Booking appointments
Your agent checks free slots in Cal.com, offers them during the conversation and books the appointment directly, with an SMS confirmation if you like.
Your agent books appointments directly during the conversation. It checks your calendar to see when you're available, suggests suitable times and enters the appointment as soon as the caller agrees. It's based on your calendar at Cal.com. You connect Google Calendar and Outlook there so that busy times are taken into account.
How an appointment works on the phone
- The caller wants an appointment, for example "Are you free next Tuesday?"
- The agent checks the free slots and offers two or three suggestions.
- The caller picks a time. The agent asks for their name if it doesn't know it yet.
- The agent confirms the day and time and books the appointment.
- If you like, the caller gets a confirmation by SMS.
The agent knows the caller's phone number from the network. It only asks for it if the number is withheld or a mobile number is missing for an SMS.
Connecting the calendar
You need a Cal.com account with an event type, meaning an appointment type such as "Initial consultation, 30 minutes". How to find the API key and event type ID in Cal.com is described under Cal.com.
- Open your agent and switch to the Tools tab.
- Under Tools, click Add and choose Calendar.
- Optionally enter a Name, such as "Consultation". It helps if you create several calendars.
- Enter the API Key and Event Type ID.
- Switch on Agent can book appointments directly. Without this permission, the agent only checks free slots and notes the request.
- Under Send confirmation via, choose sending by SMS and enter your Company name (sender). It appears in the confirmation.
- Click Connect.
What you set in Cal.com
Everything that determines when bookings are allowed is set in Cal.com. bhomy takes it from there:
| Setting in Cal.com | Effect on the phone |
|---|---|
| Availability of the event type | The agent only offers appointments within these times |
| Time zone of the availability | The agent gives times in this time zone |
| Duration, including multiple durations | The agent books the right length |
| Minimum notice, buffers and booking window | It doesn't offer times that are too soon or too far ahead |
| Connected calendars | Appointments from Google Calendar or Outlook block the time |
Setting it in the prompt
Tell the agent when to offer appointments and what it needs to know for them:
If the caller wants an appointment, check the free slots in the calendar
and offer two times. Ask for their name and request. Confirm the day and
time before you book.
Cancelling and rescheduling
The agent doesn't cancel or reschedule appointments itself. On the phone, it can't verify whether the caller really is the person the appointment is for. Set in the prompt how it helps instead, for example: "If someone wants to cancel or reschedule, note their name and appointment and promise a callback." With call transfer, it can also put the caller straight through to your team.
Double bookings
bhomy prevents the same appointment from being booked twice in one conversation, even if the caller asks again or the connection briefly stalls. Whether a slot is free is decided by Cal.com.
Frequently asked questions
Can the agent book different types of appointment?
Yes. Create an event type for each type of appointment and add several calendar tools, each with its own name, or use one event type with several durations. Describe in the prompt when each type of appointment fits.
Which calendars are supported?
bhomy books via Cal.com. You connect Google Calendar, Outlook and other calendars in Cal.com so that times that are busy there are taken into account.
What does the appointment in Cal.com contain?
The caller's name, the time, the duration, the phone number if available, and a short note about the request. The booking's metadata lists bhomy as the source.
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