Frequently asked questions

The questions we hear most. If yours isn't here, write to us — we add to this list every month.

Getting on the system

How long does it take to set up a new clinic?

Fifteen minutes for the account itself. Another 30 minutes for staff, chairs and the procedure catalogue. WhatsApp takes 15–30 minutes depending on your Meta Business Account. If you have an Excel of existing patients, we can bulk-import overnight.

Do I need to install anything?

No. SmileDesk runs in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. Any laptop, desktop, or tablet from the last five years is fine. There is no mobile app — the web app is responsive down to phone-size, but a receptionist on a tablet or laptop is the expected setup.

Does it work offline?

No. SmileDesk is cloud-first — a stable internet connection is required. If your fibre goes down, mobile hotspot to any 4G phone works. We do not build for extended-offline use because reconciling conflicting edits from three receptionists across three offline sessions is a category of bug we refuse to ship.

Money and pricing

Why no GST?

Because dental services are exempt from GST in India (Notification 12/2017-Central Tax (Rate), Sl. No. 74). Adding a tax field encourages people to charge tax they shouldn't. The medical store is stock-tracking only, not a sales channel, so there's no place GST would apply.

Are invoice numbers global or per clinic?

Per clinic, starting at INV-0001. Different clinics on SmileDesk never share a numbering sequence.

Can I edit an issued invoice?

No — line items and prices freeze on issue. This is deliberate for audit and DPDP reasons. If a mistake was made, cancel the invoice (the number stays in the sequence as void) and issue a corrected one.

Why doesn't insurance count towards Paid immediately?

Because insurers can take 30–90 days to actually settle, and quite a few claims get partially rejected. If pending insurance counted as Paid, your Outstanding number would lie. Insurance stays pending until you mark it settled — see the Billing page.

Data

Who owns the data?

You do. The clinic's data belongs to the clinic. SmileDesk is a processor under DPDP; we operate the system, you own the records. You can export everything as CSV / xlsx any time from the Reports page and per-entity screens.

What happens if I cancel my subscription?

Your data is preserved in read-only mode for 90 days so you can export what you need. After that we permanently delete it — that too is a DPDP requirement. You get an email at day 60 and day 80 reminding you.

Where is my data stored?

In India, on servers operated by Poruz Systems. Backups are also inside India. We do not transfer clinical data outside the country.

How often is it backed up?

Every hour, with a 30-day rolling window of restore points. Off-site backup daily. We test restore quarterly.

Migrating from something else

Can you import from Dentrix / Practo / an in-house Excel?

From Excel and CSV, yes — we have templates for patients, procedures and past invoices. From closed systems like Dentrix, we can usually work with an export. Send us a sample and we'll tell you honestly what will and won't come across.

Will my old invoice numbers be preserved?

We can seed the invoice sequence at your last-used number so new invoices continue from there. Old invoices imported as history keep their original numbers with a legacy flag.

WhatsApp

Do patients need WhatsApp Business too?

No. Patients receive messages on their normal WhatsApp. Only the sender (your clinic number) is registered as a Business number with Meta.

Can I use my personal number as the clinic WhatsApp?

Technically yes, but we don't recommend it. You'll lose personal WhatsApp on that number, and every incoming reply lands in the clinic's Messages tab, not your phone.

What if a patient replies to a reminder?

Replies land in Messages. They are visible to any staff member with appointments:read. There's no auto-reply — a person needs to see and respond within the 24-hour session window.

Compliance

Is SmileDesk DPDP-compliant?

Yes. We store data in India, log every access in the audit trail, support export and deletion on request, and never sell data to third parties. Consent for WhatsApp is explicit and revocable per patient. See our DPDP compliance page for the specifics.

Is it HIPAA-compliant?

HIPAA is a US law and does not apply to Indian clinics. SmileDesk is designed for India — DPDP is the relevant regulation.

Do you have a Data Processing Agreement?

Yes — every clinic gets one at onboarding. It covers the DPDP processor / fiduciary relationship, breach notification timelines, and export/deletion on request.

Support

How do I reach a human?

Email support@poruz.com or call +91 81441 40140. Business hours are 09:00–19:00 IST, Monday to Saturday. Critical outages get a response 24×7 through the same channels.

Will you build a feature I need?

Ask. We build what real clinics ask for. If it's specific to one clinic we may say no; if three clinics ask for the same thing, it's usually on the roadmap within a quarter.