Streamlining Appointment Booking with UiPath

In today's fast-paced world, efficiency and speed are of the essence, especially when trying to book appointments for essential services. The frustration of encountering limited slots and website timeouts can be a common experience, and it often feels like a race against time. However, with the power of automation using UiPath, this problem can be significantly alleviated. In this blog, we will explore how I successfully automated the appointment booking process using UiPath, addressing the challenges of limited availability and timeouts.

The Problem

The problem at hand was to book appointments through a website with a scarce availability of slots. To make matters more challenging, the website had a timeout feature, forcing users to restart the process every 30 minutes. When a slot did become available, it led the user to a different page displaying a calendar. Ideally, once the calendar is available, the user should be immediately notified, allowing them to book the appointment and complete the payment manually.

The Solution

To tackle this issue, I employed UiPath's Web Recording feature, which allowed me to automate the process step-by-step. Here's a breakdown of how I approached this problem;

Web Recording:

The project starts by using the Web Recording feature in UiPath to record the steps of navigating to the appointment booking website. This includes logging in if required and reaching the appointment booking page.

Element Exist and Delay:

After reaching the appointment booking page, UiPath employs activities like "Element Exist" or "Image Exist" (Known as check app state in modern design) to check if the appointment slots are available. If the slots are not available, the automation introduces a "Delay" activity, effectively waiting for a certain period (e.g., 10 minutes) before rechecking the slot availability.

Retry Scope and Refresh:

To address the issue of session timeouts, the automation employs a "Retry Scope" activity after every 30 minutes once the appointment booking page pops up. Additionally, the "Refresh" element is used to refresh the page, ensuring that the user stays connected to the website.

Click and Delay:

Once the appointment slots become available or after a certain number of attempts, the automation uses the "Click" activity to select an available slot and proceeds with the booking process. If there are time-bound steps during the booking process, the "Delay" activity is used to wait before moving on to the next step.

Exception Handling:

Exception handling is an integral part of the automation process. The "Try Catch" activity is employed to catch exceptions and handle them appropriately. If an exception occurs, the automation can be programmed to retry the process or send notifications to the user.

Notification:

When an appointment slot becomes available, the automation can send an email notification to the user, ensuring that the user is alerted in real-time.

Benefits

Our UiPath automation transformed the way we booked appointments. No longer did we need to sit in front of the computer, constantly refreshing the page, and hoping to secure a slot. Instead, we could rely on our automation to do the work for us, notifying us when the time was right. Here are some of the key benefits;

Time Efficiency:

Automation significantly reduces the time and effort required for repetitive tasks, ensuring that the scarce slots are quickly seized when they become available.

Consistency:

Automation ensures that the process is executed consistently and without errors, reducing the likelihood of manual mistakes.

24/7 Availability:

With automation, the process can run continuously, even during the 30-minute timeouts, ensuring no appointment opportunities are missed.

Error Handling:

Automation can handle errors and exceptions effectively, allowing for a seamless booking experience.

Notifications:

UiPath can be configured to send notifications (pop-up messages, emails, or text messages) when an appointment slot becomes available, enabling users to act promptly.

In conclusion, automating the appointment booking process using UiPath has not only solved a common problem but has also improved our overall efficiency and satisfaction. With the right tools and strategy, you can streamline complex and time-sensitive tasks, making life just a little bit easier.

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Able P Abraham

S7, Computer Science and Engineering

College Of Engineering, Aranmula

APJ Abdul Kalam University