Approval-based booking with Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings
Hi community members,
Zoho Creator serves as the intake form where customers can submit their booking requests by providing details, such as:
Name
Email
Contact number
Preferred service
Desired date and time slots
2️. Scheduling and booking management via Zoho Bookings
Zoho Bookings acts as the scheduling engine in the background, handling:
Staff onboarding
Working hours configuration
External calendar and video conferencing integrations
Event creation and appointment management.
3️. Real-time data sync via API
This solution leverages API integration between Zoho Creator and Zoho Bookings to ensure real-time data synchronisation. When customers fill out the intake form, it dynamically fetches and displays available slots from Zoho Bookings based on their selection.
Prerequisites for the workaround
Zoho Bookings: Any paid plan
Zoho Creator: Standard plan or higher
Zoho Creator allows you to export applications as DS files, making it easy to share and deploy solutions. We have attached the DS file for this solution so you can easily download and import it into your Zoho Creator account.
Download the DS file here: DS file code
Guide to import the DS file into Zoho Creator: Guide
How it works
1️. Customer appointment request form
The Zoho Creator intake form allows customers to select their workspace, service, date, time zone, and preferred time slot.
The Zoho Bookings API dynamically fetches the available services and slots based on customer selections.
2️. Admin notification and approval dashboard
Once a customer submits a request, admins receive an email notification with access to the approval dashboard.
Auto-assign staff
If admins do not have a preference for assigning staff, they can simply click the Auto-Assign button.
The system checks the first available staff member for the selected service.
If the first staff member is available, the appointment is automatically assigned to them.
If the first staff member has an existing appointment for the day, the system will automatically move to the second staff member and check their availability for the approved date and time.
If the second staff member is also unavailable, an error message is displayed, prompting the admin to manually select a staff member.
This mechanism ensures that staff assignments are distributed efficiently every time the Auto-Assign button is clicked.
Manual staff assignment
Admins can manually select a specific staff member before approving the appointment.
If the selected staff member is unavailable, the system notifies the admin to choose another staff member.
3️. Deny function and automation options
If the appointment is denied, various automated actions can be configured, including:
Sending email notifications to customers about the cancellation
Notifying other admins or specific users
Triggering custom workflows based on business needs
Key highlights of the solution
No need to manually configure complex workflows—everything is ready to go.
Simply pass the Workspace ID and Staff ID while making API calls.
The system fetches all required booking details dynamically using Zoho Bookings API.
How to retrieve IDs from Zoho Bookings
Workspace ID
Navigate to Zoho Bookings and open the required workspace.
Retrieve the Workspace ID from the URL.
Staff ID
Open the Staff section and select the required user profile.
Retrieve the Staff ID from the URL.
Example:
https://bookings.zoho.com/#/app/staffs/summary/40500290000******/staff-info
3. Staff ID: 40500290000******
Watch this short video on where to replace the Staff ID: Staff ID video
Important notes on payment handling
This solution does not currently handle payment processing. Since appointment requests require approval before confirmation, the payment function is not included by default.
However, if you need to integrate payment processing, here is a possible approach: Zoho Invoice and Zoho Books integration
How it works:
1️. When an admin approves an appointment, the booking is confirmed.
2. The system automatically generates an invoice based on the booked service.
Need further customization?
Note: This solution is in its initial stage of development, and we will refine it wherever possible based on new ideas, feedback, and better implementation approaches. Your suggestions are always welcome.
If you require additional automation or a custom approval/denial process, feel free to reach out.
Access your files securely from anywhere
Zoho Developer Community
Topic Participants
Kaushik S
Sticky Posts
Zoho Bookings know-how: A hands-on workshop series
Hello! We’re conducting a hands-on workshop series to help simplify appointment scheduling for your business with Zoho Bookings. We’ll be covering various functionalities and showing how you can leverage them for your business across five different sessions.Announcing: custom color palette + free workshop
Hello everyone, We're excited to share new feature in Zoho Bookings—a color palette within booking page themes. You'll find this option under Manage Bookings > Workspaces > Booking Page Themes. You can customize the color of every element in your booking page and even alter the transparency of your background image. Please note that this is a paid feature included in the Basic and Premium plans. At the moment, it's available only under the Modern Web theme. This means you can create billions (7,Complete walk-through of Zoho Bookings (video)
Save time for both you and your customers. Use Zoho Bookings, the appointment scheduling app from Zoho, to free yourself from email and paper-based scheduling. Zoho Bookings can give you a common calendar by syncing multiple calendars, including yours and your staff's. Your customers can book a time convenient for them, and pay for services, through your website or the customizable webpage features available in Zoho Bookings. They'll also get emails reminding them about their appointments and anyNew Features: Service Availability and staff booking page themes!
Dear All, Want a dedicated schedule for your one-on-one services? How would it feel to have one-on-one services open for consultations only during certain times? You need a superpower to make that happen and we give it to you - Service Availability isZoho Bookings has a new pricing - Pay per user
Dear customers, Businesses around the world use Zoho Bookings. Customers have booked 1.5 million appointments and over 200K online meetings using Bookings. We are only set to cross more milestones, thanks to your support. We are excited to introduce to
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Remote Server is misconfigured
Dear Team, I am unable to use email id as remote server is misconfigured. It would be really great if you could help on this and get this resolved. Thanks & Regard Rohit Guptawhy cant i access my email account. it keeps asking me for reverifiying my account by entering my password.
