Practices

Configuring practice locations, hours, contact information, and closures in Zermmi.

Overview

The Practices tab is where you configure individual practice locations, including operational details that directly impact scheduling, billing, and patient interactions.

Access: Organisation Settings > Practices tab

What you can configure:

Practice identification and legal details
Contact information (phone, email, website)
Physical address
Timezone, currency, and display formats
Opening hours (day-by-day schedule)
Practice closures and holidays

Quick Reference

| Section | Key Settings | Impact | |---------|-------------|--------| | General | Name, Legal Name, Tax ID, IBAN, VAT Rate | Billing, invoices, legal documents | | Contact | Phone, Email, Website | Patient communications, online presence | | Address | Street, City, Postal Code, Country | Patient records, directions, mail | | Settings | Timezone, Currency, Date/Time formats | All displays, scheduling, financial data | | Hours | Opening/closing times per day | Calendar availability, booking windows | | Closures | Holidays, vacations, events | Blocks appointments, prevents booking |

Section 1: General Information

Configure practice identification and financial settings.

Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Description | |-------|------|----------|-------------| | Name | Text | Yes | Display name for the practice (shown throughout app) | | Legal Name | Text | No | Official legal business name | | Tax ID | Text | No | Tax/VAT registration number for this location | | IBAN | Text | No | Bank account number for payments | | VAT Rate | Number | No | Value-added tax rate as percentage (e.g., 7.7 for 7.7%) |

Field Details

Practice Name

What it is: The name patients and staff see throughout the system.

Examples:

"Downtown Dental Clinic"
"Smith Family Dentistry"
"Riverside Dental Care"

Where it's used:

Calendar headers
Appointment confirmations
Patient-facing booking pages
Staff navigation (practice selector)

Tips:

Use a friendly, recognizable name
For multi-location practices, include location identifier (e.g., "Smith Dental - Downtown")
Keep it concise (fits in headers and dropdowns)

Legal Name

What it is: The official registered business name.

Examples:

"Smith Dental Group LLC"
"Downtown Dental Clinic Inc."
"Riverside Dental Care Ltd."

Where it's used:

Legal documents
Formal invoices
Compliance reports
Tax filings

Tips:

Match exactly with business registration
Include legal suffixes (LLC, Inc., Ltd., etc.)
Can be the same as Practice Name for single-entity practices

Tax ID

What it is: Location-specific tax registration number.

Examples:

Switzerland: CHE-123.456.789
EU: Country code + digits
US: EIN format

Where it's used:

Invoices (if configured)
Tax reports
Financial compliance

Tips:

Use location-specific tax ID if different from organisation
Leave blank if same as organisation-level tax ID
Update if tax registration changes

IBAN

What it is: International Bank Account Number for receiving payments.

Format: Automatically formatted with spaces every 4 characters

Example input:
```
CH9300762011623852957
```
Displayed as:
```
CH93 0076 2011 6238 5295 7
```

Where it's used:

Payment processing
Invoice payment instructions
Financial reports

Tips:

Enter without spaces (system adds them automatically)
Verify with your bank to ensure accuracy
Required if you process payments through the system

VAT Rate

What it is: Value-added tax (or sales tax) percentage for this location.

Format: Decimal percentage

Example:
```
7.7
```
represents 7.7%
Example:
```
20
```
represents 20%
Range: 0 to 100

Where it's used:

Invoice calculations
Treatment pricing
Financial reports
Tax line items

Tips:

Check current local VAT/tax rates
Update when tax rates change (typically announced in advance)
Leave blank if you don't charge VAT/sales tax

Section 2: Contact Information

Configure how patients and external parties can reach your practice.

Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Description | |-------|------|----------|-------------| | Phone | Text | No | Main practice phone number | | Email | Email | No | Practice email address | | Website | URL | No | Practice website URL |

Field Details

Phone

What it is: Main contact number for the practice.

Examples:

"+41 44 123 45 67" (Switzerland)
"+1 (555) 123-4567" (US)
"020 1234 5678" (UK)

Where it's used:

Patient contact information
Appointment reminders (if SMS enabled)
Public booking pages
Staff contact lists

Tips:

Include country code for international accessibility
Use format common in your region
Ensure it's monitored during business hours

Email

What it is: Main email address for the practice.

