Real-Time Booking Node

Real-time booking integrations allow your AI agent to check calendar availability and schedule appointments during phone conversations. The agent can propose available time slots, confirm bookings instantly, and send confirmation details—all without human intervention.

Overview

Real-time booking actions connect your agent to your calendar system, enabling it to:

• Check real-time availability across multiple calendars
• Propose available time slots to customers
• Create confirmed bookings instantly during calls
• Handle time zone conversions automatically
• Send booking confirmations and reminders

This integration is ideal for businesses that want to automate appointment scheduling while maintaining a conversational, helpful experience for customers.

Supported Platforms

Synthflow supports real-time booking with the following calendar platforms:

The Real-Time Booking Node enables your AI agent to schedule appointments, meetings, and consultations in real-time by checking calendar availability and creating bookings—all within the conversation flow.

Purpose

Use the Real-Time Booking Node when you need to:

• Schedule appointments (demos, consultations, support calls)
• Check calendar availability in real-time
• Book confirmed time slots directly
• Send confirmation details to users and internal systems
• Reduce scheduling friction (no back-and-forth emails)

How It Works

1. User expresses interest in scheduling
2. AI collects preferences (date, time, meeting type)
3. Booking node checks availability against connected calendar
4. Available slots presented to user
5. User selects a time
6. Appointment is confirmed and created in calendar
7. Confirmation sent to user (email, SMS, or spoken)

Prerequisites

Before using the Real-Time Booking Node, ensure you have:

1. Calendar integration configured (Cal.com, Google Calendar, or other supported provider)
2. Booking action created in your Actions settings
3. Calendar availability properly configured (business hours, buffer times)

For setup instructions, see:

• Create a Real-Time Booking Action
• Cal.com Integration

Configuration

Step 1: Add the Node

1. In Flow Designer, click Add
2. Select Real-Time Booking
3. Name the node descriptively (e.g., “Schedule Demo Call”)

Step 2: Select Booking Action

Choose the booking action you created in your Actions settings:

• Each action corresponds to a specific calendar or event type
• Example: “Sales Demo,” “Support Consultation,” “Onboarding Call”

Step 3: Configure Required Variables

The booking node typically requires:

• Date preference: {preferred_date}
• Time preference: {preferred_time} or time range
• Duration: Automatically determined by event type
• User details: {user_name}, {user_email}, {user_phone}

These variables should be collected in Collect Variables nodes before the booking node.

Typical Flow Pattern

Here’s a common pattern for implementing real-time booking:

[Greeting]
   ↓
[Conversation: "Would you like to schedule a demo?"] → {wants_demo}
   ↓
[Branch: {wants_demo} == "yes"]
   ↓ (Yes)
   [Conversation: "What's your name?"] → {user_name}
   ↓
   [Conversation: "What's your email?"] → {user_email}
   ↓
   [Conversation: "What date works for you?"] → {preferred_date}
   ↓
   [Conversation: "Morning or afternoon?"] → {time_preference}
   ↓
   [Real-Time Booking: Check availability and book]
   ↓
   [Branch: Booking successful?]
      ↓ (Yes)
      [Message: "Perfect! Your demo is scheduled for {booked_date} at {booked_time}."]
      ↓ (No)
      [Message: "I'm sorry, we don't have availability at that time. Let me suggest alternatives..."]
      [Jump back to date collection or offer alternatives]

Best Practices

1. Collect Information Upfront

Gather all required details before attempting to book:

✅ Correct order:

1. Collect name
2. Collect email
3. Collect date preference
4. Collect time preference
5. Attempt booking

❌ Avoid: Trying to book without complete information, then having to go back and collect missing details.

