Glossary of Terms

Interactive Voice Response

IVR

Our automated phone system that helps direct your call or answer simple questions.

Marketing Email

marketing email

Promotional emails about offers, news, and updates (only sent with your permission).

Recall / Follow-up Reminder

recall

A friendly reminder we send when it's time to schedule your next appointment.

Text Message (SMS)

SMS

Text messages we send to your phone for reminders and updates.

Transactional Email

transactional email

Automatic emails like appointment confirmations and receipts.

CASL (Anti-Spam Law)

CASL

Canadian law that requires your permission before we send you marketing emails.

HIPAA

US healthcare privacy law that sets standards for protecting your health information.

Informed Consent

informed consent

The form you sign confirming you understand your treatment, including what to expect and any risks.

Protected Health Information

PHI

Your private health and treatment information that we are legally required to protect.

PIPEDA

Canadian privacy law that protects your personal information.

Client Acquisition Cost

CAC

Our investment in reaching new clients like you through advertising and outreach.

Client Lifetime Value (CLV/LTV)

client lifetime value

The long-term relationship we build with you as a valued client over many visits.

Client Credit / Account Balance

credit

Money or treatment value stored on your account for future use.

Pre-Authorization / Deposit

pre-authorization

A deposit or card hold that secures your appointment time, often applied to your final payment.

Customer Relationship Management

CRM

A system that helps us keep track of our communications and relationship with you.

Digital Signage

digital signage

The screens in our clinic that display information, promotions, and educational content.

Key Performance Indicator

KPI

Measurements we track to ensure we're providing the best possible service and value.

Treatment Package

package

A bundle of treatments purchased together at a savings, used over multiple visits.

Practice Management System

PMS

The system we use to manage appointments, billing, and daily operations.

Point of Sale

POS

The system we use to process your payments and purchases.

Rebooking Rate

rebooking rate

How often clients schedule their next visit - a sign of satisfaction with their experience.

Utilization Rate

utilization rate

How fully booked our schedule is - we aim to have availability while minimizing wait times.

DKIM (Email Signing)

DKIM

A digital signature that proves our emails are authentic.

DMARC (Email Authentication)

DMARC

Security technology that ensures emails from us are genuine and not from imposters.

Mobile Device Management

MDM

Security software that protects the devices we use to serve you.

SPF (Email Sender Policy)

SPF

A security setting that tells email providers which servers are allowed to send email on our behalf.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL/TLS)

SSL

Security technology that encrypts your data when you use our website (shown by the padlock icon).

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

two-factor authentication

An extra security step that protects your account by requiring both your password and a code sent to your phone.

SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

SPF (Sun)

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor — a number on sunscreen that tells you how much UVB protection it offers. SPF 30 blocks about 97%% of UV rays, and SPF 50 blocks about 98%%. No sunscreen blocks 100%%, and all sunscreens need to be reapplied every 2 hours. Look for "broad spectrum" on the label to ensure protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

UV Index (Ultraviolet Index)

UV Index

A number from 0 to 11+ that measures how strong the sun's UV rays are at a given time. The higher the number, the faster unprotected skin can burn. In Ottawa, UV is highest in June and July (7-8) and lowest in winter (1-2). Even on cloudy days, UV rays reach the ground — so daily sunscreen is recommended year-round.

Application Programming Interface

API

A way for different software systems to talk to each other and share information automatically.

Content Delivery Network

CDN

A network of servers that helps our website load faster for you, no matter where you are.

Content Management System

CMS

The system we use to manage and update our website and digital content.

Domain Name System

DNS

The system that lets you type our website name instead of a string of numbers.

DNS Records

DNS records

Every website has a domain name (like ivonne.ca), and DNS records are the behind-the-scenes settings that make it all work. You will almost never see them, but they are the reason typing a website name takes you to the right place. There are a few common types: one tells the internet where your website lives, another tells it where to deliver your email, and another lets you prove to services like Google that you actually own the domain. If you have ever been asked to "update your DNS" or "add a record" when setting up a website, email, or online tool — that is what they are talking about. You usually change them through whoever you bought your domain from (like GoDaddy or Google Domains).

Geolocation

geolocation

Technology that determines your approximate location to provide relevant local information.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace is Google's business suite that gives your team professional email using your own domain (e.g., you@yourbusiness.com), shared calendars, cloud file storage with Google Drive, video meetings with Google Meet, and tools like Docs and Sheets — all managed from one place. It replaces the need for separate email hosting, file servers, and collaboration tools.

Identity Provider

IdP

The system that manages your work login. When you sign in to your work email and that same login lets you access other work apps automatically, that's your identity provider doing the work behind the scenes. Think of it as the master key system for your organization.

Internet of Things

IoT

Smart devices like our automated lighting and climate control that enhance your experience.

Middleware / Integration Layer

middleware

Behind-the-scenes software that helps our different systems talk to each other.

OAuth

A secure way to connect different online accounts without sharing passwords.

Optical Character Recognition

OCR

Technology that reads text from photos or scanned documents automatically.

Rate Limit

rate limit

A limit on how quickly systems can exchange information.

Responsive Design

responsive design

Website design that automatically adjusts to look great on your phone, tablet, or computer.

Software as a Service

SaaS

Online software that we subscribe to rather than install on our computers.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website easier for Google and other search engines to find, understand, and recommend to people searching for what you offer. It includes things like having the right words on your pages, making sure your site loads quickly, and keeping your Google Business Profile accurate and up to date.

Data Synchronization

sync

The automatic sharing of information between our different systems to keep everything up to date.

Virtual Private Server

VPS

A dedicated portion of a powerful computer in the cloud that runs our systems.

Webhook

webhook

An automatic notification that instantly tells our other systems when something happens.