When a customer calls and wants to book an appointment, the AI receptionist handles the entire scheduling process. Here's how it works behind the scenes.
The scheduling process
1. Customer requests a time
The caller says something like "Can I get a lawn mowing next Thursday at 2 PM?" or "What's your earliest availability?"
2. AI checks your availability
The receptionist checks your schedule in real time by looking at:
- Business hours — Is your business open at the requested time?
- Existing appointments — Are there any conflicts?
- Past dates — The AI won't book appointments in the past.
- Minimum advance booking — If you've set an earliest availability window (e.g., 1 day in advance), the AI respects it.
3. Slot is available
If the requested time works, the AI confirms it with the caller:
> "Great, I have you down for next Thursday at 2 PM for a lawn mowing. Can I get your name and address?"
4. Slot is unavailable
If there's a conflict, the AI suggests up to 3 alternative time slots that are available:
> "Unfortunately, that time isn't available. I do have openings on Thursday at 10 AM, Friday at 9 AM, or Friday at 1 PM. Would any of those work?"
5. Appointment is booked
Once the customer agrees to a time, the AI collects their details (name, address, service needs) and confirms the booking. A lead is created in your dashboard immediately.
Rescheduling and cancellations
The AI receptionist can also handle rescheduling and cancellations:
- Rescheduling — If a customer calls back and says "I need to move my appointment," the AI looks up their most recent active appointment by phone number, confirms the details, and books a new time.
- Cancelling — If a customer says "I need to cancel my appointment," the AI finds the appointment and marks it as cancelled.
In both cases, the call is tagged appropriately (Appointment Rescheduled or Appointment Cancelled) and linked to the original lead.
What you control
You determine your availability through these settings:
Setting | Where to find it |
Business hours | Settings > Scheduling |
Earliest availability | Settings > Scheduling |
Services offered | Catalog > Services |
The more accurate your settings, the better the AI handles scheduling conversations.
Tips
- Keep your business hours up to date — the AI relies on them for every availability check.
- If you're booked solid for a period, leads will be tagged as "Needs Follow Up" so you can reach out when you have openings.
- Customers can refer to dates naturally ("next Thursday," "tomorrow morning") — the AI handles the conversion.