2. Offer Flexible Options

3. Confirm and Reassure

After booking, confirm the details and explain next steps:

Example:

"Perfect! Your demo with {agent_name} is confirmed for {date} at {time}. You'll receive a calendar invite at {user_email} with the meeting link. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

4. Handle Booking Failures Gracefully

Not every booking attempt will succeed. Plan for failures:

[Real-Time Booking Node]
   ↓
[Branch: Did booking succeed?]
   ↓ (Yes)
   [Message: Confirmation message]
   ↓ (No)
   [Message: "I'm sorry, that time isn't available. Let me check other options."]
   ↓
   [Conversation: "Would you prefer an earlier or later time?"]
   ↓
   [Jump back to Real-Time Booking with new preferences]

5. Offer Rescheduling

Allow users to change their mind:

[Message: "Your demo is scheduled for {date} at {time}."]
   ↓
[Conversation: "Does that time work for you?"]
   ↓
[Branch: Needs rescheduling?]
   ↓ (Yes) → [Jump back to date collection]
   ↓ (No) → [Continue]

Common Use Cases

Sales Demo Scheduling

[Qualify lead with questions]
   ↓
[Branch: Qualified?]
   ↓ (Yes)
   [Message: "Great! Let's schedule a personalized demo."]
   ↓
   [Collect contact info and preferences]
   ↓
   [Real-Time Booking: Sales Demo]
   ↓
   [Confirmation]

Support Callback Scheduling

[Troubleshoot issue with AI]
   ↓
[Branch: Issue resolved?]
   ↓ (No)
   [Message: "Let me schedule a call with a specialist."]
   ↓
   [Real-Time Booking: Technical Support Call]
   ↓
   [Confirmation with ticket number]

Consultation Booking

[Collect information about user's needs]
   ↓
[Branch: Needs consultation?]
   ↓ (Yes)
   [Message: "I'd love to connect you with one of our consultants."]
   ↓
   [Real-Time Booking: Consultation]
   ↓
   [Message: "You're all set! Check your email for details."]

Multi-Service Booking

Route to different calendars based on service type:

[Conversation: "Which service? Haircut, Coloring, or Styling?"] → {service}
   ↓
[Branch: {service}]
   ↓ (Haircut) → [Real-Time Booking: Haircut Calendar]
   ↓ (Coloring) → [Real-Time Booking: Coloring Calendar]
   ↓ (Styling) → [Real-Time Booking: Styling Calendar]

Advanced Features

Calendar Pooling

Book across multiple team members’ calendars:

• Configure booking action to check multiple calendars
• Agent books with first available team member
• User doesn’t need to choose specific person

Use cases: Sales teams, support rotations, medical practices

Buffer Times

Add buffer time before/after appointments:

• Prevents back-to-back bookings
• Gives teams time to prepare
• Configure in your booking action settings

Example: 15-minute buffer = no bookings within 15 minutes of existing appointments

Custom Fields

Collect and store custom information with bookings:

• Special requests or notes
• Additional attendees
• Equipment needs

Pass these as variables to the booking node.

Time Zone Handling

Ensure correct time zone handling:

• Detect user’s time zone (via variable or API)
• Display times in user’s local time
• Store appointments in correct time zone

Example:

"All times are in your local time zone ({user_timezone}). Your appointment is at {time_local}."

Integration Options

The Real-Time Booking Node works with:

• Cal.com (recommended)
• Google Calendar
• Microsoft Outlook
• Custom calendar APIs

Each requires proper authentication and configuration. See integration-specific guides:

• Cal.com Setup
• Real-Time Booking Action

Troubleshooting

Booking Fails Despite Availability

Possible causes:

• Calendar sync issues
• Permissions not properly configured
• Time zone mismatch
• Booking outside of configured business hours

Solution: Check your calendar integration settings and business hours configuration.

User Can’t Find Suitable Time

Possible causes:

• Calendar is heavily booked
• User’s availability doesn’t match business hours
• Not enough advance notice (bookings require X hours notice)

Solution: Offer to add user to waitlist, provide alternative dates, or escalate to human scheduler.

Confirmation Email Not Sent

Possible causes:

• Email address not collected or invalid
• Email integration not configured
• Spam filters blocking confirmation

Solution: Verify email collection, check integration settings, provide confirmation verbally as backup.

FAQ

Next Steps

• Create a Real-Time Booking Action
• Cal.com Integration Guide
• Collect Variables Node for gathering booking details
• Branch Nodes for handling booking outcomes