> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.recepta.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Appointments

> Booking rules, arrival windows, confirmations, reminders, and post-visit follow-up.

Booking during the call is the point of the whole system. A qualified lead that has to be called back converts worse than one that already has a slot.

## Booking settings

Under **Appointment settings**, define the rules the agent books within:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Job duration" icon="clock">
    How long each service takes. Set it per service where they differ — a diagnostic visit and a full install shouldn't occupy the same slot. Realistic durations are what stop the day falling apart by 2pm.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Arrival windows" icon="calendar-days">
    Whether you book exact times or windows — 8–10, 10–12, 12–2. Windows absorb traffic and overruns; exact times raise expectations you have to meet.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Lead time and horizon" icon="calendar-range">
    The minimum notice before a bookable slot, and how far ahead you'll take bookings. Lead time protects your dispatcher from a job appearing twenty minutes out.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Buffers" icon="arrows-left-right">
    Travel and turnaround time between jobs. Without buffers the agent books back-to-back across town.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Capacity" icon="users">
    How many jobs can run concurrently — typically your crew count. Prevents three bookings in one slot with one truck.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Where availability comes from

The agent books against real availability, not a static grid. Connect a calendar or a field-service CRM so it sees what your team actually has open. See [Calendars](/booking/calendars) and [Field-service CRM](/integrations/field-service-crm).

<Warning>
  Without a connected source of availability, the agent can only work from the rules above — which means it can't see a job your dispatcher added by hand this morning. Connect something before you take real bookings.
</Warning>

## Confirmations and reminders

Once a booking is made, Recepta.ai handles the lifecycle around it:

| Stage            | What goes out                                              |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| On booking       | Confirmation with date, arrival window, and what to expect |
| Before the visit | Reminder — the single biggest lever on no-shows            |
| After the visit  | Follow-up, and a feedback request where you've enabled it  |

Reminders go by SMS or email depending on what you've configured and what the customer consented to. SMS requires approved [A2P registration](/phone/a2p-10dlc).

<Tip>
  A reminder the evening before plus one on the morning of the visit cuts no-shows more than any single message does. Include a way to reschedule — a moved job is worth far more than a missed one.
</Tip>

## Rescheduling and cancellations

Customers can reschedule or cancel through the agent on a call or by replying to a reminder. Changes propagate to your calendar and to your connected CRM.

<Note>
  Only one write-capable field-service CRM can be connected at a time. This is deliberate — with two connected, a reschedule can dispatch to the wrong system and dead-end. See [Field-service CRM](/integrations/field-service-crm).
</Note>

## Post-visit feedback

Enable feedback requests to capture how the job went. Beyond the review value, the outcomes tell you which services and which crews generate follow-up problems — and they feed the dormant-customer and reactivation [sequences](/outbound/sequences).

## Taking payment

Deposits at booking and balances after the visit can be collected over text. See [Payments](/booking/payments).