Test your scheduler

After setting up Acuity, go through the scheduling process as if you were a client to verify everything’s working the way you want. This guide explains how to find your scheduler, how to book appointments that require payment, and how to delete your test appointments when you're done. You can also follow these steps to test purchasing a package. 

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Book a test appointment

Follow these steps to schedule a test appointment from your scheduling page. 

Step 1 - Create a test coupon

If you haven’t integrated with a payment processor and aren’t collecting payment during booking, you can skip this step. Otherwise, start by creating a test coupon that you'll use to book free test appointments. Don’t share this code, and review our steps to delete your test client and test coupon after you’re done testing.

To create a coupon code for testing:

1. In Acuity, click Appointment Types.
2. Click Coupons, then click New Coupon for Appointments.
3. Enter a code of your choice.
4. Set the discount to 100 percent.
5. Use the This Can Be Used dropdown menu to select Unlimited Uses.
6. Use the Code Applies To dropdown menu to select Any Appointment Type.
7. Keep Doesn't Expire selected in the Expiration field. 
8. Click Save Coupon.

Step 2 - Find your scheduler

If you’ve embedded your scheduler in a website, go to that page on the website, as if you were a client.

If you haven’t embedded your scheduler, find your general scheduling page link:

1. In Acuity, click Scheduling Page, then click Link.
2. In the General Scheduling Page section, click the link.

Step 3 - Schedule a test appointment

To schedule a test appointment, go through the scheduler as if you were a client, choosing an appointment type, date and time. Depending on your settings, you might also choose a calendar, or select an add-on.

We recommend giving your test client an email address that you can check, but which is different from the email address where you already receive Acuity notifications.

And we recommend picking a date and time for the test appointment that are farther in the future than your earliest automated reminder email. So if your clients get their first automated reminder 12 hours before their appointment, schedule your test appointment more than 12 hours in the future.

If you’re collecting payment during booking, use your test coupon to cover the cost of your appointment.

Step 4 - View your test appointment

After you’ve created your test appointment, open the Acuity panel to verify everything works the way you want. View your test appointment in the Acuity calendar and in the client list to experience how both work.

To open your appointment in the Acuity calendar:

1. In Acuity, click Calendar.
2. Click the test appointment to view the appointment details.

To open your appointment in the client list:

1. In Acuity, click Clients.
2. Click the name you used to book your test appointment to open the client profile.
3. Click the test appointment to view the appointment details.

Step 5 - View your automated notifications

After you've booked your test appointment, you can review the automated notifications for both you and your client.

Ensure you're logged into the email address you used when creating your test client to view client notifications. In your inbox, you'll find the client-facing confirmation message. As the appointment approaches, then passes, you'll receive any reminder and follow-up messages you've enabled.

You can also check your usual email inbox to review the internal notifications Acuity will send for each appointment.

Step 6 - Cancel your test appointments

When you’re done testing, cancel all of the test appointments you scheduled. If you're working with Acuity Scheduling Customer Support to troubleshoot an issue, you can find the canceled appointment on the client's profile. To cancel the appointment:

1. In Acuity, click Calendar. 
2. Click the test appointment on the calendar. 
3. Click Cancel, then click Cancel Appointment.

To remove the client profile and all associated appointments:

1. In Acuity, click Clients.
2. Click the name you used for testing to open your client profile.
3. Click Delete, type DELETE when prompted, then click Ok.

Note: Deleting a test client profile deletes all of the test appointments, so if you need to troubleshoot an issue with an appointment with Acuity Scheduling Customer Support, it's recommended to cancel the test appointment instead of deleting the test client profile. 

Step 7 - Delete your test coupon

If you didn’t create a test coupon, you can skip this step

To delete your test coupon:

1. In Acuity, click Appointment Types.
2. Click Coupons, then click your test coupon.
3. Click Delete Coupon, then click OK.

Buy a test package 

When you buy a test package, you'll receive an email with the package code that you can then use to book a test appointment. 

Step 1 - Create a test coupon for the package

If you've integrated with a payment processor and need to collect payment, create a test coupon that you can use to book free test appointments. If you're not collecting payments, you can skip this step.

To create a coupon code for testing: 

1. In Acuity, click Packages, Gift Certificates, and Subscriptions. 
2. Click Coupons, then click New Coupon for Packages. 
3. Enter a code of your choice.
4. Set the discount to 100 percent.
5. Click the This Can Be Used dropdown menu and select Unlimited Uses.
6. Under Code Applies To, click Select All. 
7. Keep Doesn't Expire selected in the Expiration field. 
8. Click Save Coupon. 

Step 2 - Buy a test package

To use your coupon to buy a test package from your scheduler:

1. In Acuity, click Scheduling Page, then click Link.
2. In the General Scheduling Page section, click the link.
3. Click Select next to Gift Certificates, Packages, and Subscriptions and add the package to your cart. 
4. Enter your information, then apply the test coupon code. 
5. Click Complete Order. 

You'll receive an email that includes the package code, which you can use to schedule a test appointment.

Step 3 - Delete the test package order

When you're done testing, you should delete the test package order:

1. In Acuity, click Packages, Gifts, and Subscriptions.
2. Click View Orders, then select your test package order
3. In the top-right, click Delete, then click Ok.

You can also delete your test coupon if you don't need to use it for any other testing. 

Test your payment processor

To test the payment processor you’ve integrated with Acuity, you’ll need to make an actual payment, then send yourself a refund. Your payment processor will charge a fee for the transaction, which won’t be refunded.

Follow the steps above, but instead of creating a coupon good for 100 percent off, create a $ discount coupon that deducts all but $2 of the appointment cost. Processing a charge of $2 will minimize the fees you pay while ensuring the amount is large enough to be accepted by all payment processors.

Then, when you’re reviewing the appointment details, click the arrow next to the payment notation to be taken to the payment details in your payment processor. Issue yourself a refund in the payment processor. After you’ve triggered the refund, complete the final steps, deleting your coupon and deleting your client information and canceling your appointment.