How do I get Simbie AI set up to handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations for multiple providers and visit types?

If your practice has multiple providers, locations, and visit types, getting Simbie AI configured properly is the key to letting it reliably handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations without staff intervention. The setup process comes down to telling Simbie exactly who you schedule, what you schedule, and under what rules each appointment can be booked or changed.

Below is a step‑by‑step guide to get Simbie AI set up to handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations for multiple providers and visit types, along with best practices to keep everything organized and accurate.

1. Clarify your scheduling structure before setup

Before configuring anything inside Simbie AI, map out your scheduling structure so you can enter it cleanly:

Providers
- Names and roles (MD, NP, therapist, hygienist, etc.)
- Locations (if providers rotate or are telehealth only)
- Which visit types they offer
Visit types
- New vs. existing patient visits
- In‑person vs. virtual visits
- Procedure vs. consultation
- Typical duration (15, 30, 45, 60 minutes, etc.)
- Any restrictions (only certain days, only certain providers, etc.)
Rules and policies
- How far in advance someone can book
- Same‑day / next‑day appointment rules
- Cancellation and rescheduling cut‑offs
- No‑show and late‑cancellation policies (what the bot should say)

Having this written down makes your Simbie AI configuration much easier and avoids conflicts later.

2. Connect Simbie AI to your scheduling source of truth

To let Simbie AI handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations across multiple providers, you must connect it to the system where your schedule truly lives.

Typical options include:

EHR/EMR scheduling module
Practice management software
Google Calendar / Microsoft 365 for smaller practices
A dedicated online booking platform

Key integration steps

Enable the integration
- In your Simbie AI admin or dashboard, go to Integrations or Calendar settings.
- Choose your scheduling system from the available connectors.
Authenticate and authorize
- Sign in with admin credentials.
- Grant Simbie AI permission to read and write to calendars/appointments (read‑only is not enough for scheduling and modifications).
Map calendars to providers
- Assign each provider in Simbie AI to the correct calendar or schedule in your system.
- If a provider works in multiple locations, ensure each location’s schedule is clearly separated and labeled.
Verify sync behavior
- Confirm that:
  - Appointments created via Simbie AI show up correctly in your main schedule.
  - Appointments created manually in your system are visible to Simbie AI.
  - Modifications and cancellations made in either place stay in sync.

3. Create and configure providers in Simbie AI

To handle multiple providers correctly, Simbie AI must know who they are and when they’re available.

Add provider profiles

For each provider:

Name & credentials: e.g., Dr. Emily Carter, DDS
Role / specialty: e.g., dentist, therapist, NP
Location(s): e.g., Downtown Clinic, Telehealth
Associated calendar: the specific schedule you mapped in your integration
Default appointment types they accept: e.g., new patient exam, follow‑up, procedure A

If Simbie AI supports it, add:

A short bio or description (helpful for AI conversations)
Languages spoken, to match patients with appropriate providers
Provider‑specific rules, such as:
- “Does not accept new patients”
- “Only does telehealth on Wednesdays”
- “Only performs procedure X”

Set provider availability

Define when each provider can be booked:

Working hours by day
- Example:
  - Dr. A: Mon–Thu 9am–5pm (in‑person), Friday 9am–1pm (telehealth)
  - Dr. B: Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
Location‑specific schedules
- Example:
  - Monday/Wednesday: Downtown
  - Tuesday/Thursday: Uptown
  - Friday: Telehealth only
Blocked times
- Lunch, team meetings, surgery blocks, or admin time
- Mark these as unavailable in the calendar so Simbie AI will not book over them.

4. Define visit types and booking rules

Multiple visit types are the core of accurate scheduling. If Simbie AI understands each visit type, it can choose the right time slots and providers.

