> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Book appointments

> Let your Brilo agent check what is free and book appointments during the call, with confirmations sent to the caller.

Your agent can check your calendar and book an appointment while the caller is still on the phone, with
nobody on your side involved. Connect a calendar, add the booking action, then tell your agent when to use
it. Most businesses have this working in about ten minutes.

## Before you start

* A connected calendar. Brilo books into Google Calendar. See
  [Connect Google Calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar).
* Your real availability in that calendar, including the times you do not want bookings.
* A decision about what your agent should ask for: a name and a phone number at minimum.
* You will be working in your agent's **Actions** tab.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Connect your calendar">
    Connect the calendar you want bookings to land in. If different staff have different calendars, connect
    each one you want your agent to be able to book into.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the booking action">
    In your agent's **Actions** tab, add the appointment booking action and point it at the calendar it
    should use.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Say what your agent should collect">
    Decide what it asks for before booking. A name and a contact number are the minimum. Add anything your
    team needs to prepare, but keep it short: every extra question is another chance for the caller to give
    up.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tell your agent when to book">
    In the **Prompt** tab, say when the action applies, for example when a caller asks for an appointment or
    agrees to one you offered. Also say what to do when nothing suitable is free.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send a confirmation">
    Add a text or email confirmation so the caller has the time in writing. See
    [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Book a real appointment yourself">
    Call your agent, book a slot, then look at your calendar. Check the time, the duration, and what
    appeared in the event details.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You will know it worked when

* The appointment appears in your calendar at the right time with the caller's details.
* The caller receives a confirmation, if you set one up.
* Asking for a time that is already busy makes your agent offer an alternative rather than double booking.

## Getting the details right

Three things cause most booking complaints, and all three are set before you go live.

* **Buffers.** If you need ten minutes between appointments, that has to exist in your calendar. Your agent
  books what your calendar says is free.
* **Opening hours.** Availability comes from the calendar, so block the times you do not work. Otherwise
  your agent will happily offer 7am.
* **Duration.** Decide how long an appointment is. A booking that is too short is worse than a missed one,
  because your day silently stops working.

## What else you can do here

* [Connect more than one calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar) so your agent can book different staff.
* [Send a confirmation by text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email).
* [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person) when a booking is complicated.
* [Schedule a callback](/actions/schedule-a-callback) when nothing suitable is free.
* [Set up appointment scheduling end to end](/recipes/appointment-scheduling) with the prompt to copy.

## If it did not work

**Your agent never offered to book.** Its instructions do not say when to book. That is the most common
cause and the quickest fix.

**It booked a time you were busy.** The calendar it is reading is not the one you are looking at, or the
busy event is on a different calendar. Check which calendar the action points at.

**The appointment appeared at the wrong time.** Check the time zone on your workspace and on the calendar.
See [Workspace settings](/account/workspace-settings).

Anything else: [An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can my agent book appointments into my calendar?">
    Yes. With Google Calendar connected and the booking action added, your agent checks what is free and
    books during the call, then can send the caller a confirmation. Nobody on your side is involved.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which calendars does Brilo work with?">
    Google Calendar. See [Supported integrations](/supported/integrations) for everything else Brilo
    connects to, and use a custom action if your booking system is different.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it book into more than one staff member's calendar?">
    Yes. Connect each calendar you want it to use, then set up the action so your agent can book the right
    person. Keep the choice simple for the caller: too many options on a phone call slows the booking down.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I stop it booking outside my opening hours?">
    Yes, and the way to do it is in your calendar rather than in Brilo. Your agent books what the calendar
    says is free, so block the hours you do not work and they stop being offered.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the caller get a confirmation?">
    Only if you add one. Adding a text or email confirmation is worth doing: it cuts no shows and gives the
    caller the time in writing. See [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my agent reschedule or cancel an appointment?">
    Rescheduling and cancelling depend on how your booking is set up, and the safe route for anything your
    agent cannot do reliably is to transfer the caller or take a message. Test the exact wording a caller
    would use before relying on it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did my agent say a time was free when it was not?">
    The busy event is almost always on a calendar the action is not reading. Check which calendar it points
    at, and remember buffers between appointments have to exist as calendar time to be respected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it take a deposit when booking?">
    No. Your agent cannot take card details on a call. Send a payment link by text after the booking
    instead, which is both possible and safer.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Connect Google Calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar) as the first step
* [Appointment scheduling recipe](/recipes/appointment-scheduling) for the complete setup
* [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email) for confirmations
* [An action did not run](/actions/an-action-didnt-run) if bookings are not appearing
* [What are actions](/actions/what-are-actions) for how your agent decides to book