> ## 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.

# Set up AI appointment scheduling

> A complete Brilo setup for booking appointments on the phone: the instructions to copy, the calendar setup, and what to test before you go live.

This is the setup for letting your agent book appointments during the call, straight into your calendar, with no
back and forth. It removes work rather than adding cover, which is why it is usually the second thing businesses
set up after answering the phone.

## What this setup does for you

A caller rings, asks for an appointment, and your agent checks what is genuinely free, offers times, books one,
and texts a confirmation. Nobody on your side is involved, and the appointment is in the same calendar your team
already works from.

## What good looks like

* **Bookings appear in your calendar** with the caller's name and number, at the right time.
* **No double bookings**, because availability comes from the calendar rather than from a guess.
* **Callers get a confirmation in writing**, which cuts no shows more than anything else in this setup.
* **Nothing is offered outside the hours you work**, including the gaps you need between appointments.

## Before the instructions: get your calendar right

This setup lives or dies on your calendar, not your prompt. Do these three first:

1. **Block the times you do not work.** Your agent offers whatever the calendar says is free, including 7am on a
   Sunday if nothing says otherwise.
2. **Put your buffers in as calendar time.** If you need ten minutes between appointments, that has to exist as
   an event, not as an understanding.
3. **Decide the appointment length**, and keep it consistent. A booking that is too short silently breaks your
   whole day.

Then connect it: [Connect Google Calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar).

## What to put in your instructions

Paste this into your agent's **Prompt** tab and change everything in square brackets.

```
You answer the phone for [business name] and your main job is booking appointments.

Greeting: "Thanks for calling [business name], would you like to book an appointment?"

How to book:
- Ask what the appointment is for, so the right length is used.
- Offer the earliest two or three available times rather than reading out the whole diary.
- Collect their full name and mobile number before confirming.
- Read the date and time back to them, then confirm the booking.
- Tell them they will get a text confirmation.

When nothing suitable is free:
- Offer the next two available times, even if they are further out.
- If neither works, take their name, number, and preferred times, and say somebody will call
  them back.

Appointment types and lengths:
- [type one]: [length]
- [type two]: [length]

Never:
- Never offer a time your calendar does not show as free.
- Never book [the appointment types that must be booked by a person, if any].
- Never take card details over the phone.

If the caller wants to change or cancel an existing appointment, [transfer to a person / take
a message], because that needs [reason].
```

The last paragraph matters. Decide what happens with changes and cancellations before you go live rather than
finding out on a live call.

## What your agent needs to know

* **What each appointment type involves and how long it takes.** In customer words.
* **Your prices**, or how pricing works, since a caller booking will usually ask.
* **What to bring or prepare**, which saves your team a second call.
* **Your cancellation and deposit policy**, so your agent can state it consistently.
* **Where you are, and where to park.**

See [Add a document or website](/knowledge/add-a-document-or-website).

## What to let your agent do

| Action                                                          | Why                                              |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [Book appointments](/actions/book-appointments)                 | The core of this setup                           |
| [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email)           | The confirmation, which is what cuts no shows    |
| [Pass the call to a person](/actions/pass-the-call-to-a-person) | For changes, cancellations, and anything unusual |
| [Schedule a callback](/actions/schedule-a-callback)             | When nothing suitable is free                    |

## What to test before you go live

1. **Book a normal appointment.** Then look at your calendar and check the time, length, and details.
2. **Ask for a time you know is busy.** Does it offer an alternative rather than double booking?
3. **Ask for a time outside your hours.** Does it decline?
4. **Book, then immediately try to change it.** Does it do what your instructions said?
5. **Give a mobile number with digits missing.** Does it notice and ask again?
6. **Check the confirmation text**, on a real phone, for wording and the right time.

## Rules to know

* **Confirmations and reminders by text** are usually welcome, but messaging rules still apply, especially in the
  US where the number must be registered. See
  [Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business).
* **Health related bookings** carry extra obligations about what may be recorded and stored. See
  [Healthcare and HIPAA](/compliance/healthcare-and-hipaa).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can Brilo book appointments without a person involved?">
    Yes. With a calendar connected and the booking action switched on, your agent checks availability, offers
    times, books the appointment, and can text a confirmation, all during the call.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Which calendars can it book into?">
    Google Calendar. Connect as many as you need, which is how one agent books several members of staff. See
    [Connect Google Calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it avoid double bookings?">
    Yes, because availability comes from your calendar in real time rather than from a copy. The usual cause of an
    apparent double booking is a busy event sitting on a calendar the action is not reading.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it leave gaps between appointments?">
    Yes, if the gaps exist in your calendar. Put your travel or turnaround time in as calendar events, because
    your agent can only respect a buffer it can see.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it reschedule and cancel too?">
    Test this before you rely on it, and until you have, point changes and cancellations at a person in your
    instructions. Booking is the part that works reliably out of the box.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it send a reminder before the appointment?">
    A confirmation at the time of booking is straightforward. A reminder the day before is a separate job, best
    handled by an after call automation or your existing reminder system. See
    [Automate what happens after a call](/reports/automate-what-happens-after-a-call).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it book different staff members?">
    Yes, with a calendar per person connected. Keep the caller's side of the choice simple: most callers want the
    earliest slot rather than a list of six names.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What does it do when nothing is available?">
    Whatever you tell it to. The best answer is usually to offer the next two available times even if they are
    further out, and if those do not work, take a callback. Leaving this unsaid is how callers end up with
    nothing.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can it collect a deposit?">
    Not on the call, because your agent cannot take card details. Send a payment link by text after booking
    instead, which is safer and works better on a phone anyway.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why did it book a time I had blocked out?">
    The block is on a different calendar from the one the action reads, or it is marked in a way the calendar does
    not treat as busy. Check which calendar the action points at first.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Book appointments](/actions/book-appointments) for the action itself
* [Connect Google Calendar](/actions/connect-google-calendar) as the first step
* [Answering service](/recipes/answering-service) for the calls that are not bookings
* [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email) for confirmations
* [Test your agent yourself](/go-live/test-your-agent-yourself) before real bookings