Feature Request: Appointment Cancellation Workflow for AI Receptionist

Product: AI Receptionist
Feature Area: Appointment Booking / Cancellation Management

Request:
Enhance AI Receptionist to support a complete Appointment Cancellation Request workflow that allows customers to request cancellation even when they do not provide a phone number, while keeping the original appointment unchanged until the cancellation is reviewed and confirmed by the clinic.

Requested Workflow

When a customer asks to cancel an appointment, AI Receptionist should:

State the cancellation policy
Inform the customer that at least 24 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule an appointment.

Collect appointment information
Ask for:

Customer/patient name
Appointment date and time
Appointment type
Phone number, if available

Phone number should not be mandatory. The cancellation request should still be processed if the customer does not provide a phone number.

Offer rescheduling options
Before proceeding with the cancellation request, offer the customer the first three available appointment slots.
Confirm the cancellation request
If the customer still wants to cancel:
Read back the appointment date and time.
Confirm the appointment type.
Ask for the cancellation reason.
Confirm that the customer wants to submit the cancellation request.

Create a separate cancellation calendar
AI Receptionist should create a separate Cancellation Requests calendar/event rather than modifying the original appointment.

The cancellation request should contain:

Original appointment date and time
Appointment type
Customer/patient name
Phone number, if provided
Cancellation reason
Status: Pending Cancellation Confirmation

The original appointment should remain unchanged.

Cancellation request notifications
Once the cancellation request is created, the system should provide confirmation through the available contact method:

SMS, when a phone number is available.
Email, when an email address is available.
Ideally, allow the administrator to configure whether SMS, email, or both should be used.

The confirmation should clearly state that the cancellation request has been received and is pending clinic confirmation.

Notify the assigned user/clinic staff
Send an email notification to the assigned user or designated clinic staff member whenever a cancellation request is submitted.

The notification should include the appointment details and cancellation reason so the assigned user can review and take the appropriate action.

Important Business Rules
AI Receptionist should not directly cancel or modify the original appointment.
The original appointment should remain intact until an authorized clinic user reviews the request.
A phone number should not be required to submit a cancellation request.
The system should support email and/or SMS confirmation depending on the available customer contact information.
Cancellation requests should be clearly separated from regular appointments through a dedicated Cancellation Requests calendar or calendar category.
Assigned users should receive an email notification when a cancellation request is submitted.
Expected Benefit

This enhancement would allow AI Receptionist to handle appointment cancellation requests more effectively while preventing accidental changes to existing bookings. It would also provide clinic staff with a centralized cancellation-request workflow and ensure both the customer and assigned staff member receive confirmation of the request.