Examples:

"info@dentalclinic.com"
"contact@smithdental.com"
"appointments@riversidedental.com"

Where it's used:

Patient communications
Appointment confirmations
System notifications
Contact information on public pages

Tips:

Use a general practice email (not personal)
Ensure multiple staff can access it
Set up auto-responders for after-hours

Website

What it is: URL to your practice website.

Examples:

"https://www.smithdental.com"
"https://dentalclinic.ch"

Where it's used:

Public booking pages (link back to main site)
Patient information
Marketing integrations

Tips:

Include full URL with
```
https://
```
Verify link works and goes to correct location page (for multi-location practices)

Section 3: Address

Configure the physical location of your practice.

Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Description | |-------|------|----------|-------------| | Street | Text | No | Street address and number | | City | Text | No | City or town | | Postal Code | Text | No | ZIP or postal code | | Country | Text | No | Country name |

Where It's Used

Patient records
Appointment reminders (with directions)
Map integrations
Mail/shipping labels
Public booking pages

Tips for Address Entry

Be complete: Include building/suite numbers if applicable
Be consistent: Use standard format for your region
Be accurate: Patients use this for directions
Update immediately: If you move locations

Example (Switzerland):

Street: Bahnhofstrasse 123
City: Zürich
Postal Code: 8001
Country: Switzerland

Example (US):

Street: 456 Main Street, Suite 200
City: Portland
Postal Code: 97201
Country: United States

Section 4: Settings

Configure timezone, currency, and display formats that affect the entire practice.

Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Options/Format | |-------|------|----------|----------------| | Timezone | Dropdown | Yes | IANA timezone names (e.g., Europe/Zurich) | | Point Multiplier | Number | No | Loyalty/rewards multiplier | | Currency | Dropdown | Yes | CHF, EUR, USD | | Date Format | Dropdown | Yes | dd.MM.yyyy, MM/dd/yyyy, yyyy-MM-dd, d MMMM yyyy | | Time Format | Dropdown | Yes | HH:mm (24-hour), h:mm a (12-hour) |

Field Details

Timezone

What it is: The timezone where your practice operates.

Examples:

```
Europe/Zurich
```
(Switzerland)
```
America/New_York
```
(US Eastern)
```
America/Los_Angeles
```
(US Pacific)
```
Europe/London
```
(UK)
```
Australia/Sydney
```
(Australia)

Critical importance:

All appointment times are stored and displayed in this timezone
Changing timezone affects how existing appointments display
Must be set before scheduling appointments

Where it's used:

All date/time displays in the app
Appointment scheduling
Calendar view
Reports
Patient reminders

Tips:

Set this first before scheduling any appointments
Only change if practice physically relocates to a different timezone
Test thoroughly after any timezone change

Point Multiplier

What it is: Multiplier for loyalty/rewards programs.

Example:

```
1.5
```
means points are worth 1.5× normal value
```
null
```
(empty) means no multiplier

Where it's used:

Loyalty program calculations (if enabled)
Patient rewards tracking

Tips:

Leave empty if not using loyalty programs
Consult your rewards program documentation for correct value

Currency

What it is: The currency used for all financial transactions.

Options:

CHF (Swiss Franc)
EUR (Euro)
USD (US Dollar)

Where it's used:

Treatment pricing
Invoices
Payment records
Financial reports
All currency displays throughout the app

Tips:

Must match your local currency for accounting accuracy
Changing currency doesn't convert existing prices (only changes display)
Set correctly from the start to avoid confusion

Date Format

What it is: How dates are displayed throughout the application.

Options:

| Format | Example | Common In | |--------|---------|-----------| |

dd.MM.yyyy

| 31.12.2024 | Switzerland, Germany, Austria | |

MM/dd/yyyy

| 12/31/2024 | United States | |

yyyy-MM-dd

| 2024-12-31 | ISO standard, technical contexts | |

d MMMM yyyy

| 31 December 2024 | Formal documents, UK |

Where it's used:

Calendar displays
Appointment dates
Reports
Patient records
All date fields throughout the app

Tips:

Choose format familiar to your staff and patients
Be consistent with regional standards
Cannot mix formats (applies everywhere)

Time Format

What it is: How times are displayed throughout the application.

