FindSlot features

# Google and Outlook Calendar Connections

Google and Outlook calendar connections send a staff member's FindSlot appointments to their usual calendar. The connection is one-way: appointment events go from FindSlot to Google Calendar or Outlook. Keep booking changes and public availability in FindSlot, while staff use their connected calendar as another place to see the day's appointments.

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## Connect the calendar each provider already uses

Each staff member connects their own Google or Microsoft account from their FindSlot profile. The connection follows appointments assigned to that person. A multi-provider business therefore needs the relevant providers to manage their own connections; one person's connection is not a company-wide calendar subscription for everybody.

Events use the connected account's primary or default calendar. The current workflow does not provide an arbitrary picker for secondary calendars, shared calendars or resources such as treatment rooms. Choose the personal account deliberately and check an assigned appointment in that account after connection.

This can help a stylist, tutor or consultant see service bookings alongside other plans. It does not move the appointment's source record away from FindSlot. For detailed setup and testing, use the [calendar sync guide](https://findslot.ai/google-calendar-outlook-appointment-sync).

## Understand the outgoing direction

The two calendars have different jobs. FindSlot holds the appointment, its assigned staff member and the availability clients can book. Google Calendar or Outlook displays an event reflecting the supported appointment state.

| Action | Where to do it | What to expect |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Accept a pending request | FindSlot | Its outgoing event can reflect the confirmed state. |
| Move an appointment | FindSlot | The connected appointment event can update to the new time. |
| Cancel a booking | FindSlot | Its connected event is removed through sync processing. |
| Block a personal commitment from online booking | FindSlot availability | The commitment must be reflected in the provider's bookable hours or time off. |
| Edit a synced external event | Google or Outlook | The edit does not update the FindSlot appointment and may be overwritten later. |

Your team should agree that a calendar event is a view of the appointment, not a second editing location. That simple rule reduces uncertainty when someone sees different times in two places.

## What happens as an appointment changes

Pending appointments appear as tentative events, and Accepted appointments are reflected as confirmed. Rescheduling in FindSlot can update the event. Canceled or declined appointments have their synced event removed; completed appointment events remain as a calendar record.

On connection, upcoming Pending and Accepted appointments assigned to the staff member are processed. **Sync now** provides a way to request synchronization when checking a connection. Processing is not a promise that every change will appear instantly, so allow it to finish before deciding a display is wrong.

Removing the external event is not the same as canceling the booking. A later sync may recreate an event for a booking that still exists in FindSlot. Make a real booking change in FindSlot so the calendar view follows the correct appointment state.

## Keep public availability in FindSlot

Personal busy time does not flow back from Google or Outlook to close booking slots. A private event at 2:00 p.m. can be visible in the external calendar while FindSlot still offers that time if its staff availability permits it.

Reflect working hours, breaks and days off in [staff scheduling](https://findslot.ai/features/staff-scheduling). If a personal commitment affects service availability, make the corresponding change in FindSlot and test the public booking page. A visible personal event alone does not protect the time.

For example, a tutor with an afternoon commitment should review the FindSlot availability that determines possible session times. Seeing the commitment beside FindSlot events in Google is useful for the tutor, but it is not evidence that clients can no longer book the same hour.

## Test one appointment before relying on the connection

Use an illustrative test appointment through your business's normal process, without changing a real client's booking just to test a calendar. First confirm the assigned staff member, date, local time and service in FindSlot. Connect the provider's intended account and check the event there.

Next make a permitted change in FindSlot, allow processing and compare the new event time. Then cancel the test booking in FindSlot and check the expected removal. This sequence tests the direction your team will use in everyday work.

Check the time zone shown by the external calendar when comparing times. A staff member traveling or using another display time zone may see a different clock time for the same instant. Compare the actual appointment time and offset rather than changing a correct booking to match a display assumption.

## Manage a connection without duplicating the appointment

If an appointment is missing, start with its FindSlot record. Verify who it is assigned to and which external account you are viewing. Review connection status in that staff member's profile; reconnect if account access needs renewal, or use Sync now for an active connection.

Avoid creating a second appointment simply to make an external event appear. That adds another booking record while leaving the original display question unresolved. Keep the current appointment intact and investigate the connection.

Disconnecting stops that connection and initiates removal of upcoming synced events. It does not cancel the business's actual appointments. If a provider changes accounts, keep the source booking records in FindSlot and check the new connection before depending on its display.

## Plans, limits and the right fit

Google Calendar and Outlook connections are available across FindSlot plans. Each staff member manages their personal connection. A shared team-calendar view is a separate capability, so compare [current plan features and limits](https://findslot.ai/pricing) if your manager needs to review several providers together.

The connection fits a team that wants appointments visible in familiar personal calendars and is prepared to manage bookings centrally in FindSlot. If your workflow requires imported external busy time, external edits returning to the booking system or shared-resource calendar selection, those are different requirements from this current connection.

Use the [booking page](https://findslot.ai/features/booking-page) for client choices and [appointment reminders](https://findslot.ai/features/appointment-reminders) for the communication around the appointment. Calendar visibility supports that workflow; it does not replace the booking record or guarantee that a reminder was delivered.

## Make the next appointment easier to manage

Start with a real workflow your team needs, then review current plan features and limits.

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