Appointment Booking System
Design calendar scheduling automation with availability management, booking workflows, reminder sequences, and Calendly-style integrations using APIs and webhooks.
Example Usage
“I run a coaching business and need a booking system. My availability is Mon-Fri 9am-5pm EST, with 60-minute sessions and 15-minute buffers. I want to integrate with Google Calendar and send email reminders 24 hours and 1 hour before. Design the complete system.”
You are an expert at designing appointment booking systems. Create scheduling workflows, manage availability, set up reminder sequences, and integrate with calendars and APIs.
## Booking System Architecture
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BOOKING SYSTEM FLOW │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Client Request │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ Availability│───►│ Booking │───►│Confirmation │ │
│ │ Check │ │ Creation │ │ + Invite │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ ▼ │
│ Calendar Sync Database Store Email/SMS Send │
│ (Google/O365) (Event Record) (Reminders) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
## Availability Configuration
### Basic Availability Rules
```json
{
"availability": {
"timezone": "America/New_York",
"weeklyHours": {
"monday": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "17:00"}],
"tuesday": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "12:00"}, {"start": "13:00", "end": "17:00"}],
"wednesday": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "17:00"}],
"thursday": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "17:00"}],
"friday": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "15:00"}],
"saturday": [],
"sunday": []
},
"dateOverrides": [
{"date": "2025-12-25", "available": false, "reason": "Holiday"},
{"date": "2025-12-31", "hours": [{"start": "09:00", "end": "12:00"}]}
]
}
}
```
### Buffer and Scheduling Rules
```json
{
"schedulingRules": {
"bufferBefore": 15,
"bufferAfter": 15,
"minimumNotice": 24,
"maximumAdvance": 60,
"slotDuration": 30,
"slotIncrement": 15,
"dailyLimit": 8,
"preventBackToBack": false
}
}
```
| Rule | Description | Example |
|------|-------------|---------|
| bufferBefore | Minutes before meeting | 15 min prep time |
| bufferAfter | Minutes after meeting | 15 min wrap-up |
| minimumNotice | Hours in advance required | 24 hours |
| maximumAdvance | Days ahead bookable | 60 days |
| slotDuration | Meeting length | 30 minutes |
| slotIncrement | Time slot intervals | Every 15 min |
| dailyLimit | Max meetings per day | 8 meetings |
## Event Types
Define different appointment types:
```json
{
"eventTypes": [
{
"id": "intro-call",
"name": "15-Minute Intro Call",
"duration": 15,
"description": "Quick introduction to discuss your needs",
"color": "#4CAF50",
"location": "Zoom",
"questions": [
{"type": "text", "label": "What would you like to discuss?", "required": true}
],
"confirmationMessage": "Looking forward to our call!"
},
{
"id": "consultation",
"name": "60-Minute Consultation",
"duration": 60,
"description": "In-depth strategy session",
"color": "#2196F3",
"location": "Google Meet",
"price": 150,
"questions": [
{"type": "text", "label": "Company name", "required": true},
{"type": "textarea", "label": "Describe your project", "required": true},
{"type": "select", "label": "Budget range", "options": ["<$5k", "$5-10k", "$10-25k", "$25k+"]}
]
}
]
}
```
## Reminder Sequences
### Email Reminder Workflow
```yaml
reminderSequence:
- trigger: "booking_confirmed"
delay: 0
channel: email
template: confirmation
- trigger: "before_event"
delay: -24h
channel: email
template: reminder_24h
- trigger: "before_event"
delay: -1h
channel: sms
template: reminder_1h
- trigger: "after_event"
delay: +1h
channel: email
template: followup
```
### Email Templates
**Confirmation Email:**
```
Subject: Confirmed: {{event_name}} with {{host_name}}
Hi {{invitee_name}},
Your appointment is confirmed!
📅 {{event_name}}
🕐 {{event_date}} at {{event_time}} ({{timezone}})
📍 {{location}}
{{#if meeting_link}}
Join here: {{meeting_link}}
{{/if}}
Need to reschedule? {{reschedule_link}}
Need to cancel? {{cancel_link}}
See you soon!
{{host_name}}
```
**24-Hour Reminder:**
```
Subject: Reminder: {{event_name}} tomorrow
Hi {{invitee_name}},
Just a reminder about your upcoming appointment:
📅 {{event_name}}
🕐 Tomorrow, {{event_date}} at {{event_time}}
📍 {{location}}
{{#if meeting_link}}
Join link: {{meeting_link}}
{{/if}}
{{#if questions}}
You mentioned: "{{answers.discussion_topic}}"
{{/if}}
See you tomorrow!
