Hi @RegentStreet85 
I just wanted to share a few options we’ve heard on our side from other practices.
When it comes to taking deposits without them being automatically absorbed by existing balances, there’s a simple tweak in Dentally you can use: just switch off the automatic explanation of payments in Settings → Practice → Other → Payments before you take the deposit. That way, the deposit sits as unallocated credit and won’t be swallowed by old invoices . dEDITED OUT FOR CLARITY]
As for charging a fee for missed appointments, the most common approach is to add a dedicated chart item, something like “Missed Appointment Fee”, and then generate an invoice for that item when the patient fails to attend. Since Dentally doesn’t yet support an automatic GoCardless pull for one-off fees, you’ll usually need to either process the fee in person with a card terminal or send the patient a payment link via Stripe so they can pay online (3-D Secure is handled automatically). You’ll see the option to send a Stripe payment link right from the Account screen once you’ve invoiced the fee; patients can click through and settle the balance even if they never return in person .
Of course, the best way to reduce failed-to-attend episodes is to prevent them in the first place. Most practices send an SMS reminder around 48 hours before an appointment and again two hours before, it really does make a difference. You can then pull an Appointments report filtered to “Did Not Attend” with no future booking and send a follow-up SMS en masse to those patients to encourage them to rebook . If someone repeatedly misses without notice, you could consider disabling their ability to book online until they’ve paid a deposit, which adds a small deterrent and prompts them to call the practice directly.
Hope that helps! I’m really keen to hear what other practices are doing too!
Ah thanks @Saymon, i will have a look at it.
It does seem a lot of work having to go through the appt book each day to start allocating payments to invoices so that the dentists get paid accurately but I will look at it.
Your other option of clicking the deposit box is not available on my system, I have no tick box
Hi @RegentStreet85!
Apologises for the confusion, I’ve edited my response above. Our team is actually working on another workflow enhancement with deposits and it’s going to be released in beta very soon! 
I hope that clears things up. I’ll update the post if I hear any other tips. Rest assured that our team is aware that the current experience is not optimal and they’re working hard on improving it!
Hi @RegentStreet85
We disabled automatic explanation, as it was causing confusion allocating deposits.
Once the invoice has been generated, our reception team explain any deposits against this invoice and then look at the invoice total (not the total in the top right corner) when asking for payment. Once the balance has been taken it is then explained against the invoice. It becomes a very quick process.
Hi @Saymon
I am looking forward to the deposit workflow enhancement.