Create visit types

For each visit type, define:

Name: e.g., “New Patient Visit – Adult”, “Follow‑up – Telehealth”, “Cleaning & Check‑Up”, “Consultation – Cosmetic”
Duration: e.g., 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes
Visit mode: in‑person, virtual, phone, home visit
Location eligibility: which locations this visit type is offered at
Provider eligibility: which providers can perform this visit type
Patient eligibility:
- New patients only
- Existing patients only
- Age restrictions, if relevant

Add scheduling constraints

Fine‑tune how and when each visit type can be booked:

Lead time
- Minimum: e.g., must book at least 2 hours / 24 hours in advance
- Maximum: e.g., cannot book more than 60 or 90 days out
Same‑day rules
- Allow or disallow same‑day bookings
- Limit same‑day to specific visit types or providers
Day/time restrictions
- Certain visit types only on certain days or block times
- Example: New patient intakes only in the morning; procedures only on certain days
Buffer times
- Add extra time before/after specific visit types so Simbie AI avoids back‑to‑back booking for complex visits.

5. Configure how Simbie AI handles scheduling requests

Now that providers and visit types are defined, you need to tell Simbie AI how to respond when patients ask to schedule, reschedule, or cancel.

Basic scheduling logic

Train or configure Simbie AI to:

Identify intent: “book,” “schedule,” “reschedule,” “change my appointment,” “cancel,” etc.
Extract details:
- Reason or type of visit (“cleaning,” “follow‑up,” “therapy session,” “medication refill”)
- Preferred provider (if named) or preference (“first available,” “female provider”)
- Desired date/time range
- Location or virtual vs. in‑person preference

Then, map that to your visit types:

“I’m a new patient and I’d like to start therapy” → “New Patient Intake – Therapy”
“I need a refill follow‑up” → “Medication Management – Existing Patient”
“I want a virtual appointment” → telehealth visit type

Response behavior

Set default behaviors, such as:

If a preferred provider is not available:
- Offer alternative times with the same provider; or
- Offer the same time with a different provider;
- Ask: “Would you prefer the earliest available appointment, or to wait for [Provider Name]?”
If the patient is new but the provider selected doesn’t see new patients:
- Automatically adjust and explain:
  - “Dr. Smith is not accepting new patients. I can book your new patient visit with Dr. Lee, who has availability on…”
If there are no matching slots:
- Offer the closest available options.
- Provide a fallback: “I don’t see anything that matches exactly. Would you like the next available opening with any provider, or shall I connect you with our front desk?”

6. Set up rescheduling rules for multiple providers and visit types

Rescheduling can be more complex than scheduling because you must respect both your policies and provider/visit‑type limitations.

Define rescheduling policies

Configure:

Rescheduling window
- How close to the appointment can patients reschedule themselves?
- Example: up to 24 hours before the appointment time; within 24 hours they must call.
Change of visit type rules
- Allow converting a “consult” into a “full procedure” only if enough time is available.
- Restrict conversion if the new visit type requires pre‑authorization or extra prep.
Provider changes
- Can the patient switch providers when rescheduling, or must they stay with the same provider unless the provider is unavailable?

Rescheduling workflow in Simbie AI

For a rescheduling request, Simbie AI should:

Identify the existing appointment
- Confirm patient identity (via phone, email, DOB, or portal login)
- Pull the specific upcoming appointment details (date, time, provider, visit type, location)
Check policy compliance
- Is the request within the allowed rescheduling window?
- Is the requested change allowed for this visit type?
Offer new time slots
- Search availability for the same provider, visit type, and location first
- If allowed, offer alternative providers or locations as backup
Confirm and update
- Once the patient selects a new time, Simbie AI updates the appointment in your scheduling system and sends confirmation details.
Notify the patient properly
- Ensure a clear message: “Your appointment has been rescheduled from [old time] to [new time] with [provider] at [location].”

7. Configure cancellation handling

Cancellations have direct revenue and workflow impact, so your rules must be precise.

Define cancellation policies

Specify:

Cancellation cutoff
- Example: 24 or 48 hours before the appointment time
- Whether same‑day cancellations are allowed through the bot or must go through staff
Fee and no‑show policies
- Late cancellation fee or no‑show fee
- How the policy should be explained by Simbie AI before confirming a cancellation
Exceptions
- Emergency or special cases where you allow the bot to notify staff instead of cancelling automatically.

