Odoo Website Appointment

Key points

• • Self-Service Booking: Customers choose date, time, staff, service on website 24/7

• • Smart Availability: Auto-display available slots based on working hours, leaves, existing appointments

• • Calendar Integration: 2-way sync with Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar

• • Payment Collection: Collect booking fee or deposit via Stripe, PayPal before confirmation

• • Auto-Confirmation: Send automatic email/SMS confirmation with calendar invite (.ics file)

• • Reschedule/Cancel: Customers self-reschedule or cancel with flexible policy

• • Resource Management: Manage rooms, equipment, staff assignment for appointments

• • Reminders: Auto-send reminder email/SMS before appointment (24h, 1h)

Steps

• 1. Customer visits website, clicks "Book Appointment". Selects service type (Sales Consultation, Medical Checkup, Haircut).

• 2. Selects staff (or "Any Available"). System displays staff avatar, bio, rating.

• 3. Selects date from calendar. System only shows dates with available slots, disables holidays/full days.

• 4. Selects time slot (9:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 10:00 AM). Only shows available slots based on working hours and existing appointments.

• 5. Fills information: Name, Email, Phone, Notes. If service requires payment, enters credit card.

• 6. Reviews booking details, clicks Confirm. If payment required, processes payment via gateway.

• 7. Receives confirmation email with calendar invite (.ics). Appointment auto-added to staff and customer Google Calendar.

Steps

• 1. Go to Website → Configuration → Appointment Types. Click Create.

• 2. Basic Info: Name (Sales Consultation), Duration (30 minutes), Category (Sales).

• 3. Availability: Choose working hours (Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM). Set buffer time (15 min before/after). Max bookings per day (8).

• 4. Staff Assignment: Select staff who can handle this appointment. Enable "Allow customer to choose staff" or auto-assign.

• 5. Location: Office address, Zoom link, or Phone call. Auto-added to calendar invite.

• 6. Payment: Enable "Require Payment". Choose amount ($50) or percentage (20% deposit). Select payment provider (Stripe).

• 7. Confirmation: Customize email template. Add instructions, preparation checklist. Enable SMS reminder.

• 8. Cancellation Policy: Allow cancel up to 24h before. Refund policy (full/partial/no refund).

Steps

• 1. Go to Settings → General Settings → Integrations → Google Calendar. Click Configure.

• 2. Authorize: Click "Connect Google Account". Login with staff Google account. Grant calendar permissions.

• 3. Sync Settings: Choose calendar to sync (Work, Personal). Enable 2-way sync (Odoo ↔ Google).

• 4. Conflict Detection: Enable "Block slots with existing events". If staff has meeting in Google Calendar, that slot becomes unavailable.

• 5. Auto-Create Events: When appointment booked, auto-create event in Google Calendar with title, description, attendees.

• 6. Update Sync: If appointment rescheduled/cancelled in Odoo, auto-update/delete event in Google Calendar.

• 7. Test: Book test appointment, verify event appears in Google Calendar. Create event in Google Calendar, verify slot blocked in Odoo.

Key points

• • Working Hours: Set working hours per staff (Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat 10-2). System only shows slots within working hours.

• • Time Off: Staff requests time off in HR module. Appointments auto-block on leave days.

• • Buffer Time: Set buffer before/after appointment (15 min) for staff prep/wrap up.

• • Slot Duration: Customize slot duration (15/30/60 min). Can set different duration for different appointment types.

• • Max Bookings: Limit bookings per day/week to avoid overload. Example: max 8 consultations per day.

• • Advance Booking: Set minimum (24h) and maximum (30 days) advance booking window.

• • Same-Day Booking: Enable/disable same-day booking. If disabled, customers must book at least 1 day ahead.

Payment Options

Key points

• • Confirmation Email: Sent immediately after booking. Includes appointment details, calendar invite, location, preparation instructions.

• • Reminder Email: Sent 24h before appointment. Includes reschedule/cancel link. Enable in Appointment Type settings.

• • SMS Reminder: Sent 1h before appointment. Short message with time, location. Requires SMS credits.

• • Reschedule Notification: Sent when appointment rescheduled. Includes new date/time.

• • Cancellation Confirmation: Sent when appointment cancelled. Includes refund info if applicable.

• • Follow-up Email: Sent after appointment. Request feedback, offer next appointment.

Steps

• 1. Customer receives confirmation email with "Reschedule" and "Cancel" links.

• 2. Reschedule: Click link, choose new date/time from available slots. Confirm reschedule. Receive new confirmation email.

• 3. Cancellation: Click link, confirm cancel. If within cancellation window (>24h), full refund. If late (<24h), no refund or partial refund.

• 4. Admin Reschedule: Staff can reschedule from backend. Send notification to customer.

• 5. No-Show: If customer doesn't show up, staff marks "No-Show". No refund, may charge no-show fee.

• 6. Refund Process: If eligible, refund auto-processed via payment gateway. Money returns to account in 5-10 days.

Real-World Applications

Key points

• • Reduce Friction: Minimize form fields (Name, Email, Phone only). Pre-fill info for logged-in users.

• • Show Availability: Display "Next available: Tomorrow 2PM" prominently. Create urgency.

• • Staff Profiles: Add photos, bios, specialties. Let customers choose preferred staff.

• • Social Proof: Show "15 people booked this week". Display reviews/ratings.

• • Mobile-First: 70% bookings from mobile. Ensure calendar picker works well on mobile.

• • Instant Confirmation: Confirm immediately, don't make customer wait for approval.

• • Flexible Rescheduling: Make it easy to reschedule. Reduces no-shows.

• • Reminders: Send 24h and 1h reminders. Reduces no-shows by 30-40%.

Key points

• • Booking Dashboard: Go to Appointments → Reporting. View total bookings, revenue, no-show rate.

• • Staff Performance: Bookings per staff, average rating, revenue generated.

• • Peak Times: Identify busiest days/hours. Optimize staff scheduling.

• • Cancellation Analysis: Track cancellation rate, reasons. Adjust policy if needed.

• • Revenue Tracking: Total revenue from appointments. Break down by service type.

• • Customer Insights: Repeat booking rate, average time between appointments.

Common Issues

Key points

• • Can I book recurring appointments? Yes, enable "Recurring" in appointment type. Customer chooses frequency (weekly, monthly).

• • How to block specific dates? Go to Calendar → Time Off, create time off for staff. Or create "Blocked" appointment type.

• • Can I integrate with Zoom? Yes, install website_appointment_zoom module. Auto-creates Zoom meeting for appointment.

• • How to require deposit? In Appointment Type, enable "Require Payment", set amount = 20% of price.

• • Can I customize booking form? Yes, go to Appointment Type → Form Fields. Add custom fields (Address, Age, etc).

• • How to prevent no-shows? Require deposit, send reminders, have clear no-show policy.

• • Can I book for multiple people? Yes, set "Max Attendees" > 1. Useful for group classes.

• • How to track attendance? Staff marks "Attended" or "No-Show" after appointment. View report in Analytics.