Options:

| Format | Example | Common In | |--------|---------|-----------| |

HH:mm

| 14:30 | 24-hour format (Europe, military time) | |

h:mm a

| 2:30 PM | 12-hour format (US, UK) |

Where it's used:

Appointment times
Calendar time slots
Opening hours displays
Time pickers

Tips:

Choose format familiar to your staff
24-hour format eliminates AM/PM confusion
12-hour format may be more intuitive for patients

Section 5: Opening Hours

Define when your practice is open for appointments.

Overview

Set opening and closing times for each day of the week. The calendar uses these hours to:

Determine visible time range in calendar views
Validate appointment scheduling
Control online booking availability
Display practice hours to patients

How It Works

Day-by-day configuration:

Monday through Sunday
Each day can have different hours
Can mark days as closed
Support for multiple time slots (e.g., close for lunch)

Time format validation:

Must use HH:mm format (e.g., 09:00, 14:30)
Closing time must be after opening time
Times must be valid (00:00 to 23:59)

Common Schedules

Standard Monday-Friday Practice

Monday:    08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday:   08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday:  08:00 - 17:00
Friday:    08:00 - 17:00
Saturday:  Closed
Sunday:    Closed

Practice with Extended Hours

Monday:    09:00 - 18:00
Tuesday:   09:00 - 18:00
Wednesday: 09:00 - 20:00  (late night)
Thursday:  09:00 - 18:00
Friday:    09:00 - 17:00
Saturday:  09:00 - 13:00  (half day)
Sunday:    Closed

Practice with Lunch Break (Multiple Time Slots)

Monday:    08:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
Tuesday:   08:00 - 12:00, 13:00 - 17:00
...

Setting Opening Hours

Step-by-step:

Navigate to Organisation Settings > Practices
Select your practice
Scroll to Opening Hours section
For each day:
- Click the day to edit
- Set opening time (HH:mm format)
- Set closing time (HH:mm format)
- Add additional time slots if needed (for lunch breaks)
Click Save

Validation Rules

| Rule | Example | Error Message | |------|---------|--------------| | Closing after opening | Open: 09:00, Close: 08:00 | "Closing time must be after opening time" | | Valid time format | Open: 9am, Close: 5pm | "Invalid time format, use HH:mm" | | No overlap in slots | 08:00-13:00, 12:00-17:00 | "Time slots cannot overlap" |

Impact on Other Features

Calendar:

Calendar view shows time range from earliest opening to latest closing
Can schedule appointments only within opening hours
Closed days appear grayed out

Online Booking:

Patients can only book during opening hours
Closed days don't show available slots
Lunch breaks (gaps) are not bookable

Appointment Validation:

System prevents scheduling outside hours
Error shown if attempting to book when closed

Team Schedules (Team Hub):

Individual practitioners can have hours within (or narrower than) practice hours
Cannot set practitioner hours outside practice hours

Tips for Setting Hours

Set realistic hours - Don't extend hours for "just in case" - affects calendar display
Account for buffer time - If you need cleanup time, end hours 15-30 min after last appointment
Lunch breaks - Use multiple time slots to block lunch period
Consistency - Try to keep regular hours for patient expectations
Seasonal changes - Update hours if you have summer/winter schedule changes
Closed days - Explicitly mark closed days rather than setting 00:00-00:00

Section 6: Closures

Mark dates when your practice is closed for holidays, vacations, maintenance, or special events.

Overview

Closures prevent appointment scheduling during blocked periods and appear on the calendar as unavailable time.

