Paperless patient intake and bookings for South African practices
Replace paper forms with a simple QR code or link. Patients complete their information and book online, appointment reminders go out by WhatsApp and email on their own, and everything lands neatly in your practice dashboard.
No credit card required · EFT billing available · Built for South African practices
The old way vs Welcome Desk
Front-desk paperwork slows everyone down. Here's what changes when patients arrive with their information already captured.
The old way
- Paper forms handed over on arrival
- Reception captures details manually
- Medical aid cards re-scanned every visit
- Reception phones each patient to remind them
- Empty slots when someone cancels late
- Filing cabinets full of loose paper
With Welcome Desk
- Patients complete a QR code or link before arrival
- Every submission lands neatly in your dashboard
- Reminders go out by WhatsApp and email on their own
- Patients confirm, reschedule or cancel themselves
- A freed slot can be offered to your waiting list
- POPIA-aware consent captured with every form
How it works
Up and running in an afternoon
Four simple steps from sign-up to a paperless front desk.
- 1
Share your QR code or link
Print your QR code for the front desk, or send your unique link over WhatsApp or email.
- 2
Patient completes the form
Patients fill in their details on their own phone or computer, no app to download.
- 3
Patient books or requests a time
Patients can request a time that suits them, or book an open slot directly, right in the same form.
- 4
Your team works from one dashboard
Submissions and bookings arrive in your secure dashboard, and reminders go out automatically.
Features
Everything your front desk needs
Patient intake, bookings and the follow-up that usually eats your reception's morning.
Patient intake
- Mobile-friendly patient information form, no app to download
- Unique QR code and link for your practice, and one per appointment type
- Add your own fields and questions, per appointment type if you like
- SA ID numbers fill in the date of birth automatically
- Digital signature, ID and medical aid card uploads
- Your own contract and consent wording, recorded with every submission
Bookings and calendar
- Online booking with your real availability, hours and closures
- Each practitioner can have their own duration per appointment type
- Block out lunch, meetings or leave straight from the calendar
- Double-booking and clash warnings before you save
- Patients confirm, reschedule or cancel from their reminder
- Waiting list offers reserve the slot until the patient approves, then it frees itself
Reminders that run themselves
- Appointment reminders by WhatsApp and email, in your sending hours
- One-tap confirm and reschedule buttons on WhatsApp
- Recall reminders when a patient is due, or import your recall report and let it run
- No-show follow-ups, post-visit thank-yous and a daily check-in email
- Patients choose how they may be contacted, and every message honours it
- Every message logged on the booking, with the exact wording it carried
Your patient list
- One profile per patient: forms, visits, messages and history together
- Create patients at the desk with the same fields as your form
- Import your existing list from a spreadsheet, keeping every column, with undo
- Re-imports show the duplicates so nothing doubles up
- Duplicate detection and a merge you can reverse
- Print, PDF and Excel exports of exactly the list on screen
Security and access
- ID numbers masked on screen, revealed only with a password and logged
- Two-step login with an authenticator app
- Choose what reception staff can see, download, and whether they see the access log
- A record of who opened which patient file, and when
- Deactivate a team member in one click: no login, no seat, calendar hidden
- Your records are never deleted, and always exportable
Running the practice
- See where your bookings come from: QR code, link or WhatsApp
- No-show and conversion figures for the month
- Team accounts with roles, and practitioners set up in the same step
- See exactly what every automated message says before any are sent
- EFT billing with proof of payment upload, and downloadable invoices
- Setup checklist so nothing is left half configured
The waiting list
A cancellation fills itself
No more phoning down a list and hoping. When a slot opens, Welcome Desk does the rounds for you.
- 1
A slot frees up
A patient cancels or reschedules, online or at the desk.
- 2
The right patient is offered it
Matched on the times and practitioner they asked for, or first in line for as-soon-as-possible.
- 3
The slot is reserved
Held in your calendar while they decide, for as long as you choose. Nobody else can take it.
- 4
Booked, or released
One tap and it books itself. No answer? The hold lapses, the slot frees up, and they move to a follow-up list so nobody is forgotten.
Privacy and security
Patient information, handled properly
You are the responsible party for your patients' information. Welcome Desk is built so that responsible handling is the default, not something you have to remember.
Consent captured every time
Every form records the patient's consent to process their information, stored with the submission and shown alongside it. Your own POPIA wording, not ours.
Two-step login
Require an authenticator app code as well as a password. Enforced on patient data at the database level, so it cannot be skipped by going straight to a page.