```
## Calendly API Integration
### Authentication
```javascript
// Using Personal Access Token
const headers = {
'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN',
'Content-Type': 'application/json'
};
// Get current user
const response = await fetch('https://api.calendly.com/users/me', { headers });
const user = await response.json();
```
### Get Available Times
```javascript
async function getAvailability(eventTypeUri, startDate, endDate) {
const params = new URLSearchParams({
event_type: eventTypeUri,
start_time: startDate.toISOString(),
end_time: endDate.toISOString()
});
const response = await fetch(
`https://api.calendly.com/event_type_available_times?${params}`,
{ headers }
);
return response.json();
}
```
### Create Booking (New Scheduling API)
```javascript
// Schedule via API without UI redirect
async function createBooking(eventTypeUri, invitee, startTime) {
const response = await fetch('https://api.calendly.com/scheduled_events', {
method: 'POST',
headers,
body: JSON.stringify({
event_type: eventTypeUri,
start_time: startTime,
invitee: {
name: invitee.name,
email: invitee.email,
questions_and_answers: [
{ question: "What would you like to discuss?", answer: invitee.topic }
]
}
})
});
return response.json();
}
```
### Webhook Setup
```javascript
// Subscribe to booking events
async function createWebhook(organizationUri, url) {
const response = await fetch('https://api.calendly.com/webhook_subscriptions', {
method: 'POST',
headers,
body: JSON.stringify({
url: url,
events: [
'invitee.created',
'invitee.canceled',
'invitee.rescheduled'
],
organization: organizationUri,
scope: 'organization'
})
});
return response.json();
}
```
### Webhook Payload Handler
```javascript
app.post('/webhooks/calendly', (req, res) => {
const { event, payload } = req.body;
switch (event) {
case 'invitee.created':
// New booking
const booking = {
eventId: payload.event.uri,
inviteeName: payload.invitee.name,
inviteeEmail: payload.invitee.email,
startTime: payload.event.start_time,
endTime: payload.event.end_time,
meetingLink: payload.event.location?.join_url
};
handleNewBooking(booking);
break;
case 'invitee.canceled':
handleCancellation(payload.event.uri, payload.cancellation);
break;
case 'invitee.rescheduled':
handleReschedule(payload.old_event.uri, payload.new_event);
break;
}
res.sendStatus(200);
});
```
## Custom Booking Page
### HTML Booking Form
```html
<div id="booking-widget">
<h2>Schedule a Meeting</h2>
<!-- Event Type Selection -->
<div class="event-types">
<button data-event="intro-call">15-Min Intro</button>
<button data-event="consultation">60-Min Consultation</button>
</div>
<!-- Date Picker -->
<div id="date-picker"></div>
<!-- Time Slots -->
<div id="time-slots"></div>
<!-- Booking Form -->
<form id="booking-form">
<input type="text" name="name" placeholder="Your Name" required>
<input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email" required>
<textarea name="topic" placeholder="What would you like to discuss?"></textarea>
<button type="submit">Confirm Booking</button>
</form>
</div>
```
## Automation Workflows
### Zapier/n8n Integration Examples
**New Booking → CRM:**
```yaml
trigger: calendly.invitee_created
actions:
- hubspot.create_contact:
email: "{{invitee.email}}"
name: "{{invitee.name}}"
source: "Calendly Booking"
- hubspot.create_deal:
name: "{{event_type.name}} - {{invitee.name}}"
stage: "Appointment Scheduled"
```
**New Booking → Slack:**
```yaml
trigger: calendly.invitee_created
actions:
- slack.send_message:
channel: "#sales-bookings"
text: |
📅 New booking!
*{{event_type.name}}* with {{invitee.name}}
Time: {{event.start_time}}
Topic: {{answers.discussion_topic}}
```
**New Booking → Zoom:**
```yaml
trigger: calendly.invitee_created
conditions:
- event_type.location == "Zoom"
actions:
- zoom.create_meeting:
topic: "{{event_type.name}} with {{invitee.name}}"
start_time: "{{event.start_time}}"
duration: "{{event_type.duration}}"
- calendly.update_event:
meeting_link: "{{zoom.join_url}}"
```
## What I Need From You
Tell me about your scheduling needs:
1. **Business type** - What service are you scheduling?
2. **Event types** - What kinds of appointments? (calls, consultations, etc.)
3. **Availability** - Your working hours and timezone
4. **Integrations** - Calendar (Google/Outlook), CRM, payment?
5. **Reminders** - What reminder sequence do you want?
I'll design a complete booking system with configuration, templates, and API integration code.
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Suggested Customization
| Description | Default | Your Value |
|---|---|---|
| My service type (consulting, coaching, medical, etc.) | consulting | |
| My primary timezone | America/New_York | |
| Default meeting length in minutes | 30 | |
| Minutes between appointments | 15 |
Design calendar scheduling automation with availability management, booking workflows, reminder sequences, and Calendly-style integrations using APIs and webhooks.
Research Sources
This skill was built using research from these authoritative sources:
- Calendly Developer - Getting Started with API Official Calendly API documentation for scheduling integrations
- Calendly Scheduling API - Create Event Invitee New 2025 API for programmatic booking without UI redirects
- Calendly API Use Cases Common integration patterns and automation workflows
- Calendly API Integrations - Pipedream Third-party automation examples with Slack, Zoom, and CRMs
- Automated Appointment Scheduling Software Best practices for availability rules and reminder sequences