Settings: Calendar Connections tab
Calendar settings are designed to simplify users' availability and assist with connections relating to Google Calendars, Google Ads, Outlook, Zoom, and Stripe. Many of these are settings that you may utilize for Group Calendars. When doing so, you will want to consider user availability and primary calendar connections! In some cases, Event Calendars are affected by these settings, and the “week view” that shows in the calendar can be changed from here. This article will review the Settings interface and concepts to consider when using calendar groups!
Calendar Types that classify as Calendar Groups:
- Round Robin Calendars
- Service Calendars
- Class Calendars
- Collective Calendars
Connections Tab
This tab includes:
- Calendars
- Video Conferencing
- Google Organic Booking
- Local Services Ads
The Account Admin can view and manage calendar connections for all staff. Use the Staff dropdown to select a user. From there, the account admin can view, add, remove, or update that user’s calendar connections
Calendars:
Connected Calendars: You can easily connect your third-party calendar(s) to check availability, update appointments as they're scheduled, and avoid double bookings.
Calendar Configuration: In Team/Group calendars like Round Robin, Service, Class, and Collective Calendars, any appointments assigned to a specific user can sync directly with Google, Outlook, or iCloud calendars. This means that when an appointment is booked in your system, it will automatically appear in your connected third-party calendar. Likewise, any events from your external calendar will be read and synced back into the system, helping you avoid scheduling conflicts and keeping everything up to date in one place.
For more details, please see article “Integrating with Google and Google Calendars”
Private Mode for Synced Events: This feature is designed to keep your third-party calendar details confidential, ensuring that only the user who connected the calendar can view the event details. This setting enhances privacy by preventing unauthorized access to your synced calendar events, making it ideal for maintaining personal or sensitive scheduling information securely.
- To enable or manage this feature, go to My Profile or Calendar Settings > Connections.
Video Conferencing
Automatically generate unique meeting links and share them whenever an appointment is scheduled.
Google Organic Booking
You can find and book services directly from your business's Google My Business (GMB) listing without any involvement of third-party booking platforms or paid advertisements. Enabling Google Organic Booking may take 24 to 48 hours for the changes to appear on your GMB profile.
Local Service Ads:
With Local Services Ads, you can advertise your business on Google and receive leads directly from potential customers. These leads come in as phone calls and messages sent through your Local Services ad.
Before you start, please note that Reserve with Google is currently supported only in the United States. Ensure you have a Local Services Ads account set up. This integration is compatible only with the ‘Home Services’, ‘Legal’, and ‘Real Estate’ company niches (Local Service Providers). Additionally, verify that your Company Name and Address in Settings > Business Profile match precisely with the details in your LSA business account.
Reconnect Your Integration
The Reconnect button simplifies the process of restoring broken calendar and video conferencing integrations. Previously, when issues like expired tokens or permission changes occurred, you had to remove the integration and reconnect from scratch. Now, you can simply initiate the OAuth flow to restore the connection without losing any settings.
Note that only the original connected account can be used for reconnection. If a different account is used, an error will prompt you to reintegrate the original one.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How can I connect my third-party calendar to sync appointments?
You can connect your Google, Outlook, or iCloud calendar under Calendar Settings > Connections > Calendars to sync availability, prevent double bookings, and update appointments automatically.
2. What is Private Mode for Synced Events?
Private Mode ensures that only the user who connected their third-party calendar can view event details, keeping sensitive or personal scheduling information confidential. This setting can be managed under My Profile or Calendar Settings > Connections.
3. How does Google Organic Booking work?
Google Organic Booking allows customers to book appointments directly from your Google Business Profile without using third-party platforms or ads. Changes may take 24 to 48 hours to reflect on your profile after enabling.
4. Can I move a calendar to a different group?
Yes, but only for Team/Group calendars. If you don’t see the "Move to Group" option, it means the calendar is an Unassigned/Event calendar, which cannot be moved.
5. What are Local Services Ads, and how do they integrate with the calendar?
Local Services Ads allow businesses to receive direct leads from Google through calls and messages. Integration is available only for Home Services, Legal, and Real Estate providers in the U.S., and business details must match those in the Local Services Ads account.
6. How do I reconnect my calendar or video conferencing integration?
Click the Reconnect button, go through the OAuth prompt, and your connection will be restored with all settings intact.
7. Do I need to reconfigure my settings after reconnecting?
No, all your settings will remain the same after the reconnection process.
8. Can I use a different account to reconnect?
No, only the original connected account can be used for reconnection. If a different account is used, an error will prompt you to reintegrate the original one.