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Bots for Small Businessby Brendan Byrne

Guide 7 of 17 · Easy

How to set up an appointment booking bot

Let customers book themselves into your calendar without the back-and-forth.

Tools: Google Calendar appointment schedules, Calendly, Microsoft Bookings, or an industry booking tool
Difficulty: Easy
Setup time: 1-2 hours (estimate). A rough estimate.
Cost: Many of these tools have free tiers. Check current pricing before you commit.

Step by step

Decide what can be booked online: consultations, quotes, appointments.
Set your available hours, buffer time between bookings and minimum notice.
Create the booking page with a few questions (name, phone, what they need).
Turn on automatic confirmation and a reminder 24 hours before.
Add the booking link to your website, email signature and Google Business Profile.
Check your calendar syncs both ways so you don't get double-booked.

Watch-outs

Ask only the questions you need. Long forms kill bookings.
Collecting payments or deposits adds fees; check them.
Add a cancellation policy.

Questions

Does it work with my phone calendar?

Most tools sync with Google and Outlook calendars, which sync to your phone.

What about no-shows?

Reminders help. Deposits help more, if your customers will accept them.

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