# Client alerts and patch tests > Flag allergies and anything the team must know in red on every booking, and get a warning when a client is due a patch test. Source: https://docs.fullcolumn.com/clients/alerts-and-patch-tests A client alert is a short warning that follows the client everywhere in FullColumn, in red: "Allergic to PPD – use ammonia-free", "Pregnant", "Sensitive scalp". Patch test tracking warns you when you book a colour service for someone whose last skin test is too old. ## Adding an alert to a client 1. Open the client's profile and choose **More → Edit details** (or **Edit** on the **Details** card). 2. Type the warning in **Alert**: allergies, sensitivities, anything the team must know. 3. Press **Save**. Keep it short and to the point: an alert holds up to 300 characters, and the box stops there, with how many you've used under it. Longer background belongs in the client's **Notes** or on the **Formulas & notes** tab. To change or clear an alert, edit the **Alert** box the same way. Everyone on the team can add and change alerts. ## Where a client alert shows Once a client has an alert, the team sees it: - in red at the top of the client's profile, - in red on their appointment when you open it, and in the new appointment form as soon as you choose them, - in red at checkout, when you add them to the waitlist, and on booking requests waiting for approval, - as a red alert icon on their appointment in the calendar, on the Today page, in the client list and in client search. Hover over the icon on the calendar or in the client list to read it. To see every client with an alert, open **Clients** and choose **Has alert**. ## Adding an alert from a consultation form When a client's consultation form has answers that need checking (an allergy, a medical condition), you can turn them into their alert: 1. Open the filled-in form from the client's **Forms** tab. 2. Press **Add to client alert**. 3. FullColumn writes a short summary of the flagged answers, added after any alert they already have. Tweak the wording if you like. 4. Press **Save alert**. If the summary is already in their alert, it tells you so. [Reviewing answers and flagged forms](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/forms/reviewing-answers) explains which answers are flagged. ## Setting which services need a patch test Patch test warnings come from your service menu: 1. Open **Settings → Services** and edit a service, such as a tint or a full colour. 2. Turn on **Needs a patch test**: "Warns when booking a client whose last patch test is over 6 months old". 3. Press **Save**. Services that need one show a **Patch test** badge on your service list. [Your service menu](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/services/service-menu) has the other service settings. ## Recording a client's patch test The date of a client's last skin test is on their card: - **When you book**: if the warning shows (below), press **Done today** to record today's date. You'll see "Patch test recorded for today". - **Any time**: edit the client's details and set **Last patch test** to the day of the test. Their profile's **Details** card shows the date under **Patch test**, or "None recorded". ## The patch test warning when you book When you make or change an appointment that includes a service needing a patch test, the appointment form checks the client's last patch test against the appointment's date. If there's none on record, or it was more than 180 days (about 6 months) before the appointment, you'll see: - "Patch test needed – none on record", or - "Patch test needed – last one" with its date. It's a warning, not a block: you can still book. Press **Done today** if you've just done the test, or book their patch test first. ## Patch tests when clients book online Clients can book a service that needs a patch test online. When they choose one, your booking page tells them: "Colour services need a skin patch test at least 48 hours before if you haven’t had one with us in the last 6 months. We’ll be in touch to arrange it." The booking still goes through, so keep an eye on online bookings for those services and get in touch with anyone who's due a test. ## Common questions ### What happens to alerts and patch tests when I merge two clients? Both records' alerts are kept, side by side, so an allergy on either still shows. If the two are too long for one alert, the kept record's stays as the alert and the other goes at the top of the notes. The record you keep keeps its own patch test date; if it has none, the other record's is copied over ([merging duplicate clients](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/clients/duplicates)). ### Can I import alerts and patch test dates? Alerts, yes: the client import has an **Alert / allergies** column ([bringing your clients across](https://docs.fullcolumn.com/clients/import)). Patch test dates aren't part of the import, so record them on each client's card, or press **Done today** when you next book their colour. ### Can clients see their alert? No. Alerts are only shown to your team in the staff app. ### Can a team member without access to contact details change an alert? Yes, unless the alert has a phone number or email in it. Then it's theirs to read but not change: "Has a phone number or email hidden from you, so only someone who can see contact details can change it."