When you move to a paid plan, the Atlacare team checks that your clinic is a real practice before you can send messages you've written yourself, such as campaigns and Atla Flow emails. It's a quick, one-off check, and your appointment confirmations and reminders keep working the whole time.
Why we do it
Every email goes out from Atlacare's sending address, and every text comes from the sender name "Atlacare". Checking each new clinic protects patients from fake messages and keeps Atlacare emails trusted by Gmail, Outlook and the other inbox providers. That's what makes your reminders and confirmations land in the inbox rather than in spam.
What we check
We look for the things any genuine practice has:
- A practice address, such as the address of your clinic in Settings → Locations.
- An online presence, such as your website or Google Business profile.
- A professional registration number, such as your HCPC, GOsC or GCC number.
You can help us finish faster by adding your registration number to your profile. Go to Settings → Team, click Edit profile next to your name and fill in Registration number. Make sure your location has its full address too.
How long it takes
Usually within one working day of your payment. We check by hand, so if you pay late on a Friday or at the weekend it may be the next working day. You don't need to do anything to start the check. It begins as soon as your payment goes through.
What works before you're verified
From day one, on a paid plan:
- Appointment confirmations and reminders, by email, and by text if text messages are on.
- Sign-in links for you, your team and your patients' portal.
- Everything else in Atlacare: your calendar, patient records, clinical notes, invoicing, online booking and the patient portal.
Until you're verified, these are paused:
- Campaigns, by email or text.
- Atla Flow messages: emails and texts you've written yourself, such as a welcome email for new patients.
Nothing you set up is lost. You can build campaigns and flows while you wait, and they're ready to go once you're verified.
Your first 30 days after verification
For the first 30 days after you're verified, messages you write yourself (campaigns and Atla Flow emails) are limited to 30 a day. After that, your plan's normal limits apply. Appointment confirmations and reminders don't count towards the 30, so they always go out.
This gives a new clinic a steady start and keeps Atlacare's sending reputation healthy for everyone. If you need to send more in your first month, for example to tell your existing patients you've moved to Atlacare, spread it over a few days or get in touch.
Your clinic name is fixed for the first 30 days
For 30 days after you sign up, you can't change your clinic name, the clinic name shown in texts, or your public page address, so nobody can take over a new account and rename it to look like a bank. If you need one changed sooner, contact support from the Help icon (?) and we'll do it for you.
Rules for clinic names and page addresses
Your clinic name goes out on every email and text, so a few rules apply when you set or change it:
- English letters only. Use the letters A to Z (accented letters such as é, â or ŵ are fine, so "Siân Physio" works), numbers, spaces and ordinary punctuation like & ' - . , ( ). Names in other alphabets, emoji and symbols can't be used.
- No NHS, bank, government or brand names, and no words like "free", "refund", "prize" or "verify". These are what fake messages use. "Freeman Physio" or "Winchester Osteopathy" are fine; "Free Physio" or "NHS Physio" aren't. If you're genuinely affiliated with an organisation, contact support and we'll sort it out.
- Your public page address needs something of your own. A single general word such as "physio", "clinic" or "leeds" can't be an address on its own, but "physio-leeds" or "bridge-gate-physio" is fine. When you sign up we pick an address from your clinic name, and you can change it later in Settings → Public page.
What about the Free plan?
The Free plan doesn't send campaigns, Atla Flow emails or texts, or forms, so there's nothing to verify. The standard emails still go out on Free: booking confirmations, appointment reminders and sign-in links. Verification starts when you upgrade.
If it's taking a while
If you've been waiting longer than a working day, contact us from inside Atlacare. Click the Help icon (?) in the top bar and send us a message from the bottom of the help centre. Tell us your clinic name and, if you have one, your website or registration number. Please don't include any patient information.