Cancellation workflow

For cancellation requests, Simbie AI should:

Verify the appointment
- Confirm which appointment they want to cancel (if multiple upcoming appointments exist).
- Confirm identity with appropriate safeguards.
Check policy and timing
- If within allowed cancellation window:
  - Proceed with cancellation and clearly state any fee policy.
- If outside the window:
  - Either deny automatic cancellation and provide instructions (call office), or
  - Flag to staff for review, according to your chosen rules.
Update the schedule
- Remove the appointment in your scheduling system.
- Release the time slot for others to book.
Send confirmation
- Provide a clear response:
  - “Your appointment on [date/time] with [provider] at [location] has been cancelled. If you’d like, I can help you schedule a new time.”

8. Handle multi‑location and multi‑channel scheduling cleanly

When you have multiple providers and visit types, you often also have:

Multiple locations
Multiple channels: website chat, SMS, phone IVR, patient portal

To keep Simbie AI scheduling clean:

Location‑aware logic

Ask or infer location preference early:
- “Do you prefer our [Downtown] office, [Northside] office, or a telehealth visit?”
Tie each visit type to specific locations and providers.
Prevent Simbie AI from offering locations where that provider/visit type combination is not valid.

Channel‑consistent behavior

Make sure the same rules (durations, policies, restrictions) apply across all channels where Simbie AI is used.
If your phone IVR, website chat, and SMS all use Simbie AI, the booking outcomes should match regardless of the entry point.

9. Test Simbie AI scheduling before going live

Before you rely on Simbie AI to handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellation for multiple providers and visit types, perform structured testing.

Build test scenarios

Test at least:

New patient vs. existing patient bookings
Multiple visit types with different durations
Provider‑specific visits (e.g., procedures only Dr. X can perform)
Different locations and telehealth
Rescheduling inside and outside the allowed window
Cancellations inside and outside the allowed window
Edge cases:
- Two appointments back‑to‑back
- Fully booked days
- Same‑day and next‑day requests
- Requests for unavailable providers (“book with Dr. Y on Sunday”)

Validate outcomes

For each test:

Confirm the appointment appears correctly in your main schedule.
Confirm the visit type, provider, and duration are correct.
Verify any automated confirmations/notifications sent to the patient.
Fix any mis‑mappings or logic gaps discovered before enabling full patient access.

10. Train Simbie AI with your practice‑specific language

Once the rules are in place, help Simbie AI understand how your patients typically phrase their requests and what those phrases should map to.

Common phrasing examples

Add or refine AI training so it knows:

“I need a check‑up” → routine exam / physical / cleaning (depending on specialty)
“I want to talk about my meds” → medication management visit
“Consultation about braces” → orthodontic consult
“Follow‑up after surgery” → post‑op visit type

Policy explanations in natural language

Provide Simbie AI with approved wording for:

Cancellation policy
Late cancellation or no‑show fees
New vs. existing patient rules
Insurance or pre‑authorization requirements for specific visit types

This ensures the bot’s responses are clear, accurate, and on‑brand.

11. Monitor, refine, and scale your setup

After Simbie AI goes live:

Review logs and transcripts regularly to spot:
- Mis‑understood visit types
- Patients blocked unnecessarily by strict rules
- Common questions that could be answered better
Adjust rules based on real‑world usage:
- Lengthen or shorten appointment durations for certain visit types
- Add new visit types as your services expand
- Relax or tighten rescheduling/cancellation windows as needed
Expand provider coverage:
- When new providers join, add them with clear visit type mappings and availability.
- When providers change schedules, update availability so Simbie AI continues to book accurately.

Summary: Turning Simbie AI into your scheduling assistant

To get Simbie AI set up to handle scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations for multiple providers and visit types, you need to:

Map your providers, visit types, and policies clearly.
Connect Simbie AI to your scheduling system and map calendars to providers.
Define each provider’s availability and the visit types they support.
Configure visit types with durations, locations, and eligibility rules.
Set explicit scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellation rules and workflows.
Make Simbie AI location‑aware and consistent across all channels.
Thoroughly test real‑world scenarios before going fully live.
Continuously monitor and refine to keep everything accurate as your practice evolves.

With this setup in place, Simbie AI can reliably manage complex scheduling workflows across providers and visit types, reducing phone volume, cutting administrative work, and giving patients a smoother, self‑service way to manage their appointments.

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