Practice Setup
Send onboarding forms automatically from Cliniko
Book a new client in Cliniko and your onboarding forms go out to them on their own, without anyone pressing Send.
5 steps · 4 min read
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Automatic sends require Professional and the AU/NZ Cliniko integration. The US/Canada Cliniko connection is results-only and does not offer new-client onboarding sends; new connections have a separate patient-import choice.
Before you start
- Professional and the AU/NZ Cliniko automation rail are required. US/Canada does not offer new-client onboarding sends.
- Connect the intended Cliniko account and prepare the active pathway or forms first.
Step 1: Open Automatic sends
You
Open Settings, Integrations, Cliniko, then Automatic sends. The New clients row has Edit. Progress rules are separate rows created with Add a rule; they do not need to be on for onboarding.
What you should seeAutomatic sends has a New clients row with Edit, beside the separate progress-rule list.
Step 2: Choose what starts it, and what goes out
You
Under "Send the forms to new clients", choose when they go out. The recommended setting is when their first appointment is booked, because a booking is the point you know the client is real. "As soon as they're added to Cliniko" catches every new client sooner, but adding clients in bulk can send to many at once. Under "What they receive", pick your intake pathway, or choose "Specific forms" and select up to three. Then press Save. Nothing happens until you do.
What you should seeThe New clients controls name when it runs and what they receive. Save commits the changed configuration.
If this looks different
A deleted or inactive pathway has a specific refusal. Choose an available pathway or Specific forms.
Step 3: Read the practice’s check and send times
Automatic
Read the check times and timezone printed in Automatic sends. The AU/NZ rail checks twice daily at the displayed local times. Pathway links go out at a check; measure check-ins found there use the next hourly send in the displayed window. This is polling, so a new booking does not arrive instantly. To look straight away, press Check Cliniko now under New clients: it runs the same check for your practice only, and is unavailable for a few minutes around each scheduled check.
What you should seeThe list and card state their last check and provider timing. Selection without Save starts nothing.
Step 4: The client gets one email with their own link
The patient
The client gets an email link for the configured forms. Their identifying details come from the connected practice software, so registration is skipped for this automated send. Submitted records are matched to the linked client.
What you should seeThe configured onboarding forms are requested for a linked person; registration is skipped for that automated send.
Step 5: Recent activity shows what went out, and what did not
You
Read Recent activity for sent requests and specific skips, including already having forms, a missing email or an unresolved patient match. Correct the named problem before the next check. Some recoverable onboarding skips can be reconsidered during the replay window; an already completed request is not sent twice.
What you should seeRecent activity distinguishes sent, held and skipped outcomes. A missing email or unresolved match is stated rather than hidden.
Frequently asked questions
Does turning registration off stop results reaching Cliniko?
Turning registration off does not disable your configured assessment-result delivery. Notes and PDFs still follow your Cliniko sync settings; registration answers are not collected or written back while it is off. For AU and NZ practices, a consent signed before a Cliniko link exists is picked up for delivery when assessment sync or registration automatically links the client. Importing or manually linking a patient does not backfill consents. US/Canada keeps its separate results connection; this AU/NZ consent catch-up does not apply there. Check the client’s record to confirm delivery.
Will my existing client list get forms when I turn this on?
No. Only clients and bookings dated after you pressed Save are considered, and the card prints the date it was switched on so you can see that for yourself.
Why does it not send the moment a client is created?
This connection polls for new clients and bookings. Read the local check times in Automatic sends. A booking does not cause an instant request; pathway delivery and scheduled measure dispatch have different clocks.
What if the client already completed forms through my onboarding link?
They are skipped. The card lists the skip and names the reason, so nobody gets the same forms twice.
Can I send specific forms instead of my whole intake pathway?
Yes. Choose "Specific forms" under What they receive and pick up to three from your active library.
Should I also send when a client is added to Cliniko, not just booked?
Only if you need it. Adding clients in bulk, such as an import, can send to many at once, which is why the booking option is the recommended one.
Does the client need an account?
The patient opens their portal link and its available request without a ClientForms account or app.
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