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Appointment Scheduler allows customers book a store appointment with a specialist, and lets store associates book one for them, as part of Talkdesk for Stores in Talkdesk Retail Experience Cloud™. Appointments land on the assigned associate's calendar automatically, so the store is ready when the customer arrives.

Key Capabilities

Appointment Scheduler includes the following capabilities:

• Customer Self-Service Booking: Customers book through any digital or voice channel using Talkdesk AI agents.
• Associate-Assisted Booking: Store associates book an appointment for a customer directly from the Retail Workspace.
• Topic-Based Scheduling: Each appointment is booked for a specific topic, so the customer is matched with the right specialist.
• Specialist Visibility: Available time slots show the specialist assigned to each slot.
• Automatic Calendar Entry: Confirmed appointments appear on the assigned associate's calendar.
• Unified Activity Timeline: Appointments appear in the customer's activity history alongside in-person visits, calls, chats, and orders.

Why It Matters

• Customers book on their own terms. Customers can schedule through the channel they already use, at any time, without waiting for a store to answer.
• Associates can still help at the moment. When a customer would rather book in person or by phone, an associate can complete the booking in the same flow.
• Stores arrive prepared. The assigned specialist and the customer's topic are captured at booking, so the associate knows what the visit is about before it starts.
• The contact center and the store share one record. Agents can see a customer's appointments and visits instead of starting from scratch.

How to Access

Appointment Scheduler is available in Preview to Talkdesk Retail Experience Cloud customers using Talkdesk for Stores. To enable this capability, please reach out to your Talkdesk Contact.

Requirements and Rules

Before you configure Appointment Scheduler, keep the following requirements and rules in mind:

• Calendar provider: Each specialist must use a Google or Microsoft Outlook calendar. Other calendar providers are not supported.
• Calendar access: Each specialist must give Appointment Scheduler access to their calendar. Specialists receive an email with a link to grant the required permissions.
• Scheduler teams: Each appointment topic has its own scheduler team. Topic names must be unique, and each team must have at least one member.
• Member details: Name, Email, and Email provider are required for every member. Fallback link is optional.
• Availability: Timezone, Working days, Business hours, and Meeting duration are required. Appointment Scheduler offers time slots only within the team's working days and business hours.
• Open time slots: Appointment Scheduler checks each specialist's calendar, so a time slot is offered only when the specialist is free.
• Email settings: Email touchpoint, SMS Notification Phone Number, Subject, Company name, and Signature are required when you customize the calendar access email.

Note: The email asking for calendar access states that the requesting application is provided by Talkdesk, your contact center provider. Let your specialists know to expect it.

Configuring Appointment Scheduler

Admins set up Appointment Scheduler by creating a scheduler team for each appointment topic. A scheduler team is a group of specialists who take appointments for that topic, such as Personal Styling or Returns and Exchanges.

Creating a Scheduler Team

1. Navigate to Admin > Appointment Scheduler. The page lists your teams with their Topic, Members, and Status.
2. Click Create scheduler team.

3. Enter a Topic name. Each topic name must be unique.
4. Under Members, enter the specialist's Name and Email, and select the Email provider for their calendar: Google or Outlook. Optionally, enter a Fallback link.
5. Click Add member to add more specialists. You must add at least one member.

6. Under Scheduler Team Availability, select the Timezone, choose the Working days, enter the Business hours, and select the Meeting duration. Click the plus icon next to Business hours to add another time range.
7. Click Save.

Note: Each specialist receives an email asking them to give Appointment Scheduler access to their calendar. Appointment Scheduler uses that access to check for available time slots and book appointments.

Customizing the Calendar Access Email

You can customize the email that specialists receive.

1. On the Appointment Scheduler page, click Configure.
2. Select an Email touchpoint and enter the SMS Notification Phone Number.
3. Under Email template, enter the Subject, Logo URL, Company name, and Signature. The preview updates as you type.
4. Click Confirm.

Scheduling an Appointment - Agent

A customer can book a store appointment through any digital or voice channel using Talkdesk AI agents, or a store associate can book one from the Retail Workspace. The booking follows the following steps:

1. From the customer's Customer 360 profile, start a new appointment and select a Topic, then click Next.

2. Choose an available Date and Time. Each time slot shows the specialist assigned to that slot.

3. Confirm the customer's Name, Email, and Phone Number.
4. Confirm the appointment.

The appointment appears automatically on the assigned associate's calendar.

Note: Customers booking through a digital or voice channel follow the same steps in conversation with the AI agent, which asks for each detail in turn.

Viewing Appointments in the Activity Timeline

1. Open the customer's profile and go to the Activity tab.
2. Find the appointment in the timeline, listed together with in-person visits, calls, chats, and orders, most recent first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a customer book an appointment?

A customer can book through any digital or voice channel using Talkdesk AI agents. A store associate can also book one for the customer directly from the Retail Workspace.

Who sees the appointment after it is booked?

The appointment appears automatically on the assigned associate's calendar, and in the customer's activity timeline.

Can I see which specialist a customer will meet?

Yes. Available time slots show the specialist assigned to each slot.

Does Appointment Scheduler replace our existing calendar or CRM?

No. Appointment Scheduler connects the booking to the same customer record your contact center agents already use.

How do I get access to Appointment Scheduler?

Appointment Scheduler is in Preview as part of Talkdesk for Stores. Reach out to your Account Executive or Customer Success Manager to confirm access for your account.