The short version
Start with one meeting type, a clear purpose and enough room around the call. Then test the whole journey as a guest before putting the link on your website.
1. Make the purpose clear before asking for a time
Tell someone what the call is for, how long it lasts and what happens afterwards. A prospective client should not have to book just to discover whether you offer the service they need.
For example: “A 30-minute website project discovery call. We will discuss your goals, the pages or features you need, and the next step. This is an introductory conversation, not a paid audit.” Use wording that accurately reflects your own service.
- Use a meeting name a client will recognise, such as Website project discovery call.
- Choose a duration you can keep and explain what the conversation covers.
- Explain any preparation, whether there is a fee and what the next step is.
2. Offer a schedule you can keep
Your working hours and your calendar serve different purposes. Working hours define when you accept this type of appointment. Busy events stop those hours being offered when you already have something planned.
In Schedivo, select the calendars to check for clashes and a writable destination for new bookings. The destination must also be checked for clashes. Set time before or after the call when you need it, and use a daily booking limit if you want to keep part of your day for client work.
- Check every calendar that contains commitments relevant to this meeting.
- Confirm the destination calendar and allow bookings on it.
- Set working hours, notice, buffers and a daily limit that fit your day.
- Check the meeting timezone and add date-specific time off when needed.
A worked example: a morning for discovery calls
Imagine a consultant offering 30-minute calls on Tuesday from 09:00 to 12:00, with a 15-minute buffer afterwards. Their calendar already has a busy event from 10:00 to 10:30. All times below use Europe/London.
| Proposed call | What to check |
|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | Call plus preparation space afterwards fits before 10:00. |
| 09:30–10:00 | The 15-minute buffer would overlap the busy event. |
| 10:00–10:30 | The existing busy event blocks the call itself. |
| 10:30–11:00 | Call and its following buffer fit in the remaining morning. |
This illustrates checking a proposed time and its buffer. Actual offered slots also depend on your time increments, minimum notice, other rules and live calendar availability. Use the booking preview to check your own settings.
Connect and select your calendars
3. Ask only what helps you prepare
The booking form is the start of a conversation. Keep it short enough to complete while giving you enough context to recognise whether the project fits. A required question should have a clear reason for being required.
A website consultant might ask: “What would you like your website to do better?” and “When are you hoping to start?” A website address can be optional for a new business that does not have one yet. Avoid asking for passwords, payment-card details or sensitive documents in a booking answer.
- Use two or three focused preparation questions as a starting point.
- Make optional questions optional and explain unfamiliar terms.
- Read the questions on a phone and remove anything you will ask again unnecessarily.
Create and share a booking page
4. Make joining and changing the booking straightforward
A client needs to know where the call happens and how to move it if their plans change. Review the confirmation rather than assuming that a calendar entry alone explains everything.
Schedivo sends booking details and individual joining links. The host opens the host link; the customer uses their own invitation link and waits for admission where required. Customers can book and join without creating a Schedivo account. They still need a supported browser and any camera or microphone permissions they choose to use.
Set cancellation and rescheduling deadlines you can support, then check how those deadlines appear to the customer. Do not describe a meeting as freely changeable if you have set a cut-off.
- Check the date, timezone, length and joining instructions in the confirmation.
- Keep host and customer joining links separate; do not publish access links.
- Make the change/cancellation deadline clear before the customer confirms.
Check host and guest joining steps
5. Test the journey before sharing the link
Use a clearly labelled test appointment and a calendar you are authorised to write to. Check it as a guest, including on a phone. A successful test booking proves that setup worked; it does not mean your first real client has used the service.
In Schedivo, Overview → Workspace setup guides the calendar, publication and availability checks. Its guided test opens the published form and verifies the new booking. Review the confirmation, check the joining paths and cancel the appointment when your test is finished.
- Open the shared booking page without relying on your signed-in host session.
- Confirm that an existing busy appointment blocks the expected time.
- Make one test booking and inspect the calendar entry and confirmation.
- Try the guest joining path with an authorised test participant.
- Check cancellation/rescheduling and clean up the test appointment.
- Only then add the link or embed to your website.
Follow the workspace setup guide
Share it when the whole journey works
Once the journey works, share it where prospective clients already look for your service: beside your consultation offer or in a relevant conversation. Keep the page focused on the next useful step. Change it when real client questions show what is missing.