Clinic deskFAQ
Questions owners and reception ask first.
Templates, fees, opt-out, and who can see the WhatsApp token. If your question is about a patient already on the desk, sign in and use the inbox.
Is Clinic desk a WhatsApp marketing blaster?
No. The desk is the front-desk system for visits and patient replies. Appointment reminders, confirmations, and after-visit notes are utility templates tied to a slot. Broadcasts exist for opted-in lists, and they are not the product.
Do patients need to install another app?
No. Patients stay on WhatsApp. The clinic uses the official WhatsApp Business API number they already want patients to save. Staff work in the browser.
What is the difference between a utility template and a marketing template?
A utility template is a service message about a visit the patient already has: confirmation, T-24h reminder, T-2h reminder, reschedule, aftercare. A marketing template is an offer or campaign. Meta prices them differently, and Clinic desk counts them separately so the desk bill and the Meta bill stay clear.
When do the T-24h and T-2h reminders go out?
After a slot is on the board, the desk queues a utility reminder about 24 hours before the visit and another about 2 hours before. Staff see each message as Queued, Sent, Read, or Failed on that visit, not in a separate campaign report.
Can the front desk reply in the same inbox?
Yes. One shared WhatsApp inbox for the clinic. When a patient replies, the 24-hour service window opens and the desk can send a normal reply. Those replies are not billed as template messages.
What if the patient asks to stop messages?
STOP and similar opt-out words are recorded on the contact. Further template sends to that number are blocked. The desk can still show the conversation so the front desk knows why the reminder did not go.
Who pays WhatsApp's own charges?
WhatsApp (Meta) bills conversation charges to the clinic's WhatsApp Business account. Clinic desk does not mark those up. Our fee is a separate service fee on billable templates we send for you, capped each month. The invoice says this in plain language.
Can we keep our existing clinic number?
Yes, when that number can be registered on the official WhatsApp Business API. We do not ask you to message patients from a shared unofficial sender or a personal WhatsApp account.
Is this the official API?
Yes. Messages go through the WhatsApp Cloud API with the clinic's own phone number ID and token. There is no unofficial desktop sender, no scraped session, and no shared SIM box.
Who on the desk can see billing and WhatsApp credentials?
Reception staff see today's visits, patients, the inbox, and message counts. They do not see invoices or the access token. The clinic admin sees usage and issued invoices. Only the platform operator can edit the WhatsApp technical connection.