Vikram's Dental Appointment

Patients book a check-up or cleaning on the clinic's page, get a reminder before the day, and the clinic notes down who came and what cash they paid.

Who this is for

Dr Vikram Rane runs a two-chair dental clinic above a sweet shop in Kothrud, Pune. He sees about eighteen patients a day, with one assistant, Sneha, at the front desk. The moment that hurts is Tuesday morning: three cleaning slots booked a fortnight ago, and nobody turns up. Sneha rang them all on Monday but two numbers went unanswered and she moved on.

How the job is done today

Appointments go into a long register at the front desk, one page per day, written in pencil so they can be rubbed out. Sneha rings people the evening before, but she only gets through half the list because the phone at the desk is also the phone patients call in on. Root canal patients who need to come back in a week are told verbally at the door and most forget. Cash goes into a drawer and Sneha writes the amount next to the name in the register. At the end of the month Dr Rane adds up the pages himself, and the pencil has smudged.

The screens, in order

1. Book a slot — Lets a patient pick a day and time for a check-up, cleaning or consultation and give their name and mobile number.
2. Booking confirmed — Shows the patient exactly when to come and where the clinic is, so they have something to screenshot.
3. Today at the desk — Shows Sneha every patient expected today in time order, so she knows who is still to arrive.
4. Mark as done — Lets Sneha tap a patient's name after they leave and type the cash amount they handed over.
5. Ask them to come back — Lets Sneha set a return date for a patient who needs a second sitting, so a reminder goes out on its own.
6. Cash for the month — Shows Dr Rane a plain list of every patient who came and paid, day by day, with a total at the bottom.

What it keeps track of

• Patients — name, mobile number, when they first came, any note Dr Rane wants to remember
• Appointments — who, which day, what time, what for, booked or came or did not come
• Cash received — which patient, which visit, how much, which day, who took it at the desk
• Return visits — which patient, come back on which date, what for, reminder sent or not

The one decision that matters

Should the site take money at the time of booking, or only record cash after the visit? Taking a small booking fee online would stop some no-shows, and that is a real temptation for Dr Rane. But his patients are neighbourhood people who pay in cash at the door and would abandon a booking page that asks for card details for a cleaning. Keep the booking free and record cash only after the person has been treated. The site's job is to remind and remember, not to hold money. The drawer stays the drawer.

What to leave out of the first version

Leave out treatment records, tooth charts and prescriptions. Dr Rane already keeps a paper file per patient and he trusts it, and asking him to type clinical notes between patients will kill the whole thing in a week. Also leave out multiple dentists and rooms. Two chairs, one dentist, one desk. If a second dentist joins later, that is a different problem and it will be obvious when it arrives.

How you would know it worked

On a Tuesday morning, all three cleaning slots are filled by people who actually walk in, and Sneha does not spend the previous evening ringing anyone. And a root canal patient turns up for the second sitting without Dr Rane having chased him.

Build it

Paste this in and let it run.

I run a small dental clinic in Pune with one dentist and one person at the front desk, and I want a simple website where patients can pick a day and time for a check-up, cleaning or consultation and leave their name and mobile number. Send them a text reminder the day before so they actually come. My assistant should be able to open a page each morning showing who is expected today in time order, tap each name after the patient leaves, and type in how much cash they paid. If someone needs to come back in a week for a second sitting, she should be able to set that date and have the reminder go out on its own. At the end of the month I want one plain list of everyone who came and what they paid, with a total. No online payment, we take cash at the desk.