Appointment booking for visitors
Let visitors enter their details and book an appointment with an eligible operator or team.
What it is
Schedule Appointment collects the visitor's details before opening the booking experience. Visitors can book with an eligible operator or team. The available choices depend on the link, task or video action that opened the form.
Who uses it and why
Visitors arrange a later chat or call. Operators send booking links and, with the Scheduling role, maintain their appointment availability. People with the Settings or Scheduling role customise the intake questions and scheduling messages.
Where to find it
Visitors open Schedule Appointment from a configured chat menu, scheduling link, task or video action. Labels can be customised.
With the Settings or Scheduling role, use Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations for the booking form and Settings › Scheduling › Team Settings for team booking rules. Operators with the Scheduling role use Settings › Account › Appointment Schedule for their availability.
Powerfront can enable and connect scheduling for you in Settings › General Settings › Admin.
How it works
- Open the appointment form and enter your name, if shown, and email address.
- Choose an operator or team if the selection is visible. Some entry paths offer Anyone; others provide only specific targets.
- Complete any added questions and choose Next, or the customised button label.
- Choose and confirm an appointment in the booking experience.
The intake form checks the visible name and the email address before proceeding. The optional email communications checkbox is separate from the appointment confirmation address.
After successful booking, an ordinary chat entry shows Appointment has been scheduled for: with the returned date and time. Completion or cancellation closes the booking experience. A dedicated scheduling-only entry can close the chat pane instead of returning to chat. When a task opened booking, completion continues its success path and cancellation its failure path.
Configure it
Ask Powerfront to enable scheduling and connect the booking service. With the Scheduling role, set operator availability in Appointment Schedule. With the Settings or Scheduling role, review team rules in Team Settings.
With the Settings or Scheduling role, create or edit a scheduling theme in Form Customizations. Set the name, email and operator labels, any email opt-in, and the text above and below the form. You can add up to two custom questions using text or dropdown answers. Supply each required language variant and select the appropriate default scheduling theme.
With the Settings role, use Settings › Chat › Chat Links to create a Schedule Appointments Link. Test the link with the intended operator or team before sharing it.
Settings
| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Scheduling | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | Off | Powerfront | Make appointment scheduling available when the scheduling service is configured. |
| Hide the Name Field | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | website | Off when not configured | Settings role, Scheduling role | Omit the visitor name question from the appointment intake form. |
| Email Opt In | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | website | Off when not configured | Settings role, Scheduling role | Show a separate email communications opt-in on the appointment form. |
| Default | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations › Email Field | website | Off when not configured | Settings role, Scheduling role | Preselect the email opt-in when it is shown. |
| Hide the Operator Dropdown | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | website | Off when not configured | Settings role, Scheduling role | Hide the operator selection control without changing the appointment targets supplied to the form. |
| Hide the Anyone Option | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | website | Off when not configured | Settings role, Scheduling role | Remove Anyone from entry paths that would otherwise offer it. |
Fields
| Field | Where | Required | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template Name | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | Yes | Identify the scheduling theme in INSIDE. |
| Custom Field Label | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | Yes | Set the visitor-facing question for an added appointment field, with language variants. |
| Custom Field Type | Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations | No | Choose Text or a dropdown for an added appointment field. |
Permissions
| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Manage scheduling configuration, form customisations and Chat Links. |
| Scheduling | Access scheduling settings and Appointment Schedule when scheduling is enabled for the account and operator. |
Limits and good to know
- The form lists eligible booking targets, rather than every operator in the account.
- Hiding the operator dropdown does not create availability or choose a new booking target.
- Email is required even when you hide the name question.
- Added custom questions are passed to booking; the visitor intake does not require an answer to each one.
- A chat-side date and time appear only when the booking experience returns completion details.
Depends on and works with
+2 more · this feature uses
- Video Feed for visitorsEnhances
A video action can offer appointment booking with selected operators or teams.
- Visitor chat languages and text directionEnhances
Form labels and booking information use the visitor language.
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Admin settings and feature switches · managed by PowerfrontLicence
Powerfront must enable Scheduling for the website before appointment booking can be used.
- TeamsConfigured by
Team membership affects team appointment targets.
- Calendar appointments and remindersRequires
Appointment schedules and calendars supply the availability used for booking.
- Visitor event rules and actionsConfigured by
Visitor events can select the scheduling theme used for appointment intake.
- Virtual Assistant task steps and branchesEnhances
A task can open booking and continue according to completion or cancellation.
- Visitor chat paneRequires
The visitor chat pane opens the appointment intake and booking experience.
- Visitor chat themes and brandingConfigured by
The visitor experience supplies the shared colours and fonts.
- Chat links for visitorsEnhances
A scheduling link can open booking without starting an ordinary chat.
- Video Feed for visitorsEnhances
A video action can offer appointment booking with selected operators or teams.
- Visitor chat languages and text directionEnhances
Form labels and booking information use the visitor language.
Used by
- Calendar appointments and remindersEnhances
Appointment scheduling supplies appointments to the calendar.
- Chat linksEnhances
Appointment-only links use scheduling.
- Chat links for visitorsConfigured by
Scheduling themes set appointment-entry time tolerance, messages and backgrounds.
- Video Feed for visitorsEnhances
Configured video actions can offer appointment booking.
- Visitor event updates to customer contextConfigured by
Scheduling themes define the appointment experience selected by an event action.
- Task integrations, appointments and embedded pagesEnhances
Scheduling actions use the visitor appointment form and eligible scheduling operators.
- Product recommendation and purchase reportsEnhances
Appointment scheduling supplies bookings for Appointment Detail.
- Business hours and schedulingRelated
Review the visitor booking experience when checking appointment availability and form content.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Why is Schedule Appointment missing?
Ask Powerfront to check scheduling enablement and the booking connection. Then check the chat menu, link or task that should offer booking.
Why is Anyone missing?
Some entry paths supply specific operators or teams. Hide the Anyone Option can also remove the choice, and a single eligible operator does not need it.
Why will Next not continue?
Check the visible name and email address. The email address must have a valid format.
Why did chat close after booking?
The visitor used a dedicated scheduling-only entry. That entry can close the pane when booking completes or is cancelled.
Does closing the form confirm an appointment?
No. Complete the booking experience. Closing or cancelling the intake is not a booking confirmation.