ℹ️ Who this article is for
If you're to configuring an 🔗 Email trigger for a transactional email, this glossary will walk you through trigger types and their filtering options.
Use this article to guide you on the specifics of each email trigger type - how it works and what is possible.
Email triggers work exclusively with Transactional emails. They cannot be connected to any other email type.
Email trigger definitions
Email triggers are deeply connected with activity occurring inside Cliniko. When a specific action in Cliniko is taken, a trigger is fired. You can customise the timing of the email (e.g. 1 hour before, 7 days after) and you can then apply filters to narrow down your audience (e.g. by appointment category, appointment count and more).
Trigger name | When it sends | Good for |
Before the appointment | Sends before an appointment is scheduled to start.
You can choose how long before the appointment. | |
After the appointment | Sends after an appointment is scheduled to finish.
You can choose how long after the appointment. | |
After an appointment is created | Sends after an appointment is created (whether online, or by an admin in Cliniko)
You can choose how long after the appointment is made. | |
After an appointment is cancelled | Sends after an appointment is marked cancelled.
You can choose how long after the appointment is cancelled. | |
After an appointment is marked DNA | Sends after an appointment is marked "did not arrive".
You can choose how long after the appointment is missed. | |
After an invoice is created | Sends after an invoice is created.
You can choose how long after the invoice is created. |
|
After an invoice has been paid | Sends after an invoice is marked paid.
You can choose how long after the invoice is paid. |
|
After a medical alert is added to a patient file | Sends after a medical alert is added to the patient file.
You can choose how long after the medical alert is added. |
|
When a patient has a certain number of appointments | Sends 1 hour after a patient reaches a certain total number of appointments.
You cannot control the timing. |
Email filter definitions
Filters allow you to narrow down the audience of your triggering event, enabling you to specify with a great deal of control exactly who should receive this email.
⚠️ You need only make a filter selection if you wish to limit the reach of the trigger. Leave filters untouched where no narrowing down is needed - it will target all items available if left unselected.
If you want to understand how multiple filters work when applied - read this.
Filter group | Filter name | What it does |
The essentials | Business | If you have multiple businesses in your Cliniko account, you can select which business(es) this message should apply to here. |
Demographics | Sex | If the message is specific to a biological sex, you can select them here. Keep in mind, if you use this filter and a patient has no ‘sex’ in their Cliniko file, the message won’t reach them. |
Appointment | Appointment Category | Select the appointment categories this message should apply to. If you make a selection here, it will affect which appointment type(s) you can select in the next filter. |
| Appointment Type | Select the appointment type(s) this message should apply to. |
| Practitioner | Select the treating practitioner(s) this message should apply to. |
| Total appointment count | Select how many appointments this patient should have attended in order for this message to reach them.
Additional settings:Checkbox: Apply my other filters to this count If you have applied a business filter or any other appointment filters, we will only count appointments the patient has had that match all of those filters. |
Other | Medical alert | Select the medical alert(s) this message should target. |
Special filters
Special filters appear only on certain trigger types.
Filter group | Filter name | What it does |
The essentials | Cancellation reason | Select whether this message should include or exclude specific cancellation reasons provided at the time of cancellation in Cliniko. |
| Product | Select whether this message should include or exclude specific products included on the invoice. |
| Invoice item | Select whether this message should include or exclude specific billable items included on the invoice. |
| Medical alert | Select the medical alert(s) that cause this trigger to fire.
*A special medical alert filter which is only applicable to the "After a medical alert is added to a patient file" trigger type.
Unlike the usual Medical Alert filter, this one lets you define which medical alert actually sends the email - not which medical alert must be present when another event is triggered. |
Email trigger settings & filters
Learn how you can apply filters to each trigger, and what additional settings are available to cover a wide range of scenarios.
🔔 Before the appointment
Commonly used for:
Appointment reminders
Appointment preparation details
Intake form link
Parking/directions instructions
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days before the appointment it should send.
You cannot select a specific time (e.g. 8am). It will always send relative to the appointment start time. |
Is this a reminder? | Select this if you only want this to send to people who are opted in for reminders in their Cliniko communication preferences. |
Include last minute bookings | Select this if the email should still send, even if the appointment was created after the scheduled send time.
For example, if your trigger is set to send 2 days before an appointment, but an appointment is booked 1 day out - it will send the email immediately. |
🎯 Filters
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you apply them based on your needs.
Please note: If you have appointment reminders enabled in Cliniko, you should disable them before turning them on in Peptalkr.
⏰ After appointment
Commonly used for:
Requesting feedback
Prompting them to book another appointment if they have not done so already
Following up/checking in with a patient
Sending aftercare instructions
Reactivations - e.g. 30 days, 180 days, 1 year etc.
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the appointment it should send.
