Getting Started with Group Bookings
Group Bookings make it easy to manage appointments attended by multiple clients, whether you're running a one-off workshop, a weekly class or a structured course of treatment.
With Group Bookings, you can schedule sessions, manage attendees, record attendance, create invoices, take payments and write shared clinical notes, all from a single booking while still maintaining an individual appointment record for every client.
This guide introduces the Group Bookings feature and helps you decide which type of booking is right for you. Follow the links throughout to learn more about each area.
Creating a Group Appointment Type
Before you can start creating group bookings, you'll first need an appointment type that is set as a Group appointment.
When creating or editing an appointment type, you can choose whether it is for group bookings and set the maximum number of attendees allowed for each session.
Read: Setting up Group Appointment Types
Before you begin booking
Group Bookings are available to all sites, including trial sites.
When creating a group booking, you'll choose between two different booking types:
- Standard Group Bookings are the default and are ideal for one-off sessions or recurring classes where attendees may vary from session to session.
- Block Bookings are designed for courses or treatment programmes where the same clients attend every session in the block.
Understanding the difference between these two booking types is important.
Understanding Block Bookings
Block Bookings are designed for clients attending a complete course of treatment or programme.
Unlike standard group bookings, every session in the block remains linked together. Clients are added to the entire block rather than to individual sessions, making it easy to manage multi-session programmes.
Examples of what Block bookings are useful for:
- Rehabilitation programmes.
- Six-week treatment courses.
- Educational workshops.
- Structured therapy programmes.
If you don't expect the same clients to attend every session in a series, we recommend using a standard Group Booking rather than a Block Booking.
If you simply want to schedule recurring group sessions without linking the attendees together, you can create a recurring standard Group Booking. Each session can then be managed independently, allowing you to add or remove attendees for individual appointments as needed.
Creating your first Group Booking
Creating a group booking is very similar to creating a standard 1 to 1 appointment.
When creating a new group booking in the diary you'll be able to:
- Choose the group type
- Edit the date/time, clinician and location, if required.
- Create it as a one-off or recurring group booking.
- Decide whether the booking should be a standard group booking or select to make it a block booking.
Once created, you can begin adding clients to the session.
Read:
Want to set up an appointment confirmation for Block Bookings, so clients receive confirmation of every session in the booking? Read our guide to learn how.
Managing attendees
After creating a group booking, you can easily manage everyone attending.
You can:
- Add and remove attendees.
- Update attendance and appointment statuses.
- View each attendee's appointment.
- See how many spaces remain available.
Each attendee keeps their own appointment record while remaining linked to the group booking.
For block bookings, adding a client to one session will automatically add them to all sessions in the block.
Read: Manage Group and Block Booking Attendees
Invoicing and payments
Although clients attend the same group session, each attendee has their own appointment, invoice and payment record.
When invoicing clients in a standard group booking, invoices are created for the selected session.
Top Tip: Select all attendees and use the Actions dropdown to quickly invoice every client in the group with just a few clicks.
For Block Bookings, you can choose whether to:
- Create an invoice for the individual session.
- Create a single invoice covering the entire block.
This makes it easy to collect payment upfront for a complete course where required.
Read: Manage Group and Block Booking Attendees
Recording clinical notes
Shared clinical notes can be created directly from a group booking using the Actions dropdown in the attendees list.
Once saved, the note is automatically linked to each attendee's individual record, so you don't have to enter the same information multiple times.
Where required, additional notes can still be added from the individual's record.
Read: Creating Notes for a Group Booking
Using Group Bookings with Online Booking
You can make group bookings available for clients to book online, making it possible for clients to reserve a place without contacting your practice directly.
If a group booking is enabled for Online Booking, you can make individual sessions available to clients simply by scheduling them in your WriteUpp calendar. Available places are managed automatically based on the maximum capacity you've set for the group appointment type.
For Block Bookings, clients are enrolled onto every session in the block when they book online. If prepayment is enabled, they'll also pay upfront for the entire block at the time of booking.
Read: Online Booking Guide to Groups
Group Bookings in the Client Portal
Clients attending group bookings can also manage their appointments through the Client Portal, provided this has been enabled for your site.
Depending on your settings, clients can view, reschedule or cancel their group booking in the same way as individual appointments. Any changes made through the Client Portal are automatically reflected within WriteUpp.
Note: Clients can cancel Block Bookings through the Client Portal if permitted, but Block Bookings cannot be rescheduled online.
Read: Client Portal Guide to Groups
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a Group Booking and a Block Booking?
A standard Group Booking allows attendees to be managed independently for each session. This is ideal for classes where participants may change from week to week.
A Block Booking links every session together, with the same clients attending each appointment in the block. It's designed for structured programmes and treatment courses.
Can I invoice an entire Block Booking at once?
Yes. When generating an invoice using the Actions dropdown from a Block Booking, you can choose whether to invoice the selected session or the entire block.
Does each client still have their own appointment?
Yes. Although managed together, every attendee has their own appointment record, status, invoice, payment history and clinical record.
Can I add different clients to individual sessions in a Block Booking?
No. Clients are added to the block as a whole and attend every session within it. If you need different attendees for each session, use a standard Group Booking instead.
Next steps
Now that you're familiar with Group Bookings, you're ready to start creating sessions and managing attendees.
Choose one of the guides below to continue: