When your calendar is connected, your Receptionist can check your availability in real time and book appointments directly into your Google or Outlook calendar - automatically, during calls and texts it handles on your behalf.
This article covers how to set up and configure the Book Appointments feature, and what happens from the moment a caller requests a meeting to the moment it lands in your calendar.
📌 Note: Connecting your calendar works the same way on the Beside mobile app and on the web app at app.beside.com. Where you configure booking hours, duration, and other settings differs by platform - see Appointment settings below. For full step-by-step setup, see 📖 Set calendar permissions.
💡 Prefer your own booking system? If you'd rather send callers a link to your own scheduling tool (Calendly, Vagaro, your website, etc.) instead of having the Receptionist book into your calendar, use the Send a Text action in Scenarios (currently in Beta). 📖 Set up Scenarios
Connect your calendar
Beside currently supports Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. iCal is not supported.
On the Beside mobile app and Beside on the web
Go to Receptionist (on the web app, sign in first at app.beside.com)
If you have multiple lines, select the relevant one from the dropdown
Under Integrations, tap or click Connect Calendar
Choose Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar and sign in, granting permissions when prompted
Once connected, your Receptionist can start booking appointments based on your availability.
⚠️ Grant full calendar access:
During sign-in, make sure to allow all requested permissions. If any permissions are unchecked (for example, by a Google Workspace admin policy), Beside won't be able to connect your calendar.
On the latest mobile app version, you'll see a "Calendar permissions required" error if access is incomplete - tap it to reconnect and grant full access.
If bookings are still failing after reconnecting, see 📖 Fix calendar and scheduling issues.
How it works
When a caller or texter requests a meeting, your Receptionist will:
Ask for the reason for the meeting and preferred time
Ask for the caller's email address
Check your calendar availability in real time
Book the meeting automatically or suggest an alternative slot
Add the confirmed event to your Google or Outlook Calendar and your Beside line conversation
Once a booking is made:
The caller receives a confirmation text from your Beside number - if booking confirmation texts are enabled
A confirmation email is also sent if the caller's email was successfully captured and if they provide one
The booking is confirmed in real time, often while the call is still ongoing
If you cancel the event later, a cancellation text is automatically sent from your number to notify the caller
👉 You can cancel any appointment at any time from the conversation view.
Example flow:
Caller: "Can I schedule a consultation for tomorrow afternoon?"
Your Receptionist: "Sure! What time works best for you?"
It checks your calendar and confirms: "You're available at 3 PM, I've added the meeting to your schedule."
Both you and the caller receive confirmation instantly.
Appointment settings
Where you configure booking hours, destination calendar, duration, and confirmation texts depends on the platform:
📌 By platform:
On Beside on the web, all of these settings live together on the Calendar page at Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar.
On the Beside mobile app, booking hours, destination calendar, and duration are set per rule, inside the Book Appointment action you add to a call reason in Receptionist → Scenarios. If you add a Book Appointment action to more than one call reason, each can have its own settings. Calendar connection and confirmation texts remain a single shared setting on the Connect Calendar page.
Booking hours
Your Receptionist will only book meetings during the hours you set. Choose the days you're available and set a single From/To time range that applies to all selected days.
Web: set under Booking hours on the Calendar page (Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar).
Mobile: set under Booking hours, inside the Book Appointment action (Receptionist → Scenarios → open a call reason → Book Appointment).
Destination calendar
If your account contains multiple calendars, use Add events to to choose which calendar receives new appointments.
Web: the Add events to dropdown is on the Calendar page.
Mobile: Add events to is set inside the Book Appointment action.
Appointment duration
Web: use the Duration dropdown on the Calendar page (default: 30 minutes).
Mobile: use the Duration field inside the Book Appointment action (default: 30 minutes).
This duration applies to all appointments booked through that Book Appointment setup.
Buffer time (mobile)
On the Beside mobile app, the Book Appointment action also includes a Buffer Time setting - extra time blocked before and/or after each appointment on your calendar, so back-to-back bookings aren't scheduled with no gap in between. This is separate from the minimum advance notice covered under Things to know below.
Booking confirmation texts
When enabled, callers receive a confirmation SMS from your Beside number after a meeting is scheduled.
Web and mobile: toggle Send confirmation text under Appointment confirmation on the Calendar page (Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar). This is a single shared setting, not set per rule.
📖 For full step-by-step instructions on each setting, see Set calendar permissions.
Things to know
Works only for AI-handled calls and texts - not live calls you answer directly
iCal is not supported - you'll need a Google or Outlook account
Bookings only happen during your Booking hours
On the Beside mobile app, if you add a Book Appointment action to more than one call reason, each can have its own booking hours, duration, and destination calendar
You can update or disconnect your calendar anytime from Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar
Minimum advance notice: There is currently a minimum buffer of up to 4 hours between a booking request and the meeting start time. If a caller requests a meeting sooner, your Receptionist will automatically suggest the next available slot. This buffer is not customizable at this time.
One booking per time slot: the Receptionist won't offer a slot that already has an event on your connected calendar. Overlapping or group bookings aren't supported today.
Start times: your Receptionist offers appointment start times on the hour and half-hour (:00 and :30) only - not :15 or :45 - even if you've set a 15-minute appointment duration. The duration setting controls how long each appointment lasts, not the start times the Receptionist can offer.
Troubleshooting
If bookings aren't working as expected - for example, the Receptionist isn't offering slots, the Receptionist confirmed a meeting but the event isn't in your calendar, or your calendar isn't syncing at all - see the dedicated guide:
FAQs
Why is my Receptionist scheduling appointments in the wrong timezone?
Why is my Receptionist scheduling appointments in the wrong timezone?
Beside follows the timezone of your phone, not your calendar app or email account. If appointments show the wrong time, check your phone's timezone in device settings and restart the Beside app. If it still doesn't update, delete and reinstall the app to force a fresh timezone detection. There is no timezone setting inside Beside - adjusting your phone's timezone is the only way to change this.
Why isn't my Receptionist offering to book appointments?
Why isn't my Receptionist offering to book appointments?
Make sure a calendar is connected at Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar. On the Beside mobile app, also make sure a Book Appointment action has been added to at least one call reason in Scenarios, and that its Booking Hours are set - without them, no time slots are available to book. Note that scheduling only works for calls and texts handled by your Receptionist, not live calls you answer yourself. For more detailed troubleshooting, see 📖 Fix calendar and scheduling issues.
Why is my Receptionist only offering times on the hour and half-hour?
Why is my Receptionist only offering times on the hour and half-hour?
Your Receptionist currently offers and books appointment start times on the hour and half-hour only - for example 5:00 or 5:30. It doesn't offer :15 or :45 start times yet, even when your appointment Duration is set to 15 minutes. The Duration setting controls how long each appointment lasts, not the start times the Receptionist can offer. If 15-minute start times matter for your business, let our team know through the in-app chat so we can factor it into future scheduling improvements.
Can the Receptionist text my own booking link instead of booking into my calendar?
Can the Receptionist text my own booking link instead of booking into my calendar?
Yes, with the Send a Text action in Scenarios (currently in Beta). Instead of booking into a connected calendar, your Receptionist texts the caller a link to your own scheduling tool (Calendly, Vagaro, your website, etc.) so they can book themselves. Use Book Appointment when you want the Receptionist to put the meeting directly on your Google or Outlook calendar; use Send a Text when you prefer your own system. 📖 Set up Scenarios
📌 Coming soon:
Beside is expanding into a broader platform, with more built-in scheduling options planned. 📖 What's coming next for Beside
My calendar shows as connected but bookings aren't working - why?
My calendar shows as connected but bookings aren't working - why?
This usually means the calendar connection has incomplete permissions or has expired. Go to Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar, disconnect your calendar, and reconnect - making sure to grant all requested permissions during sign-in. If you see a "Calendar permissions required" error on mobile, tap it to restart the connection flow. Full troubleshooting: 📖 Fix calendar and scheduling issues.
The Receptionist told my caller the meeting was booked, but there's no event in my calendar. What happened?
The Receptionist told my caller the meeting was booked, but there's no event in my calendar. What happened?
The most common cause is missing calendar write permission - the Receptionist confirmed the booking based on availability, but couldn't actually create the event. Reconnect your calendar from Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar, granting both read and write access. Also confirm you're looking at the same calendar account that's connected to Beside (not a secondary or shared calendar). Detailed steps: 📖 Fix calendar and scheduling issues.
Can the Receptionist book multiple appointments in the same time slot (e.g. group sessions or classes)?
Can the Receptionist book multiple appointments in the same time slot (e.g. group sessions or classes)?
Not today. The Receptionist treats each booking as an exclusive slot and won't offer a time that already has an event on your connected calendar. Use cases like group classes, overlapping consultations, or open-house style appointments aren't supported. If this matters for your business, let our team know through the in-app chat so we can factor it into future scheduling improvements.
Does Book Appointment work with Outlook?
Does Book Appointment work with Outlook?
Yes. Beside supports both Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar. The connection flow is the same for both. Note that Outlook connections can expire over time - if bookings stop working, try reconnecting your calendar from Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar.
Can I set up Book Appointment from the web app?
Can I set up Book Appointment from the web app?
Yes. Go to app.beside.com → Receptionist → Integrations → Connect Calendar. You can connect your calendar, set booking hours, choose the destination calendar, set the duration, and toggle confirmation texts - all from the same page.
Can I cancel an appointment that was booked by my Receptionist?
Can I cancel an appointment that was booked by my Receptionist?
Yes - open the conversation where the appointment was booked and tap Cancel appointment. Your caller will automatically receive a cancellation text from your Beside number.