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Search Front Desk (⌘K)

Click Search Front Desk in the top bar, or press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) or /. Type part of a name, a phone number in any format, or a full email address to find a client, their next and recent appointments, their text thread and their calls. Use ↑ and ↓ to move and Enter to open. Start with a verb to act instead of open: "call jane" calls Jane, "text 469-555-0142" starts a text, "book smith" opens booking for them. Type a day ("tomorrow", "friday", "9/26") to open the calendar there and see that day's appointments, or a list name ("unconfirmed", "cancelled this week", "missed calls", "voicemail", "unread") to jump to it already filtered. "go" and a page name ("go phone", "go team") opens any page or setting. If nobody matches, Enter on "Add … as a new client" opens the new client form filled in. Type ? for every tip and shortcut.

Updated September 24, 20263 min read

Search Front Desk sits at the top of every page. It finds anyone and anything on file, and it is the quickest way to call, text or book someone, or to get to any page, without reaching for the mouse.

Open it by clicking the search bar, or press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) from anywhere, or / when you are not typing in a box.

Find a client

Type part of a name (first, last, the name they go by, or both in either order), a phone number in any format, or a full email address. Results come in groups:

  • Clients with their date of birth, phone and email, and a Discharged or Prospective label when it applies. The buttons on the right call, message or book them.
  • Appointments: their next visits first, then the most recent past ones, with the date, time, provider and status.
  • Messages: their text or secure-message thread with the last message.
  • Calls: calls to and from them, missed and voicemail marked.
  • Providers whose name, title or specialty matches.

Move with ↑ and ↓ and press Enter to open the highlighted row, or click it. See all opens the full page with your search already applied.

Nobody matches? The last row, Add "…" as a new client, opens the new client form with the name, phone number or email already filled in.

Do things from the keyboard

Start with a verb and search acts instead of just opening:

TypeWhat Enter does
call janeCalls Jane (her number goes straight to the dialer)
text jane or message janeOpens her text thread, or a new message to her
book janeOpens the booking form with Jane already picked
call 469-555-0142Calls that number, client or not
text 469-555-0142Starts a text to that number

A phone number on its own also offers Call and Text rows at the top.

Jump to a day or a list

  • A day: today, tomorrow, friday, next week, 9/26 or sep 26 open the calendar on that day (or week) and list its appointments right in search. Add a name (jane friday) to see only hers.
  • A list, already filtered: unconfirmed (Confirmations), cancelled, no-shows, needs reschedule and completed (Appointments list), missed calls and voicemail (Call Logs), unread, needs reply and secure (Inbox). Add a day where it makes sense: unconfirmed tomorrow, cancelled this week.

Go to any page or setting

Type the page name, or go and the name: go phone, go team, go services, intake forms, voicemail greeting, subscription. go on its own lists every page and setting. Pages you do not have (like Website, when the website builder is off) are not listed.

Shortcuts

KeysDoes
⌘K / Ctrl+KOpen or close search
/Open search (when not typing)
⌘G / Ctrl+GOpen search ready to go to a page
⌘B / Ctrl+BBook an appointment
⌘M / Ctrl+MSend a message
⌘/ / Ctrl+/Show all tips and shortcuts
↑ ↓, Enter, EscMove, open, close

⌘B, ⌘M and / only work when you are not typing in a box, so ⌘B still means bold in a note. Type ? in search at any time for the full list.

Frequently asked questions

How do I open search?
Click Search Front Desk in the top bar (Search… on a phone), or press ⌘K (Ctrl+K on Windows) from anywhere, even while typing. When you are not in a text box, / opens it too. Esc closes it.
Can I search by phone number?
Yes, typed any way: (469) 555-0142, 469-555-0142, 4695550142 or just the last digits. A complete number also offers Call and Text rows at the top, so you can call or text someone who is not a client yet.
Can I search by email or date of birth?
Email yes, if you type the whole address (jane.doe@example.com); client emails are stored encrypted, so part of an address will not match. Date of birth is not searchable, but it shows next to every client in the results so you can tell two people with the same name apart.
Why does a client show Discharged or Prospective?
Search still finds discharged and prospective clients (inactive records are left out) and labels them, so you know before you call or book.
What happens when I press Enter?
The highlighted row opens: a client's chart, an appointment on the calendar on its own day, a text thread in the inbox, a call's details, or a provider's calendar. After "call …", "text …" or "book …", Enter does that instead. If you press Enter before the results have loaded, the top result opens as soon as they arrive.
Which appointments show when I search a name?
Their next upcoming appointments first, then the most recent past ones, each with the date, time, provider and status. See all opens the Appointments list with the search already applied.
Is there a keyboard shortcut to add a client?
Type "new client" (or a name that is not on file) in search and press Enter. Browsers keep ⌘N / Ctrl+N for opening a new window, so FrontDesk does not use it; the + button in the top bar also opens the new client form.
Where do recent searches come from, and who can see them?
Recent and Frequently Opened list what you opened from search. They are kept on the server for you, in the account you are working in, so they follow you to another computer and nothing is left behind on a shared one. Remove one with its ×, or Clear all.
Does search cover every location?
It searches the location you are working in (the one shown in the location picker). Switch locations to search another.

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