Bookings

Online appointments: video and phone

Let a service happen in person, by video call or by phone call, give video bookings a meeting link, and see how customers join and switch.

A service can happen in person, by video call or by phone call, or let the customer choose. Video bookings carry a meeting link in every message the customer gets, and phone bookings tell the customer you'll call them. Every booking channel knows how a service happens: phone calls, website chat, your booking page, your Aiva Chat website and the dashboard.

1. Choose how a service happens

  1. Go to Booking setup → Services and open the service (or click Add service).
  2. Under How it happens, tick In person, Video call, Phone call, or more than one. With more than one ticked, customers choose.
  3. If you ticked Video call, choose Always use my link and paste the meeting link, for example your Zoom personal room or a Whereby room. It must start with https:// and can't contain a password.
  4. Click Save service.

Rentals are always in person, so they don't have this section.

The other option, Make a link on the calendar, makes a Google Meet or Microsoft Teams meeting on a connected calendar for each booking. It needs Google or Microsoft calendar sign-in, which isn't available yet. Until it is, use Always use my link.

2. Give staff their own video room

If each team member uses their own meeting room, open them under Booking setup → Team and resources and fill in Their video room link (optional) under Video calls. A video booking with that person uses their link first, then the service's link.

If a video booking has no link at all, it's still booked. The customer is told the link will follow, you get a notification, and the appointment shows No link yet so you can add one.

What customers see

  • Booking page and website: a service with more than one way asks How would you like to meet? before the time. Video and phone bookings never ask for a location. If you have several locations, the location step adds Online, which lists the services you offer by video or phone.
  • On calls and in chat: the AI asks whether they'd like in person, video or phone when a service offers a choice. It tells the customer the link is sent with their confirmation and never reads it out.
  • Messages: confirmations and reminders include the video link on its own line, or say "We'll call you on …" for a phone booking. The calendar file (.ics) uses the link as the place.
  • Their own link: the customer's manage page has a Join video call button. When the service offers more than one way, they can switch between them up to the same cutoff as moving a time.

Phone appointments mean your team calls the customer at the booked time on the number they gave. Aiva Chat doesn't place that call for you. A customer has to give a phone number to choose a phone appointment.

A reminder just before a video call

Under Booking setup → Reminders and messages, tick 15 minutes before a video call, with the link. It's off by default and only goes out for video bookings, alongside your usual reminders. See Reminders and the customer's manage link.

Online classes

A class whose service is a video call shares one link per session. Everyone booked on that session gets the same link, from the session's staff member's room link or the class's own link.

Video and phone bookings in the dashboard

  • New appointment has a How it happens choice with the service's ways. Video and phone hide the location. For a video booking you can paste a Video link (optional) for this one booking.
  • Click a booking on the calendar to see How, with Join and Copy for the link. Use Add link or Replace link to change it (you can send the customer the new one), Send link again, or Change how to switch it to another way the service offers.
  • Calendar entries and Agenda rows show a video or phone icon.
  • Bookings → Reports splits bookings into In person, video and phone once any online bookings are in the range.

Locations, rooms and staff

Video and phone bookings don't need a location or a room, even if your business has several locations or the service normally needs a room. They still take the time of the team member they're with, so one person can't be double-booked across online and in-person appointments. If a service is booked with no team member, it uses the assistant's own hours.

Webhooks for bookings include how the booking happens and its meeting link. See Webhooks.

Troubleshooting

The customer didn't get a link. Open the booking. If it says No link yet, the service has no link and neither does the team member. Click Add link, and add a link to the service or the team member so future bookings get one.

A customer can't choose Phone call in chat. Phone appointments need a phone number. Ask them for one, or book it from the dashboard.

Next steps

Something here doesn’t match what you see in the dashboard? Email support@aivachat.io and we’ll fix the guide.