Use closures for:

National holidays (e.g., Christmas, New Year)
Practice vacations (full staff away)
Facility maintenance or renovation
Staff training days
Emergency closures

Don't use closures for:

Individual practitioner absences (use Team Hub > Practitioner Absence instead)
Regular lunch breaks (use Opening Hours with multiple time slots)

Fields

| Field | Type | Required | Description | |-------|------|----------|-------------| | Reason | Text | Yes | Description of why practice is closed | | Start Date | Date | Yes | First day of closure (today or future) | | End Date | Date | Yes | Last day of closure (must be ≥ start date) | | All Day | Toggle | Yes | If true, entire day(s) closed; if false, specify times | | Start Time | Time | Conditional | Required if "All Day" is off | | End Time | Time | Conditional | Required if "All Day" is off |

Adding a Closure

Step-by-step:

Navigate to Organisation Settings > Practices
Select your practice
Scroll to Closures section
Click Add Closure
Fill in:
- Reason: e.g., "Christmas Holiday", "Office Renovation"
- Start Date: First day closed
- End Date: Last day closed (can be same day)
- All Day: Toggle on for full-day closures, off for partial
- Times (if not all-day): Specify start and end times
Click Save

Examples

Full-Day Holiday

Reason: Christmas Holiday
Start Date: 2024-12-25
End Date: 2024-12-25
All Day: Yes

Multi-Day Vacation

Reason: Summer Vacation
Start Date: 2024-07-15
End Date: 2024-07-26
All Day: Yes

Partial-Day Closure

Reason: Staff Training
Start Date: 2024-03-15
End Date: 2024-03-15
All Day: No
Start Time: 13:00
End Time: 17:00

(Practice open in morning, closed for training in afternoon)

Emergency Closure

Reason: Emergency Facility Repair
Start Date: 2024-02-10
End Date: 2024-02-10
All Day: Yes

Validation Rules

| Rule | Error Message | |------|--------------| | End date must be ≥ start date | "End date must be on or after start date" | | Closure must be today or future | "Cannot create closures in the past" | | End time must be > start time (if not all-day) | "End time must be after start time" | | Reason is required | "Closure reason is required" |

Managing Existing Closures

View closures:

Listed in chronological order
Shows reason, dates, and times
Indicates if closure is all-day or partial

Edit closure:

Click the closure in the list
Click Edit
Modify fields
Click Save

Delete closure:

Click the closure in the list
Click Delete
Confirm deletion

Note: You can delete or edit any closure, including past ones, but you cannot create new past closures.

Impact of Closures

Calendar:

Blocked time appears as unavailable on calendar
Color-coded to distinguish from regular appointments
Visible to all staff members

Appointment Scheduling:

Cannot create appointments during closures
System shows error if attempting to book
Drag-and-drop onto closures is prevented

Online Booking:

Closed dates don't show available slots
Patients cannot book during closures

Existing Appointments:

System shows count of impacted appointments (if any exist during closure period)
Warning displayed when creating closure that conflicts
Existing appointments are NOT automatically canceled (must handle manually)

Best Practices for Closures

Add closures early - Mark holidays at start of year to prevent accidental bookings
Clear reasons - Use descriptive reasons staff and patients understand
Communicate to patients - Notify patients well in advance of closures
Check conflicts - Review existing appointments before adding closure
Recurring holidays - Add annually (no auto-repeat, must manually add each year)
Use correct tool - Practice-wide closures here, individual practitioner time off in Team Hub

Common Closure Workflows

Annual Holiday Schedule

At the start of each year:

List all known holidays for the year
Add each as a closure with clear reason
Communicate holiday schedule to patients
Update as needed if plans change

Planned Vacation

When planning vacation:

Decide vacation dates
Check for existing appointments in that period
Contact affected patients to reschedule
Add closure with reason "Summer Vacation" or similar
Update staff schedule and coverage

Emergency Closure

For unexpected closures:

Add closure immediately with reason
Review appointments scheduled during closure
Contact patients to cancel/reschedule urgently
Post notice on website/phone message
Remove closure once reopened (or edit end date if reopening sooner)

Practice-Wide Settings Impact

How Settings Flow Through the System

Practice Settings
  ├─ Timezone → All date/time displays
  ├─ Currency → All pricing and financial displays
  ├─ Date/Time Format → All calendar and report displays
  ├─ Opening Hours → Calendar range, booking availability
  └─ Closures → Appointment blocking, calendar display

Critical Settings (Set First)

Before scheduling any appointments:

✓ Timezone - Affects all appointment times
✓ Currency - Affects all pricing
✓ Date/Time Format - Affects all displays
✓ Opening Hours - Affects calendar and booking

Can be updated anytime:

Contact information
Address
VAT rate
Closures (add/remove as needed)

Permissions

Who Can Edit Practice Settings

Only users with practice management permissions can edit these settings.

