Rehearse booking cutover and recovery
Inventory existing bookings, links and automated messages before testing the replacement provider with synthetic appointments. Define which system owns each record during rehearsal, cutover and recovery. Import totals cannot establish that rescheduling, reminders or cancellation still work, so include those customer transitions in the acceptance plan.
Worked example — illustrative data.
| Phase | Acceptance task | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | List future bookings, customer links and messages | Operations |
| Rehearsal | Create/change/cancel synthetic appointment | Scheduling owner |
| Data check | Reconcile required fields and status | Migration owner |
| Cutover | Switch only approved routes and instructions | Release owner |
| After switch | Verify receiver, reminder and recovery behavior | Operations |
| Rollback | Known trigger and old-provider responsibility | Decision owner |
Record which provider owns each appointment before and after the transition. Define how bookings arriving during the move are handled and how customers with older links obtain support. Verify current export/import and cancellation capabilities with both providers before making promises. Keep the old service available until the agreed acceptance conditions pass and its retirement is authorized. Use approved communication for affected customers rather than improvising a mass message.
Inventory links already sent to future customers
Choose one future appointment and trace its original confirmation, reminder and change link before switching providers. Decide which system remains authoritative for that booking and how a later cancellation reaches it. Include calendar invitations and customer account links in the check. If the old link cannot work after cutover, agree a supported recovery route before changing the website button.
Decision: Hold cutover until the synthetic normal, change and failure paths agree with the appointment record. Agree the actual change and any customer communications with the responsible owner before cutover.
Old reminders can retain retired rescheduling links: An old reminder can send a customer to a retired rescheduling link even when the appointment itself was imported correctly. Include future automated messages in the inventory, not just website buttons.
Can I cancel the old provider once the new button works?
Keep the old service until its outstanding bookings, messages, payment dependencies and recovery duties have an approved disposition. A working new booking button does not settle existing appointments or links already delivered to customers.
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