Booking & Appointments
Let your agent check live availability and confirm a booking only after it is saved.
Booking & Appointments#
Booking lets your agent offer open times and save an appointment. A time the customer likes is not a booking until the calendar write succeeds.
Find it under Agent Studio → Tools:
- AlonChat Calendar — services, staff, hours, and booking records
- Google Calendar — book on a connected Google calendar
Settings → Calendar opens AlonChat Calendar. Settings → Availability is different: it controls when the AI replies, not which appointment slots are open.
Prerequisites#
| Requirement | Where |
|---|---|
| A calendar the agent can use | AlonChat Calendar, and/or a Google Calendar connection |
| At least one bookable service | Calendar setup |
| Hours, buffers, and blocked dates | Scheduling rules on that calendar |
| Name and a date/time from the customer | Collected in chat before confirmation |
For more than one location, services and schedules can be set per branch in calendar setup. See Branches & Locations.
What You Configure#
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Services | Name, duration, and who can perform them |
| Staff and branches | Coverage when more than one person or location can take the booking |
| Hours and buffers | Open days, time between bookings, notice, how far ahead customers can book, and blocked dates |
| Reschedule and cancel rules | How much notice a change needs, when those actions are enabled |
| Video link | None, Google Meet, or Zoom when that account is connected |
| Waitlist | On Google Calendar, Offer waitlist when full captures interest when the requested time is unavailable |
What the Agent Can Do#
| Action | When it counts |
|---|---|
| Check availability | Offered times come from the availability check, not from a guess |
| Create a booking | Only after the customer confirms the service, time, and required contact details, and the booking is saved |
| Reschedule or cancel | Only after that change is saved, and only when the action is enabled |
| Waitlist | Only when the Google Calendar waitlist option is on and the requested time is full |
Confirmation and Failure#
| What happened | What to tell the customer |
|---|---|
| Availability was checked | Share the open times that check returned |
| The booking was saved | Confirm the service, date, and time |
| The check or write failed | No booking change was confirmed. Ask them to try again |
| The result is unclear | Check the booking record before trying again. Do not assume it was saved |
| A deposit is required | Keep the booking unconfirmed until payment is verified |
Offering a slot does not reserve it. Two customers can ask for the same time; the one whose save fails is not booked.
Example Conversation#
Customer: Can I book a haircut this Saturday?
Agent: Saturday has 10:00 AM, 1:30 PM, and 3:00 PM open. Which works for you?
Customer: 1:30, please. I'm Maya, 0917 555 0101.
Agent: You're booked for a haircut this Saturday at 1:30 PM.
That last line is appropriate only after the booking record exists. If the save fails, the agent should say the booking was not confirmed.
Deposits and Paid Bookings#
To require a deposit first, combine booking with Payment Methods & Proof Review inside a Procedure. The procedure checks availability, collects the deposit, and confirms the booking only after payment is verified.