Typical roles with edit access:

System Administrators
Practice Owners
Practice Managers
Office Managers (in some configurations)

Permission breakdown by section:

| Section | Permission Required | |---------|-------------------| | General, Contact, Address, Settings |

practice:update

| | Opening Hours |

practice:update

| | Closures |

practice_closures:create

practice_closures:update

practice_closures:delete

If You Can't Edit

You won't see the "Edit" button
Contact your system administrator
Your role may need practice management permissions added

Validation & Safeguards Summary

The system automatically prevents:

| What It Prevents | Why | |-----------------|-----| | Closing time before opening time | Invalid hour ranges | | Closure end date before start date | Invalid date ranges | | Past closures | Cannot retroactively block time | | Invalid time format | Ensures consistent data | | Scheduling outside hours | Prevents appointment conflicts | | VAT rate outside 0-100% | Invalid tax calculations |

Troubleshooting

"Cannot save opening hours"

Possible causes:

Closing time is before opening time
Invalid time format (must be HH:mm)
Time slots overlap

Solution: Check each day's times and ensure closing > opening, use 24-hour format.

"Closure is in the past"

Cause: Start date is before today Solution: Closures must be today or future. Use current or future dates.

"IBAN format is invalid"

Cause: IBAN doesn't match expected pattern Solution: Verify IBAN with your bank. Enter digits and letters only (spaces added automatically).

"Timezone change affected appointments"

Cause: Existing appointments display in new timezone Solution: Review appointments after timezone change. Times are stored correctly but display shifts.

"Calendar doesn't show full day"

Cause: Opening hours restrict visible time range Solution: Calendar shows from earliest open to latest close. Extend hours if needed.

Organisation Settings - Overview of all settings tabs
Organisation - Organisation-level settings
Calendar - How practice settings affect the calendar

Quick Reference Checklist

Initial Practice Setup:

[ ] Set practice name
[ ] Add contact information (phone, email)
[ ] Enter physical address
[ ] Set timezone (critical!)
[ ] Choose currency
[ ] Choose date and time formats
[ ] Configure opening hours for each day
[ ] Add known holidays/closures

Regular Maintenance:

[ ] Review hours quarterly
[ ] Update closures for upcoming holidays
[ ] Verify contact information is current
[ ] Check VAT rate if tax laws change
[ ] Confirm address if you move locations

Before Major Changes:

[ ] Backup/document current settings
[ ] Notify staff of upcoming changes
[ ] Plan transition timing (off-hours if possible)
[ ] Review impact on appointments and bookings

Overview

Quick Reference

Section 1: General Information

Fields

Field Details

Practice Name

Legal Name

Tax ID

IBAN

VAT Rate

Section 2: Contact Information

Fields

Field Details

Phone

Email

Website

Section 3: Address

Fields

Where It's Used

Tips for Address Entry

Section 4: Settings

Fields

Field Details

Timezone

Point Multiplier

Currency

Date Format

Time Format

Section 5: Opening Hours

Overview

How It Works

Common Schedules

Standard Monday-Friday Practice

Practice with Extended Hours

Practice with Lunch Break (Multiple Time Slots)

Setting Opening Hours

Validation Rules

Impact on Other Features

Tips for Setting Hours

Section 6: Closures

Overview

Fields

Adding a Closure

Examples

Full-Day Holiday

Multi-Day Vacation

Partial-Day Closure

Emergency Closure

Validation Rules

Managing Existing Closures

Impact of Closures

Best Practices for Closures

Common Closure Workflows

Annual Holiday Schedule

Planned Vacation

Emergency Closure

Practice-Wide Settings Impact

How Settings Flow Through the System

Critical Settings (Set First)

Permissions

Who Can Edit Practice Settings

If You Can't Edit

Validation & Safeguards Summary

Troubleshooting

"Cannot save opening hours"

"Closure is in the past"

"IBAN format is invalid"

"Timezone change affected appointments"

"Calendar doesn't show full day"

Related Documentation

Quick Reference Checklist