Schedule Online Appointments

Schedule Online Appointments

Allow students and parents to book appointments with faculty and staff online.

Time: 10–15 minutes for setup Module: Online Appointment, Online Appointment CRM Permissions: Administrator or Staff

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Prerequisites

• Staff/faculty calendar configured
• Working hours defined
• Resource availability set
• Access to Calendar menu

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Overview

The Online Appointment system enables:

• Self-service booking
• Faculty availability slots
• Automatic scheduling
• Appointment questions
• CRM lead integration
• Resource booking
• Calendar synchronization

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Appointment Workflow

Define Appointment Type
         ↓
Configure Availability
         ↓
Set Questions (Optional)
         ↓
Publish Online
         ↓
Visitor Books Slot
         ↓
Confirmation Sent
         ↓
Meeting Occurs

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Steps

1. Create Appointment Type

Define bookable appointment:

1. Navigate to Calendar → Online Appointments
2. Click New
3. Configure appointment:

Field	Action
Name	Appointment type name
Unique Code	URL-friendly code
Duration	Meeting length (minutes)
Staff	Available staff members
Resources	Rooms/equipment (optional)

4. Click Save

2. Define Availability Slots

Set when appointments can be booked:

1. Open appointment type
2. Navigate to Appointment Slots tab
3. Click Add a line
4. For each slot:

Field	Action
Week Day	Day of week
Starting Hour	Slot start time

5. Add all available slots
6. Click Save

Example Schedule:

Monday:    9:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:00
Tuesday:   9:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:00
Wednesday: 9:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:00
Thursday:  9:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:00
Friday:    9:00, 10:00

3. Configure Booking Rules

Set booking constraints:

Field	Action
Pre-Booking Time	Minimum hours before
Appointment Schedule	Fixed slots/Flexible
Max Days Ahead	How far in advance
Appointment Date	Specific date (optional)

4. Add Intake Questions

Collect information before booking:

1. Navigate to Questions tab
2. Click Add a line
3. For each question:

Field	Action
Question	Question text
Question Type	Text/Selection/etc.
Placeholder	Helper text
Required	Make mandatory

4. Add all questions

Common Questions:

• What is your inquiry about?
• Student ID (if applicable)
• Preferred contact method
• Brief description of need

5. Assign Staff/Resources

Define who handles appointments:

1. In Staff field
2. Select employees
3. Their calendar checked for conflicts

For resources (rooms):

1. In Resources field
2. Select available resources
3. Resource availability checked

6. Publish Appointment Type

Make available for booking:

1. Review all settings
2. Verify slots and questions
3. Copy booking URL
4. Share or embed on website

7. Process Bookings

When appointment booked:

1. Notification sent to staff
2. Calendar event created
3. Confirmation sent to visitor
4. Reminders scheduled

8. CRM Integration (Optional)

Create leads from appointments:

1. Enable Create Opportunities
2. When booked:
   • CRM lead created
   • Linked to calendar event
   • Track conversion

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Field Reference

Online Appointment (calendar.online.appointment)

Field	Technical Name	Type	Required	Description
Name	name	Char	No	Appointment name
Unique Code	code	Char	No	URL code
Staff	employee_ids	Many2many	No	Available staff
Resources	resource_ids	Many2many	No	Bookable resources
Slots	slots	One2many	No	Available slots
Duration	duration	Float	No	Meeting length
Appointment Date	appointment_date	Date	No	Specific date
Pre-Booking Time	min_appointment_hours	Float	No	Lead time
Schedule Type	appointment_schedule	Selection	No	Fixed/Flexible
Max Days	max_appointment_days	Integer	No	Advance booking

Appointment Slot (calendar.appointment.slot)

Field	Technical Name	Type	Description
Week Day	week	Selection	Day of week
Starting Hour	hour	Float	Start time
Appointment	appointment_id	Many2one	Parent

Appointment Question (calendar.appointment.question)

Field	Technical Name	Type	Description
Question	question	Char	Question text
Question Type	question_type	Selection	Answer type
Placeholder	placeholder	Char	Helper text
Required	required_answer	Boolean	Mandatory
Appointment	appointment_id	Many2one	Parent

Calendar Event Extension (calendar.event)

Field	Technical Name	Type	Description
Appointment	appointment_id	Many2one	Linked type
Booking Status	booking_status	Selection	Confirmation
Resources	online_appointment_resource_ids	Many2one	Booked resources
Opportunity	opportunity_id	Many2one	CRM lead

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Appointment Types

Admission Consultation

Name: Admission Consultation
Duration: 30 minutes
Staff: Admission Officers
Pre-booking: 24 hours

Questions:
- Program of interest?
- Current education level?
- Preferred start term?

Academic Advising

Name: Academic Advising
Duration: 45 minutes
Staff: Academic Advisors
Pre-booking: 48 hours

Questions:
- Student ID
- Current course?
- Topic of discussion?

Parent-Teacher Meeting

Name: Parent-Teacher Meeting
Duration: 20 minutes
Staff: Class Teachers
Pre-booking: 24 hours

Questions:
- Student name
- Class/Section
- Concern/Topic

Career Counseling

Name: Career Counseling
Duration: 60 minutes
Staff: Career Counselors
Pre-booking: 72 hours

Questions:
- Career interest area?
- Resume ready?
- Specific questions?

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Views Available

View	Features
List	All appointment types
Form	Type configuration
Calendar	Booked appointments

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
No slots shown	Staff unavailable	Check working hours
Cannot book	Pre-booking time	Book earlier
Double booking	Resource conflict	Check resources
No confirmation	Email issue	Verify email setup
Wrong timezone	System setting	Set correct timezone

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Best Practices

1. Clear names: Use descriptive appointment names
2. Adequate duration: Allow sufficient time
3. Buffer time: Leave gaps between appointments
4. Relevant questions: Ask useful intake questions
5. Confirmation: Send automatic confirmations
6. Reminders: Enable reminder emails

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Security Notes

Role	Capabilities
Administrator	Full configuration
Staff	View own appointments
Public	Book appointments

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Integration Features

Calendar Integration

• Sync with Google/Outlook
• Automatic event creation
• Conflict checking

CRM Integration

• Lead generation
• Opportunity tracking
• Conversion metrics

Email Integration

• Booking confirmations
• Reminder notifications
• Cancellation notices

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Related Tasks

• Configure Calendar
• Manage CRM
• Configure Google Meet