You cannot select a specific time (e.g. 5pm). It will always send relative to the appointment start time. |
Is this a recall? | Select this if you want to only send this email if the patient has not booked another/got an upcoming appointment. |
Recall type | You can select to send this if the patient has not booked an appointment of:
|
🎯 Filters
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we generally recommend you apply appointment filters (type, category, count etc.) depending on your needs.
✅ Appointment created
Commonly used for:
Appointment confirmations
Welcoming new patients
Sending an intake form link
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the appointment was created it should send. |
Is this a confirmation? | Select this if you only want this to send to people who are opted in for confirmations in their Cliniko communication preferences. |
🎯 Filters
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you apply them based on your needs.
Please note: that this trigger type will not send emails to appointments created in the past. For example, if you create an appointment for yesterday - an appointment created trigger will not fire. It must be a future appointment.
😴 After appointment marked DNA
Commonly used for:
Notifying a patient they didn't arrive to their appointment
Recalling DNA appointments
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the appointment was marked DNA it should send. |
Is this a recall? | Select this if you want to only send this email if the patient has not booked another/got an upcoming appointment.
*Generally not recommended if sending a DNA notice immediately after they have DNA'd. |
Recall type | You can select to send this if the patient has not booked an appointment of:
|
🎯 Filters
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you apply them based on your needs.
Please note: If you want to send different email variations based on how many DNAs a patient has had (e.g 2nd DNA, 3rd DNA etc.) use the After a certain number of appointments trigger instead.
❌ After an appointment is cancelled
Commonly used for:
Notifying a patient they cancelled their appointment
Recalling cancelled appointments
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the appointment was cancelled it should send. |
Is this a recall? | Select this if you want to only send this email if the patient has not booked another/got an upcoming appointment.
*Generally not recommended if sending a cancellation notice immediately after they have cancelled. |
Include last minute bookings | ou can select to send this if the patient has not booked an appointment of:
|
🎯 Filters
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you exclude patients who said they were 'Feeling better'.
Please note: If you have cancellation notices enabled in Cliniko, you should disable them before turning them on in Peptalkr.
💰 After an invoice is created
Commonly used for:
Instructions/details related to a product or billable item added to a patient's invoice
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the invoice was created it should send. |
🎯 Filters
Appointment variables are not compatible with this trigger type.
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you select the specific Product(s) OR Billable item(s) this trigger should target.
Please note: If you want to target both products AND billable items, create separate triggers for each - as selecting both a product and billable item in the same trigger will require the patient to have both items appear on the same invoice. Refer to this article for details.
💳 After an invoice is paid
Commonly used for:
Instructions/details related to a product or billable item added to a patient's invoice
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the invoice was paid it should send. |
🎯 Filters
Appointment variables are not compatible with this trigger type.
There are no mandatory filters for this trigger type, but we recommend you select the specific Product(s) OR Billable item(s) this trigger should target.
Please note: If you want to target both products AND billable items, create separate triggers for each - as selecting both a product and billable item in the same trigger will require the patient to have both items appear on the same invoice. Refer to this article for details.
🏷️ After a medical alert is added to a patient file
Commonly used for:
Manually sending a transactional email to a patient by adding a medical alert to their file - e.g. resending an intake form, requesting a Google review, sending a discharge notice etc.
⚙️ Settings
Timing | Select how many minutes, hours or days after the medical alert has been added it should send. |
🎯 Filters
Appointment variables are not compatible with this trigger type.
You must select which medical alert this trigger is targeting. Refer to our guide on creating Medical Alerts which connect with Peptalkr here.
☝️ After a certain number of appointments
Commonly used for:
Requesting feedback after a specific count of appointments
Sending details relating to the count of appointments a patient has had within a particular appointment category
Sending unique emails depending on the count of DNA or cancelled appointments a patient has had
⚙️ Settings
Timing | These will always send an hour after the scheduled end time of the appointment that triggered this email/SMS. |
Appointment count range | Select whether the count of appointments should be:
|
🎯 Filters
You must select the numbers of appointments to target - e.g. exactly 1, 2, 3 appointments etc. You must also select which appointment status to target - e.g arrived, cancelled or DNA.
🙋🏻♀️ FAQs
Can triggers be set to avoid weekends or sundays?
Can triggers be set to avoid weekends or sundays?
No. Triggers send relative to the time the triggering event occurred. For example, if you selected 1 day on an 'after the appointment' trigger type, and the appointment ended at 3.45pm - the trigger would fire at 3.45pm, 1 day later.
Can triggers be scheduled to send at a specific time, e.g. 5pm?
Can triggers be scheduled to send at a specific time, e.g. 5pm?
No. Triggers send relative to the time the triggering event occurred. For example, if you selected 2 days on a 'before the appointment' trigger type, and the appointment starts at 8am - the trigger would fire at 8am, 2 days before.