We frequently get workflow and technical questions about Updox Video Chat. We wanted to put together a FAQ guide to help you find answers to your questions easily.
Invitations
- What are the two types of Video Chat invitations?
- Invite recipients into a Video Chat waiting room
- Invite recipients to participate in a Video Chat session (this must be sent when the provider is ready to connect with the patient. Recipients have 10 minutes to join the chat.
- What will be the default setting for the invitations?
- The invitation will default to whatever was last selected by the user. If it is the first time or cache has been cleared, the default will be “Open chat with recipient upon send.”
- Does the invitation link become invalid after the recipient clicks on it once?
- No, this link will become invalid once the provider starts the Video Chat. Clicking on the link does not make the link invalid.
- Can a user cancel a sent invitation?
- Yes, a user may cancel an invitation if the participant has not yet joined the waiting room. The user will need to notify the participant directly when canceling as this does not send a notification to the participant. The participant will see an error page if they attempt to access a canceled link, letting them know the provider canceled the invitation.
Video Chat Logistics & Waiting Rooms
- What is a waiting room?
- These are rooms dedicated to specific Video Chat users. Users may see multiple participants in their waiting room, but participants will not see each other. The provider or user view of the waiting room will display the patient or recipients’ names, contact methods (email or text), when the invitations were sent, whether they have joined the waiting room successfully and how long they have been in the waiting room. The patient or participant view of the waiting room will display a message letting them know they are checked in, the chat will start soon, and to not close or leave the screen. Participants will not be aware of other participants in a user’s waiting room.
- These are rooms dedicated to specific Video Chat users. Users may see multiple participants in their waiting room, but participants will not see each other. The provider or user view of the waiting room will display the patient or recipients’ names, contact methods (email or text), when the invitations were sent, whether they have joined the waiting room successfully and how long they have been in the waiting room. The patient or participant view of the waiting room will display a message letting them know they are checked in, the chat will start soon, and to not close or leave the screen. Participants will not be aware of other participants in a user’s waiting room.
- Can waiting room invites be scheduled for a specific time?
- Not at this time, though we are considering this for a future enhancement.
- Not at this time, though we are considering this for a future enhancement.
- How far in advance can a Video Chat user send a link for the waiting room to a participant?
- Links to a waiting room invitation will expire after 48 hours.
- Links to a waiting room invitation will expire after 48 hours.
- Can other users send invites on behalf of another user for participants to join their waiting room?
- Yes. Navigate to the waiting room tab and select the waiting room for the participant. The person who owns the waiting room must grant you access to their waiting room before you can do this. To grant someone access to your waiting room, launch the video chat page, click “settings” on the top right hand corner of your screen, and enter the name of the person who needs access to your waiting room.
- Yes. Navigate to the waiting room tab and select the waiting room for the participant. The person who owns the waiting room must grant you access to their waiting room before you can do this. To grant someone access to your waiting room, launch the video chat page, click “settings” on the top right hand corner of your screen, and enter the name of the person who needs access to your waiting room.
- Does the user need to be logged into Updox for a participant to join their waiting room?
- No, participants may join a user’s waiting room any time as long as the link is not expired (within 48 hours of sending).
- No, participants may join a user’s waiting room any time as long as the link is not expired (within 48 hours of sending).
- Can users view other waiting rooms (ex. MA viewing a provider’s waiting room)?
- Not at this time, but that is something our development team is working on.
- Not at this time, but that is something our development team is working on.
- Will the waiting room display appointment times?
- Not at this time, though we are considering this for a future enhancement.
- Not at this time, though we are considering this for a future enhancement.
- What happens if the participant navigates away from or closes the browser window of the waiting room while waiting for the user to start the chat?
- The participant should remain on the waiting screen until the session is over to prevent a lost connection.
- The participant should remain on the waiting screen until the session is over to prevent a lost connection.
- What if a patient cancels, reschedules, or no shows after an invitation was sent?
- The user has the ability to remove the invitation that appears in the waiting room, or the invitation will automatically expire and be deleted from the waiting room after 48 hours.
- The user has the ability to remove the invitation that appears in the waiting room, or the invitation will automatically expire and be deleted from the waiting room after 48 hours.
- How does a user start a Video Chat session from the waiting room?
- Once a participant has successfully passed pre-flight, the “Start Video Chat” option will appear by their name.
- Once a participant has successfully passed pre-flight, the “Start Video Chat” option will appear by their name.
- What happens to a user’s waiting room while they are in an active Video Chat session?
- The waiting room will not be viewable while the user is in an active Video Chat session, but participants may still join the waiting room.
- The waiting room will not be viewable while the user is in an active Video Chat session, but participants may still join the waiting room.
- Will we ask for the participant’s name if the invite was not sent from the address book?
- No, though we are considering this for a future enhancement.
Device Testing
- What happens if the device test fails?
- There are two device tests. One is for the Video Chat user or provider. The other is for the Video Chat recipient or patient. Both tests review the compatibility of the camera, microphone, browser, and operating system.
- For the user or provider, green check marks will indicate a passed test. If a red X appears, click on "My Device" in the upper right corner of the Video Chat for more information.
- For the recipient or patient, green check marks will also indicate a passed test, and they are then placed into the waiting room or directly into the Video Chat room. If a red X appears, they will not be able to connect. The most likely scenarios are because they did not enable microphone or camera or may need to restart their device, and they would have to do so. The participant may refresh their mobile browser to receive the prompt for access again.
- There are two device tests. One is for the Video Chat user or provider. The other is for the Video Chat recipient or patient. Both tests review the compatibility of the camera, microphone, browser, and operating system.
Miscellaneous
- What happens if the connection is dropped or either the user or participant navigates away from or closes the browser window of an active Video Chat?
- A new invitation must be sent. Our recommendation is that a “connect now” link be sent in this case
- A new invitation must be sent. Our recommendation is that a “connect now” link be sent in this case
- Is it possible to use a virtual background in my Updox video chat sessions?
- Not currently but the development team knows the Updox community is interested in this functionality.
- Not currently but the development team knows the Updox community is interested in this functionality.
- Is it possible to invite several people to a video chat with a patient? For example, I want to invite an interpreter and my patient’s guardian to join their visit.
- Yes! You can select up to three participants to join a video chat.
- Yes! You can select up to three participants to join a video chat.
- Is it possible to use a template for documentation in the video chat summary page?
- Not at this time but our developers know this is important to Updoxxers.