Google Calendar - Using Appointment Slots

Audience: Mentors

Archived as of July 22, 2024

Appointment Slots are no longer available. Source: https://support.google.com/calendar/answer/190998?hl=en

Info: Update 2024: As of August 2024, Google Calendar no longer support

You can no longer create new appointment slots. Effective August 7, 2024, if you still have active appointment slots:

• You get a message on your current slots to let you know they’re no longer bookable.
• People get an error message when they try to book appointments in slots on your calendar.
• Any current appointments booked through appointment slots remain unchanged.
• To let others schedule new appointments on your calendar, switch to appointment schedules.

Introduction

This article covers how to setup and manage the Appointment Slots feature in your SCORE's Google Calendar. If you're looking for the new feature of using Appointment Schedule instead of Appointment Slots, please go to this guide: Google Calendar - Using the Appointment Schedule Feature

Table of Contents

• How to Access Google Calendar
• How to Set Up Appointment Slots
• How to Modify an Appointment
  • Add Guests (Clients, co-mentors, and/or provisional mentors as Guests)
  • Add Video Conferencing details - Zoom Meeting
  • Notes for Zoom Users
  • Reschedule Appointment
  • Cancel Appointment
  • How to Share your Google Calendar Appointment Page
• Create a New Calendar
• Share your Calendar with Specific People

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How to Access Google Calendar

1) Sign in to your SCORE Google Account at https://accounts.google.com

2) From the menu button on the top right, select the Calendar icon.

Note: Google Calendar is a Google application included in your @scorevolunteer.org account. It is free to use and every chapter member has one.

How to Set Up Appointment Slot

Use the Appointment Slot function to create appointments with duration or single slots.

1) Open your Google Calendar. Check that your Google Calendar is set on Monthly view.

2) Click on the date or hold and drag to select multiple dates to set the appointment slots for the selected date/dates.

3) In the event box that will open, select Appointment Slots. Then click More Options.

4) Enter the details of the appointment slots. See the image below as a reference.

5) The appointment slots will be displayed in your calendar.

How to Add Clients to the Appointments

1) In your Google Calendar, select the date/time to modify.

2) Click the pencil icon to Edit Event (appointment).

3) Add a guest by entering their email address on the field provided (hit enter or return on your keyboard to submit the information on this field).

Note: Aside from adding clients as guests to an appointment, you can also add co-mentors and/or provisional mentors to your appointment by adding them as guests.

4) Click the Save button (to the right of the title field). Then select Yes when prompted to send an invitation to the newly added guest.

Note: The guest will receive a Confirmation Email (see sample below).

How to Modify Appointment to Add Zoom Meeting Details

1) In the Calendar, click the booked appointment to open the details.

2) Click the pencil icon to Edit Event (appointment).

3) Click Add Video Conferencing and select Zoom Meeting from the drop-down. Zoom will now create a meeting and add the details on this page. Note: Your @scorevolunteer.org account has a Zoom account associated with it. Make sure you are using your @scorevolunteer.org account to see this add-on as one of your options.

4) Click the Save button (to the right of the title field). Then, enter a note (not required) and click Send when prompted.

5) Optional Step: You can log in to Zoom to verify that the meeting exists.

Notes for Zoom Users

• The Zoom Add-on is already installed by the SCORE Headquarters in your account. You'll find the add-on on the right panel.
• You can also click the Zoom icon to log in to your Zoom account from here or to check which account is connected to your Google Calendar.
• When using the Zoom tool in the Google Calendar for the first time, Google will prompt you to Authorize and Log in to your Zoom account from within the Google Calendar app. Please view the video below for the complete steps. 

How to Modify Appointment to Reschedule an Appointment

1) In the Calendar, click the booked appointment to open the details.

2) Click the pencil icon to Edit Event (appointment).

3) Edit the Date and/or Time to reschedule the appointment.

4) Click the Save button (to the right of the title field). You will be prompted to send update emails to existing guests and an optional message, click Send on this window.

How to Modify Appointment to Cancel an Appointment

1) In the Calendar, click the booked appointment to open the details.

2) Click the trash icon  to Delete Event (appointment).

3) Click the Save button (to the right of the title field). You will be prompted to send cancellation emails to guests and an optional message, click Send on this window.

Note: The guest will receive a Cancellation Email (see sample below).

How to Share your Google Calendar Appointment Page

After accepting a mentoring request in Engage, you can contact the client to set up a mentoring session. You can also share your Calendar Appointment Page with your client so they can book an appointment with you. Here are the steps on how to share your appointment page link.

Note: Only share your calendar appointment page with a client who has an existing MRE assigned to you. Any client wanting to see your appointment availability will need a Google account to access Google Calendar.

1) Make sure you've already created your appointment slots.

2) In your Google Calendar, select the date/time and click the pencil icon to Edit Event (appointment).

3) Next, copy the link by right-clicking (Control key and click in Mac)  ‘This calendar’s appointment page’  then choose the Copy link address option. You can then paste this link in an email to your clients if they want to see your mentoring schedule.

3) The calendar's appointment page will show all your appointment slots. Your clients can click on their desired date and time to book a mentoring appointment with you.

Note: Clients must have a Google Account before they can access the shared Google Calendar link.

Also, only share your appointment page with a client you're already working in Engage (a client mentoring request is assigned to you in Engage).

Create a New Calendar

Creating a new calendar would allow you to dedicate a calendar for specific locations. Here are the steps showing how to create a new calendar in your Google Calendar.

1) Go to your Google Calendar- Click this link to open Google Calendar

2) On the left panel, click the plus sign under Other Calendars.

3) Select Create New Calendar - Add a name and description for your new calendar.

4) The calendar you've created will now appear under My Calendars and you can customize this by clicking the options to the right of the calendar.

After clicking the Options, it will open the window below.

Share your Google Calendar with Specific People

1) Click the of the calendar you'd like to share.

2) Then, select Share with specific people on the left panel and click Add People.

3) Enter the name or email address and set permissions then, click Send. Google will send a notification email with the link of your calendar to the person you've added.

Relevant Resources:

• Google Calendar Appointment Slots

• Check or Change Calendar Time Zone
• Learn how to create a new calendar

• Sharing your calendar with someone

• Google Calendar Training and Help