This guide is for front desk staff, office managers, and technicians. Your role in Doctora centers on the schedule and encounter tracking---making sure appointments are flowing correctly and doctors have what they need. Setup takes about 10 minutes.
1. Sign in with your invitation link
You should have received an email invitation from your doctor or office manager. Click the link to create your account and sign in at app.doctora.io. During onboarding, select your role (receptionist, tech, optician, or office manager) so Doctora shows you the right interface.
Tip: Staff accounts do not include recording or EHR write features---those are doctor-only. You will not see encounter editing or "Send to EHR" controls.
2. Review the dashboard
After signing in, your dashboard shows:
- Today's Schedule --- the day's appointments pulled from your EHR, with patient names and appointment times
- Quick stats --- total patients for the day, how many are in progress, and how many are completed
- Setup progress --- a checklist showing which configuration steps are done (this is mostly for the doctor, but it helps you know if the system is fully set up)
Tip: The dashboard updates in real time. As doctors start and complete encounters, you will see appointment statuses change without refreshing the page.
3. Check the schedule view
Click Schedule in the sidebar to open the full calendar view. This shows appointments synced from your EHR across day, week, or multi-day views. You can customize the display using the Settings button (bottom-right corner) to adjust visible hours, working hours, and color themes.
How your schedule syncs depends on which EHR your practice uses:
- Cloud-based EHRs (RevolutionEHR, Eyefinity): Appointments sync through the Doctora Chrome extension. The extension reads your schedule whenever the EHR is open in a Chrome tab. A colored status dot appears on the EHR page---green means connected and syncing.
- Local/server-based EHRs (CrystalPM, OfficeMate): Appointments sync through the Doctora Windows Desktop Agent, which runs on one of your office computers. The agent connects directly to your EHR's local server in the background---no browser tab is needed. Check the Doctora icon in the Windows system tray to confirm the agent is running---green means connected.
If you do not see today's schedule, check the relevant sync method: make sure Chrome has the EHR open with the extension active, or that the computer running the Doctora agent is powered on and the agent shows a green icon in the system tray.
Tip: The schedule view is read-only---it mirrors what is in your EHR. Any changes to appointments should be made in your EHR directly, and they will sync to Doctora automatically.
4. Understand encounter statuses
Each appointment in Doctora can have an associated encounter (the clinical documentation). Here is what each status means:
| Status | What it means | |---|---| | No encounter | Appointment exists but the doctor has not started documenting yet | | In Progress | Doctor is actively recording or the system is processing audio | | Ready for Review | AI has generated the clinical notes; doctor needs to review | | Pending EHR Write | Doctor approved the notes; waiting to be sent to the EHR | | Completed | Notes have been successfully written to the EHR |
Tip: If a doctor asks "where is my encounter?"---check this status. Most issues come from an encounter stuck in "Ready for Review" because the doctor has not opened it yet.
5. Know how to help doctors with common issues
Here are the most frequent questions you may get and how to handle them:
Schedule and connection issues:
- "My schedule is not showing up" (extension practices) --- Make sure Chrome is open, the Doctora extension is installed, and the EHR is loaded in a tab. Look for the colored status dot on the EHR page. Try refreshing the EHR page and waiting a few seconds.
- "My schedule is not showing up" (agent practices) --- Check the Doctora icon in the Windows system tray. Green means connected; yellow or red means there is a connection issue. Try right-clicking the tray icon and selecting "Restart." If the icon is missing, open the Doctora Desktop Agent from the Start menu.
Encounter issues:
- "An encounter is stuck" --- Check the encounter status on the dashboard. If it says "Ready for Review," the doctor needs to open and review it. If there is a genuine error, contact support.
- "How do I re-record?" --- The doctor can start a new recording on the same encounter. Previous recordings are preserved.
For anything outside these scenarios, use the Help Center (see step 7) or contact support.
6. Learn the appointment workflow
Doctora pulls appointments from your EHR automatically---you do not need to enter them again. The typical daily flow is:
- Morning: Confirm the schedule synced by checking the dashboard. All of today's appointments should appear. For extension practices, make sure Chrome has the EHR open. For agent practices, make sure the agent computer is on and showing a green tray icon.
- During the day: Monitor encounter statuses as doctors see patients. No action needed from you unless something looks stuck.
- End of day: Completed encounters will show a "Completed" status, meaning notes are in the EHR.
If your practice uses Doctora's AI receptionist for phone calls, incoming appointment requests may also appear. Your office manager can provide details on that workflow if it applies.
7. Familiarize yourself with the Help Center
Click the help icon in the sidebar to open the Help Center panel. It has searchable articles covering common workflows, troubleshooting, and feature explanations. There is also a "What's New" section that highlights recent updates.
Tip: Bookmark the Help Center mentally as your first stop for questions. It is available from any page and does not interrupt your current workflow.
What to expect day to day
Your interaction with Doctora is mostly passive---keeping an eye on the schedule and encounter flow. The system is designed so doctors handle their own documentation workflow. Your main value is being the first line of support: confirming the schedule is syncing, knowing what encounter statuses mean, and escalating real issues to support when needed.