You decide what staff can see
Reception may need to book appointments without downloading the whole patient list. Turn viewing, exporting and insights on or off for staff accounts.
A record of who looked
Practice admins can see which staff member opened which patient file and when, which is the first question any complaint or HPCSA query starts with.
Kept separate from other practices
Each practice's information is isolated in the database itself, not just hidden in the interface. A forged link or ID returns nothing.
Your records stay yours
Export to Excel, CSV or PDF whenever you like. Nothing is deleted if you cancel, and we email you a private download link before your account closes.
Read our privacy policy for how information is processed, who our processors are, and your rights under POPIA.
Pricing
Simple monthly pricing
No setup fees. No annual lock-in. Cancel any time.
Starter
R499,00/month
Best for solo practitioners and small practices getting started with digital intake.
- ✓ Up to 3 user seats
- ✓ Unlimited digital intake forms
- ✓ Reusable QR code and intake link
- ✓ Share by QR code, WhatsApp or link
- ✓ Online booking and practice calendar
- ✓ Appointment reminders by email
- ✓ PDF and Excel export
- ✓ Digital signatures and POPIA consent
- ✓ Two-step login and access log
- ✓ Email support
Growth
R899,00/month
For growing practices with multiple practitioners who need more capacity and flexibility.
- ✓ Up to 10 user seats
- ✓ Everything in Starter
- ✓ WhatsApp reminders with confirm and reschedule buttons
- ✓ Recall reminders, no-show follow-ups and daily digest
- ✓ Multiple practitioners, appointment types and working hours
- ✓ Practice-editable contracts and consent wording
- ✓ Your own questions on the intake form
- ✓ Document uploads (ID, medical aid card)
- ✓ Patient list import, duplicate merge and insights
- ✓ Priority support
Enterprise
R1 499,00/month
For large clinics and groups that need unlimited capacity, integrations, and a guaranteed SLA.
- ✓ Unlimited user seats
- ✓ Everything in Growth
- ✓ Custom integrations (on request)
- ✓ Dedicated account manager
- ✓ SLA guarantee
- ✓ Onboarding assistance
- ✓ Priority phone support
All plans include a 7-day free trial. No credit card required at sign-up.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is Welcome Desk POPIA compliant?
Welcome Desk is built POPIA-aware: every form captures the patient's consent, information is stored privately and is only accessible to your practice through signed-in, secured access. Your practice remains the responsible party for its own POPIA obligations, so we recommend confirming your overall compliance with your own advisor, but we've designed Welcome Desk to make responsible information handling the default.
How do patients get the form?
Each practice gets a unique link and QR code. Patients scan the QR code at your front desk or on your printed materials, or open the link you send them via WhatsApp or email.
Do patients need to download an app?
No. The form opens in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer, nothing to install, no account needed.
Do you send appointment reminders?
Yes, and you don't have to remember to. Reminders go out by WhatsApp and email the day before, with buttons the patient can tap to confirm or pick a different time. You can also switch on recall reminders when a patient is due for their next visit, no-show follow-ups, and a daily email listing the day's appointments. Each one can be turned off on its own if it doesn't suit your practice.
Can patients change or cancel their own appointment?
Yes. Their reminder includes a link to pick another open time, and the booking moves rather than a second one being created. If a patient cancels and you keep a waiting list, you can offer the freed slot to the next person.
Can I bring my existing patient list across?
Yes. Import from a spreadsheet, preview what will be created before anything is saved, and undo the whole import if it doesn't look right. Welcome Desk also flags likely duplicates and lets you merge them, and that merge can be reversed too.
How secure is it, and who can see patient information?
Only your team can sign in, and each practice's information is isolated from every other practice at the database level. You can require two-step login with an authenticator app, decide exactly what reception staff may view and download, and see a record of who opened which patient file and when.
How does billing work?
Billing is by EFT. You pay your monthly subscription to our bank account using your practice's payment reference, then upload your proof of payment on your billing page. We confirm it and you're all set, and you can download an invoice for each payment.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. There's no lock-in contract, you can cancel whenever you like and you won't be billed for the next month. Your access runs to the end of the period you've paid for, and your patient records are never deleted: you can export them at any time, and we email you a private download link before your account closes.
Which practices is Welcome Desk for?
Welcome Desk works for optometry, dental, general medical (GP), physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, speech therapy, dietetics, aesthetics, wellness and other healthcare practices across South Africa.
Ready to say goodbye to paper forms?
Set up your practice in minutes and start your 7-day free trial today.
No credit card required · Cancel anytime