# Appointment booking for visitors

Let visitors enter their details and book an appointment with an eligible operator or team.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator, visitor*

**Settings › Scheduling › Form Customizations** · **Settings › Scheduling › General Settings** · **Settings › Scheduling › Team Settings** · **Settings › Account › Appointment Schedule** · **Settings › Chat › Chat Links** · **Settings › General Settings › Admin**

## 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

1. Open the appointment form and enter your name, if shown, and email address.
2. Choose an operator or team if the selection is visible. Some entry paths offer **Anyone**; others provide only specific targets.
3. Complete any added questions and choose **Next**, or the customised button label.
4. 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, on request | 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

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Calendar appointments and reminders](CON-032.md): Appointment schedules and calendars supply the availability used for booking.
- **Requires** [Visitor chat pane](VX-002.md): The visitor chat pane opens the appointment intake and booking experience.
- **Configured in** [Teams](ADM-013.md): Team membership affects team appointment targets.
- **Configured in** [Visitor event rules and actions](ENG-001.md): Visitor events can select the scheduling theme used for appointment intake.
- **Configured in** [Visitor chat themes and branding](VX-003.md): The visitor experience supplies the shared colours and fonts.
- **Works better with** [Virtual Assistant task steps and branches](ENG-011.md): A task can open booking and continue according to completion or cancellation.
- **Works better with** [Chat links for visitors](VX-024.md): A scheduling link can open booking without starting an ordinary chat.
- **Works better with** [Video Feed for visitors](VX-025.md): A video action can offer appointment booking with selected operators or teams.
- **Works better with** [Visitor chat languages and text direction](VX-031.md): Form labels and booking information use the visitor language.
- **Needs licence or module** Admin settings and feature switches (managed by Powerfront): Powerfront must enable Scheduling for the website before appointment booking can be used.

### Used by

- **Configures** [Chat links for visitors](VX-024.md): Scheduling themes set appointment-entry time tolerance, messages and backgrounds.
- **Configures** [Visitor event updates to customer context](ENG-007.md): Scheduling themes define the appointment experience selected by an event action.
- **Enhances** [Calendar appointments and reminders](CON-032.md): Appointment scheduling supplies appointments to the calendar.
- **Enhances** [Chat links](CHAT-030.md): Appointment-only links use scheduling.
- **Enhances** [Video Feed for visitors](VX-025.md): Configured video actions can offer appointment booking.
- **Enhances** [Task integrations, appointments and embedded pages](ENG-017.md): Scheduling actions use the visitor appointment form and eligible scheduling operators.
- **Enhances** [Product recommendation and purchase reports](REP-009.md): Appointment scheduling supplies bookings for Appointment Detail.
- **Related** [Business hours and scheduling](ADM-016.md): 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.