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Claiming and Running Sessions

Learn how to pick up a new customer request, send the scheduling link, confirm payment, and mark the session complete.

Before You Begin

  • You must have the Trainer role to claim requests. If you only have the Organizational Admin role, the Claim This Request button will not appear.
  • Make sure your availability schedule is set up before your first claim. Customers can only choose from time slots you have opened. See Setting Your Availability.

How the Flow Works

When a customer submits a request, Ordinatus matches it to every trainer whose skills fit the request. Each matching trainer receives an email with a link to review and claim the request. The first trainer to click Claim This Request wins it; the system uses a database lock to ensure only one trainer can claim a given request. If another trainer claims it a moment before you, you will see a message telling you it has already been taken.

Once you claim a request, the rest of the flow is:

  1. You review the customer details and send them a scheduling link.
  2. The customer picks a time slot and pays.
  3. You confirm payment on your dashboard and a calendar event is created.
  4. You run the session, then mark it complete.

Step 1: Get Notified About a New Request

When a new request that matches your skills arrives, you will receive an email with the subject New request available. The email includes a direct link to the request detail page.

You can also see all unclaimed requests at any time by logging in and going to your Dashboard — they appear in the New Requests table at the bottom of the page.

Trainer dashboard showing the New Requests table with unclaimed requests and View buttons

Step 2: Review the Request

  1. Click View in the New Requests table, or click the link in the notification email.
  2. The Request Details page shows:
  3. The customer's name, email address, and phone number (if provided).
  4. Their answers to the intake form (for example, topic area, preferred timeframe, description of their issue).
  5. The session type assigned to this request.
  6. The current status of the request.

Take a moment to review all of the details before claiming. Once you claim a request, it is yours to manage through to completion.

Request Details page showing customer information, form answers, and the Claim This Request button

Step 3: Claim the Request

  1. On the Request Details page, click Claim This Request.
  2. Ordinatus locks the request at the database level. If another trainer claims it at the same moment, you will see a message: "This request has already been claimed by another trainer." In that case, go back to the dashboard to find another request.
  3. If your claim succeeds, the page refreshes and the status changes to Claimed by Trainer. The request now appears in your My Requests table on the dashboard.

Note: You can also optionally change the Session Type before sending the scheduling link. The session type controls pricing and the session lengths offered to the customer. A dropdown appears on the Request Details page when a change is allowed. If the automatically assigned session type already looks right, you do not need to change it.

After claiming, you are responsible for inviting the customer to choose a time slot.

  1. From the Request Details page (or by clicking View in the My Requests table on your dashboard), confirm the status reads Claimed by Trainer.
  2. Click Send Scheduling Link.
  3. Ordinatus generates a secure, time-limited link and sends it to the customer by email.
  4. The status changes to Customer Scheduling and the page shows when the link was sent.

If the customer does not respond, you can click Resend Scheduling Link at any time to send a fresh link.

Request Details page with Claimed by Trainer status and the Send Scheduling Link button

Step 5: Wait for the Customer to Book

After you send the link, the customer:

  1. Opens the email and clicks the scheduling link.
  2. Picks an available time slot from the calendar (slots are drawn from your availability schedule).
  3. Chooses a session length if more than one is offered.
  4. Pays online.

While the customer is in this process, the request status on your dashboard reads Customer Scheduling, then moves to Pending Payment once the customer has selected a slot and initiated checkout.

You do not need to do anything during this step — Ordinatus handles the booking and payment flow on the customer side.

Step 6: Confirm Payment

Once the customer completes payment, the booking appears in the My Upcoming Sessions table on your dashboard with the status Pending Payment.

  1. Go to your Dashboard.
  2. Find the booking in My Upcoming Sessions.
  3. Click Confirm Payment next to the booking.
  4. The status changes to Confirmed and Ordinatus:
  5. Sends a confirmation email to the customer with the date, time, and session details.
  6. Sends you a confirmation email (if you have opted in to those notifications).
  7. Creates a calendar event on your connected Google or Outlook calendar (if you have one connected).
  8. Creates a Zoho Assist remote session (if the organization uses Zoho Assist for delivery).

My Upcoming Sessions table showing a booking with Pending Payment status and the Confirm Payment button

Note: In the current version, payment confirmation is a manual step. After you click Confirm Payment, Ordinatus verifies the payment internally and advances the booking to Confirmed.

Step 7: Run the Session

Before the session starts, check your dashboard for the session link.

  • If the organization uses Zoho Assist for remote sessions, a Open in Zoho Assist link appears in the Session link column of the My Upcoming Sessions table. Click it to join as the technician.
  • If the organization uses a different delivery method (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, phone, or a manual link), the method is shown in that column. Use your organization's standard process to connect with the customer.

Step 8: Mark the Session Complete

After the session ends, mark it complete so your payout is recorded and the customer receives a feedback request.

  1. Go to your Dashboard.
  2. Find the booking in My Upcoming Sessions. The Mark Complete button appears once the session's end time has passed.
  3. Click Mark Complete.
  4. The booking status changes to Completed and the request is closed.

My Upcoming Sessions table showing a confirmed session that has ended, with the Mark Complete button

Tips

  • Act quickly on new requests. All eligible trainers receive the same notification email at the same time. The request goes to whoever claims it first.
  • Check your availability before claiming. If your schedule has no open slots in the near future, the customer will see an empty calendar and will not be able to book. Update your availability first. See Setting Your Availability.
  • Resend the scheduling link if the customer goes quiet. On the Request Details page, click Resend Scheduling Link to generate a fresh link and send another email. The previous link is invalidated automatically.
  • The scheduling link expires. The customer's link is valid for a limited time set by your organization. If it expires before the customer books, resend it.
  • Your calendar is updated automatically. If you have connected Google Calendar or Outlook, a calendar event is created when payment is confirmed. You do not need to add it manually.

Troubleshooting

The Claim This Request button does not appear.

Your account may not have the Trainer role in this organization. Check with your Organizational Admin to confirm your role. Pure Organizational Admin accounts cannot claim requests.

I see "This request has already been claimed by another trainer."

Another trainer submitted their claim a moment before you did. Return to the Dashboard to view other available requests in the New Requests table.

The customer says the scheduling link does not work.

The link may have expired. Go to the Request Details page and click Resend Scheduling Link to issue a new one.

No slots appear when the customer opens the scheduling link.

Your availability schedule may not have any open windows in the next two weeks, or a blackout date may be covering the period. Check your schedule and blackouts in the availability section. See Setting Your Availability.

The Confirm Payment button is missing.

The Confirm Payment button only appears for bookings with a Pending Payment status. If the booking already shows Confirmed, payment has already been confirmed. If the booking shows a different status, contact your Organizational Admin.

The Mark Complete button is not showing.

The button appears only after the session's scheduled end time has passed and the booking is in Confirmed status. If the end time has passed and the button is still missing, try refreshing the page.