of its affiliate schools. A variety of course options are offered, spanning three hours to three days and costing between $219 and $1,785. You can also browse in-person Microsoft Office classes in a city near you.

In addition to general Office classes, Noble Desktop also offers in-person and live online Microsoft Outlook courses. Because Microsoft Bookings integrates seamlessly with Outlook, these courses are a great option for those hoping to gain an understanding of how these apps can work with one another.