Calendar and booking
Customers book appointments with you online, any time, and DVT sends the confirmations and reminders. Everything booked shows in Calendar, and on your own Google Calendar if you connect it.
Appointment types
Each kind of appointment you offer (a consultation, a 1-hour service, a site visit) is an appointment type, set up by owners under Calendar → Appointment types:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Length | 5 minutes to 8 hours. |
| Start times | How often a slot starts: every 15 minutes, every hour… |
| Buffers | Time kept free before and after, up to 4 hours each. |
| Minimum notice | How much notice you need, from none up to 30 days. |
| Booking window | How far ahead people can book, 1 to 365 days. |
| Per day | The most times one person can book in a day. |
| Location | By phone, by video (with your link), at your address or at theirs. |
| Who takes it | Let the customer pick who they meet, or round robin: whoever is free next. |
| Questions | Up to 10: short answer, paragraph or pick one. Answers are saved as a note on the contact. |
| Texting checkbox | Lets people ask for text reminders, which also counts as agreeing to texts. |
| Open for booking | Switch it off to stop new bookings without deleting it. |
An appointment type needs at least one person who takes it, with hours under Availability, before anyone can book it.
Taking payment
With Stripe connected (see Payments), each appointment type can:
- be free,
- take the full price when they book,
- take a deposit, or
- keep their card on file, so you can charge a no-show fee if they don't turn up.
The time is held for about 30 minutes while they pay. If your team cancels, the payment is always refunded. If they cancel, it can be refunded when they cancel at least so many hours ahead (24 to start with). Moving an appointment keeps the payment.
Your availability
Under Calendar → Availability, set your weekly hours in your own time zone. Under Days off and special hours, mark a date as unavailable all day, or give it different hours. Everyone sets their own; owners can set anyone's. Customers see times in their own time zone.
Google Calendar
Under Calendar → Connected calendars, anyone can connect their own Google Calendar (more than one Google account if they like). Times you're busy there can't be booked, and new bookings are added to your calendar. DVT only reads when you're busy, never what your other events are, and only changes events it made. If the connection breaks, it's marked “Needs reconnecting”.
Booking on your website
Open an appointment type and look under Share it. You can:
- share the booking page link (in emails, texts, your social bio),
- paste the embed code to put the calendar right on a page of your website, or
- paste the button code for a button that opens the calendar in a popup.
In WordPress or Divi, paste the code into a Code or Custom HTML block. Your booking page also lists all your appointment types together.
After someone books
- They're emailed a confirmation with a calendar invite, and whoever takes it is told.
- Reminders go 24 hours and 1 hour before, by email, and by text if they ticked the box.
- Their email has a link to move or cancel, which works until the appointment starts.
- Afterwards, mark it completed (which can ask them for a review) or They didn't turn up (where you can charge the no-show fee). Appointments nobody marks are completed 3 hours after they end.
Only the person taking an appointment, or an owner, can move, cancel or mark it. Owners can switch any of these emails and texts off in Automations.
Common questions
Can I connect Outlook or Microsoft 365?Coming soon
Not yet: DVT connects to Google Calendar today, and you can connect more than one Google account. Your Google busy times block bookings, and new bookings appear on your Google calendar.
Vote for it on the ideas board so we know how much you want it.
How do I put booking on my website?
Each appointment type has its own booking page, and Calendar → Appointment types gives you the code to show it on your website, either on the page itself or as a button that opens it in a popup. On WordPress or Divi, paste it into a Code or Custom HTML block. You can also just link to your booking page.
Can customers reschedule or cancel themselves?
Yes. Their confirmation email has a link to move or cancel the appointment, which works until it starts. After that, the page asks them to contact you directly.
Can I take a deposit or charge for no-shows?
Yes, once Stripe is connected. In the appointment type's Payment settings, choose pay in full, a deposit, or keep a card on file and charge a no-show fee. You can also refund people who cancel at least so many hours ahead (24 to start with).
What happens to a payment when an appointment is cancelled?
If your team cancels, the payment is always refunded. If the customer cancels, it's refunded when the appointment type allows refunds and they cancelled early enough. Moving an appointment keeps the payment.
Why can't anyone book my appointment type?
Check that it's switched to Open for booking, that it has at least one person who takes it, and that those people have hours under Availability. Its minimum notice and how far ahead it can be booked limit the times shown too.
Can I delete an appointment type?
Only if it has never been booked. Otherwise switch off Open for booking. Its past bookings stay.
Which time zone do customers see?
Their own. The booking page works it out from their browser, and they can change it. Your hours are set in your own time zone.