Appointment types

The main Appointments app dashboard displays all appointment types in a default Kanban view. Each row shows the appointment title, duration, the assigned users or resources, and counters for upcoming and total meetings or bookings.

Each appointment type has two action buttons on the right:

• Share: Click this button to copy the appointment link to the clipboard, which can be shared.

• Configure: Click this to open the appointment type form to edit its settings.

Published appointment types display a Published ribbon. Unpublished types do not have a ribbon and are not visible to customers on the website.

Click New to create a new appointment type, or click Share in the top toolbar to share multiple appointment types at once.

Appointment types

Appointment types represent a bookable service. An appointment type defines what can be booked, when it is available, who (or which resource) handles it, and what information the customer must provide.

To create or manage appointment types, open the Appointments app dashboard and click New.

Resources

The Appointments app allows new appointments to be scheduled based on user or resource availability, such as meeting rooms or seating areas. To create a new resource, or manage existing resources, navigate to Appointments ‣ Configuration ‣ Resources.

Click New to create a resource. On the blank record, enter a Name for the new resource (e.g., Court 1). In the Capacity field, enter the maximum number of people the resource can accommodate.

The Opening Hours field defines the working calendar for this resource. By default, it is set to Appointment Resource Default Calendar. Select a different calendar to customize the resource’s own availability independently from the appointment type’s Availabilities tab.

In the Linked Resource field, select how this resource combines with others. By default, a resource is set to Does not combine, meaning it operates independently. To allow the resource to be used in combination with others to handle larger groups, select one or more resources to link.

Lastly, in the Description tab, add a description for this resource. The contents of this tab are visible to customers when booking an appointment online and can be used to describe the space, amenities, or equipment available.

Increase the maximum displayed capacity

When booking an appointment based on resource availability, the website only displays capacity up to 20. This occurs even if the resource has a higher capacity. To raise this limit, a new system parameter needs to be added to the database.

First, ensure that developer mode is enabled. Then, navigate to Settings app ‣ Technical ‣ Parameters ‣ System Parameters. Click New to add a new parameter.

In the Key field, enter appointment.resource_max_capacity_allowed. In the Value field, enter the desired maximum capacity. Click the Save button when finished.

Appointment settings

On the new record, enter an Appointment Title, then set a Duration for this appointment type (e.g., 1h).

In the Location field, select where the appointment takes place. For user-based appointments, this defaults to Online Meeting. Select a different option to switch to an in-person venue. The Video Link field defines which videoconference provider is used for online meetings; leave it as None to let attendees join without a pre-generated link via SecureIO’s Discuss app.

Next, designate whether this appointment type is based on Users or Resources, by selecting the appropriate option in the Book field.

• If set to Users, select one or more users in the field below. Their calendar availability determines the open slots.

• If set to Resources, select one or more resources (e.g., rooms, equipment).

The Assignment field determines how a user or resource is matched to the booking:

• Automatically: SecureIO assigns a user or resource based on availability.

• By visitor: the customer picks a specific user or resource themselves.

When Assignment is set to By visitor, and more than one option is selected in the Users field the Starts with field controls the booking flow order:

• Date: the customer first selects a date and time, then chooses from the available users or resources.

• User / Resource: the customer first picks a person or resource, then selects an available time slot.

Lastly, tick the Manage Capacities checkbox to limit how many simultaneous appointments each user can have in the same time slot.

Availabilities tab

The Availabilities tab is used to define when this appointment type can be booked. Each row represents a recurring time window.

Click Add a line to create an availability window. Select a day of the week from the Every drop-down, then set the From and To times. Optionally, use the Restrict to Users column to limit a specific time window to one or more users; if left empty, the window applies to all assigned users.

Multiple entries per day are supported. Click the • (trash) icon to delete an entry.

Questions tab

The Questions tab can be used to collect customer information during the booking process.

Click Add a line to add a question directly in the list, and an Add: Questions pop-up window loads. Click Create New, and a Create Questions pop-up window loads. Enter the Question text, then select an Answer Type (e.g., Text, Phone Number, Email). Configure predefined Answers if the answer type requires them. Tick the Mandatory checkbox to require an answer before the customer can confirm the booking.

Communication tab

The Communication tab is used to manage the messages shown to customers on the booking page and the automated notifications sent around the appointment.

In the Introduction Page field, add a short description displayed on the booking page before the customer selects a time slot. This can include the topic of the appointment, a meeting agenda, or an introduction to the team.

The Confirmation Page field is displayed to a customer after they have booked a meeting. Add any additional information here that the customer should be aware of. This can include parking instructions, preparation steps, or venue-specific rules.

The Reminders field is used to set how customers are to be contacted before the appointment time. Select one or more options from the drop-down, based on the communication channel (e.g., Email, SMS Text Message) and the lead time (e.g., 3 Hours).

The Booking Email field sets the email template sent to attendees when a booking is confirmed. The Cancellation Email field sets the email template sent when a booking is canceled.

Options tab

The Options tab is used to configure advanced settings for the appointment type.

Tick the Allow invitations checkbox to let users send appointment invitations directly to contacts.

The Auto Confirm checkbox, when enabled, automatically accepts bookings up to the specified percentage of total capacity. For example, if set to 100%, all bookings within available capacity are accepted immediately. If set to 50%, only half the available slots are auto-confirmed; the remaining bookings require manual approval. Disable Auto Confirm entirely to require manual confirmation for every booking. While awaiting confirmation, the time slot is still considered reserved and is not shown as available to other customers.

Tick Display pictures to publish the default photos of the assigned users or resources on the booking page.

Enable Up-front Payment to require customers to pay at the time of booking.

The Create Opportunity checkbox adds an opportunity to the CRM app for each scheduled appointment, which is assigned to the responsible user.

The Website field selects which website this appointment type is published on, in a multi-website environment.

The Schedule field offers two modes: Weekly for fixed recurring availability, and Flexible for custom date ranges.

The Allow Bookings field is used to control the booking window. Set how many days into the future customers can book, and the minimum lead time before the start time (e.g., Within the next 15 days, at least 1h before start time).

The Create slot every field sets the interval between available time slots (e.g., 1h). This determines the granularity of the booking calendar shown to customers.

The Cancellation field is used to set the minimum time before the appointment at which customers can still cancel on their own (e.g., up to 1h before the booking). If a customer attempts to cancel within the restricted window, they see an error message with contact information.

The Timezone field sets the timezone used for displaying available slots on the booking page. For resource-based appointments, this is populated automatically based on the resource.

Use the Allowed Countries field to restrict bookings to customers from specific countries. Leave it empty to allow bookings from anywhere.

Tick the Employee Schedule checkbox to additionally constrain user availability by their working schedule defined in the Employees app. When enabled, a slot is only bookable if it falls within both the time windows in the Availabilities tab and the user’s employee working schedule.

Publishing an appointment

To publish a bookable appointment, follow these steps:

1. Open the Appointments app and click New.

2. Choose the appointment preset that matches the desired format. All options remain accessible, no matter the preset.

3. Enter an Appointment Title and set a Duration.

4. In the Book field, select Users and pick one or more team members. Or select Resources and select the relevant rooms or equipment.

5. In the Availabilities tab, ensure at least one time window appears.

6. Click the Go to Website smart button at the top of the record, then toggle the switch to • Published.

The appointment is now live. Share the booking link with customers using the Share button on the appointment Kanban card, or let them find it on the website.