Are you sick of the back and forth of booking appointments with clients?You know what I mean – someone wants to meet you (virtually or in person) to discuss your services. So you send them an email with a suggested date and time. But that’s not good for them, so they send back another date and/or time. And then you send a Google Calendar invitation but it turns out that time’s no longer available at their end.
And so it continues…
Or maybe you already have an online booking tool already – people can select the date and time that suits them which is great. BUT the free version doesn’t sync nicely with Google Calendar – painful.
And you can’t charge someone for that appointment (in most cases) using the free version of that software.
So you upgrade to the paid version – good move. Except now you’re paying for that AND Google Workspace. And as a small business owner that’s not such a good move.
So what do you do?
Save money, time, and hassle with Appointment Schedules from Google Calendar
Appointment Scheduling is included in all Google Workspace subscriptions (except for Business Standard – insert sad face here) and allows clients (prospective and current) book time with you directly within Google Calendar via an online booking page that you can share on your website or as a stand-alone link.
Appointment scheduling helps you save money, time and stay on top of client bookings without the hassle.
Manage your time the way you want
- Choose times when you’re available – only want people to book a time between 9am and 1pm? No problems!
- Set whether the meeting will be through:
- Google Meet video conferencing
- In-person meeting
- Phone call
- None / to be specified later
- Limit how early or last-minute people can book an appointment with you – don’t want people to book an appointment any closer than 4 hours? No problems!
- Add a buffer time in between appointments – don’t want people to book back-to-back appointments? No problems!
- Set a maximum number of appointments per day
Be more productive when taking bookings
If you’re a small business owner then you’ve probably got a lot going on, and you’ve got to maximise your time right?
So, Appointment Schedules allows you to
- set up different types of appointments with their own schedules and booking pages
- send automatic email reminders for people who book an appointment with you
- check multiple calendars for schedule conflicts
- require payments for appointments (this requires a Stripe account)
- require email verification to avoid spam bookings.
Getting Started with Appointment Schedules
To get started with Appointment Schedules in Google Workspace, you will need at least a Business Standard or Business Plus subscription. (Want a 12 month discount on your Business Standard subscription? – get in touch!)
You’ll also need access to your computer – setting up Appointment Schedules is not currently possible through the Google Calendar mobile app.
This video walks you through how to to set up your first Appointment Schedule and start taking online bookings in a simple, professional and hassle-free manner.
If you’re more of a text based person, then walk through the steps in this Google support article.
Want more personalised help?
I hope this article was of assistance to you, but if you want more personalised help then why not get in touch?
I specialise in helping small business owners just like you work better with Google Workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions about Appointment Schedules
Is it possible to change which calendar shows Appointment Schedules?
It isn’t currently possible to customise which calendar shows Appointment Schedules.
The Appointment Schedule itself shows up on your default calendar, and any appointments that are booked through Appointment Schedule will be added to your default calendar.
You can manually duplicate or copy events that are booked through Appointment Schedule over to other calendars though.
Can multiple people book the same time through Appointment Schedule?
This is not currently possible.
Appointment Schedules are meant to be used for 1:1 meetings, like with a therapist or sole consultant. So once one person has booked through Appointment Schedule that timeslot is no longer displayed on the booking page.
However, once an appointment has been booked, it is like any other calendar event – other people can be added to the guest list, and the invitation itself can be forwarded to other people.
What’s the difference between appointments and appointment scheduling?
Google Calendar’s appointment scheduling feature allows anyone to book time directly within your Google Calendar through an online booking page.
Your availability automatically updates based on other events in your calendar to prevent scheduling conflicts.
People can also invite you to normal appointments like meetings, by creating an event on their calendar and sending you an invitation.
How many Appointment Schedules can I set up?
If you are using Google Workspace (other than Business Standard); Google Workspace Individual; or are a Google One subscriber then you can create an unlimited number of Appointment Schedules.
Why does Appointment Schedule show me as not available?
There’s a couple of reasons why your Appointment Schedule might show you as not available:
1. You’ve got an all-day event in your calendar that is set at ‘Busy’. You need to change that to ‘Free’ and then Appointment Schedule will free up the rest of the day for appointments.
2. You’ve set a minimum time for when people can book you – for example no closer than 4 hours before an appointment – and so some times are no longer available for booking.
What’s the difference between Appointment Slots and Appointment Schedules?
Add additional team members: You can’t add additional team members to your appointment schedule. But you can add them manually after someone books an appointment.
Secondary or delegate calendar support: You can’t set up appointment schedules on a secondary, team, or coworker’s calendar you manage.
Conference room booking: You can’t pre-reserve a conference or meeting room on an appointment schedule, but you can add the room to a booked appointment.
Why can’t I see Appointment Schedules as an option?
The Appointment Schedule feature is not available to Google Workspace Business Starter license holders.
If you have the appropriate Google Workspace license but still can’t see Appointment Schedules, make sure it has been enabled in your Administrator Console.