I cant access my account. it keeps asking me for reverifcaton by entering my password. once its entered it asks for it over and over.Free webinar alert on October 16 - Less Complexity, More Security: Workplace + Directory
Hello Zoho Workplace Community! Security and productivity shouldn't be at odds—and with Zoho, they're not. Discover how Zoho Workplace + Directory delivers seamless collaboration with enterprise-grade security, all in one integrated ecosystem. Join ourEmail Recall Feature In Zoho Mail Which Should Also Work For Outside Organisation Members
Add a feature to recall or undo sending an email within a configurable short time window (e.g., 30 seconds to 2 minutes) after hitting send, similar to Gmail’s undo send. Currently the sent email can not be recall If the recipient is not from within yourWorkdrive and ChatGPT Team Synced Connectors
Hi, we want to be able to integrate Zoho Workdrive with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Team plan. Google Drive and OneDrive both offer this, zoho please catch up asap. We dont want to have to put our company files in google drive, we want to allow chatgpt Team editionAlias Name (on items) use case in Zoho inventory
Hey, Hope everyone is well. Wondering if anyone can shed some light on the use case of Alias Names on Products in Zoho Inventory? Cheers, ChrisUpdating an Invoice Line Item's Discount Account via API Call / Deluge Custom Function
I need help updating an invoice line item's discount account via API. Below is a screenshot of the line item field I am referring to. Now the field to the left of the highlighted field (discount account) is the sales income account. I am able to modifySend e-mail with attachments
Dear Zoho, How is that possible in Zoho Flow to send an e-mail with attachment? Just a simple example: Zoho Flow checks my Zoho mails and if the conditions starts the trigger then I would like to send an email with the original email's attachment. Any idea? BR, AdamHow to I get checkboxes on a subform to update via deluge
Hello, would someone be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong here? I am trying to take the contents of a Deals subform and add them to an invoice then update the checkbox on each row so that 'add to invoice' is unticked and 'invoiced' is ticked. The outputYour bot just got smarter: AI-Powered routing that reads between the lines
What if your bot could tell the difference? Between a visitor who just needs a quick answer, someone actively comparing options, and a frustrated customer one click away from leaving? Most bots can't. They deliver the same response to everyone, missingUrgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,
Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) availableUnified customer portal login
As I'm a Zoho One subscriber I can provide my customers with portal access to many of the Zoho apps. However, the customer must have a separate login for each app, which may be difficult for them to manage and frustrating as all they understand is thatZoho Projects - Task Owner filter at Project level
Hi Projects Team, The feature requests I would like to raise is the ability to create a custom view at the project level for projects with tasks owned by a user or users. For example "Ashley's Projects" custom view might contain a list of project in whichCadences
I have just started using Cadences for follow-up up email pipeline. Is it just me or do you find the functionality very basic? For example, it will tell me (if I go looking for it) if someone has replied to a follow-up and been unenrolled; but it won'tZoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series!
Dear users, Continuing in the spirit of our 'Function Fridays' series, where we've been sharing custom function scripts to automate your back office operations, we're thrilled to introduce our latest initiative – the 'Zoho Books-Accounting on the Go Series'.Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder
Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities ifWould be really awesome to have Created Time and Modified Time showing for custom functions list
It would be SO HELPFUL to be able to sort custom functions by created time/ modified time. Also seeing a created by/ modified by with the little profile picture would be supremely helpful as well. Just really hard sometimes to find a function you wereTicket Export Does Not Include Ticket Threads
Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I would like to report an issue regarding the ticket export functionality in Zoho Desk. Currently, when exporting tickets, the ticket threads or conversation history are not included — only the ticketPayments made notification
This is a really wonderful feature but we can only use it for about 50% of payments made & have to revert to sending statements which is a real chore. Credits applied to the bills paid in the notification aren't included & this causes great confusion in the accounts receivable departments. Please, please add this required feature asap ! .....Ability to add VAT to Retainer Invoices
Hello, I've had a telephone conversation a month ago with Dinesh on this topic and my request to allow for the addition of VAT on Retainer Invoices. It's currently not possible to add VAT to Retainer Invoices and it was mutually agreed that there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be, especially as TAX LAW makes VAT mandatory on each invoice in Europe! So basically, what i'm saying is that if you don't allow us to add VAT to Retainer Invoices, than the whole Retainer Invoices becomesZOHO DESK link with Power BI
HI, I am using ZOHO Desk for last two years and now my client is asking to integrate ZOHO desk data to Power BI so that they can use Data for reporting. Kindly guide in details so that i can give access to ZOHO desk export data for more visibility.URLs being masked despite disabling tracking
Hey, We had disabled click tracking from an email update we are sharing with our users. Despite this, the URL the end user is receiving is masked, and looks like "https://qksyl-cmpzourl.maillist-manage.net/click/1d8e72714515cda6/1d8e72714515ca70" insteadDashboard Autorefesh
Good day, I am a dashboard that displays the number of tickets based on "Product Name". This dashboard is displayed on a big TV for the team to monitor. Can the dashboard auto-refresh every few minutes to display the new values? Currently, we have closedDeferred/ Unearned revenue
Dear Zoho Team, Just in case you have missed out my query posted few days ago: We issue invoices relating to 12-month web hosting service. When we issue the invoice, we should record the entire amount of the invoice as DEFERRED/UNEARNED REVENUE (ie. $10Report Hover Setting
Would be great if we will able to show information to the user while hovering a record in a report.Bigin Android app update: Zoho Books integration
Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce Zoho Books integration on the latest version(v1.8.5) Bigin Android app. Once the integration is completed in the web(bigin.zoho.com), the Zoho Books tab will be visible in detail View of Contacts, Companies,Audit Log enhancements: Increased retention period, better user visibility, and more
Hello everyone, The Audit Log brings in the following enhancements which improve the overall ability to manage data. Why did we make these updates? Extended Data Retention: Audit data can now be filtered and exported for a 60-day period, doubling theQuestion Regarding Managing Sale Items in Zoho Books
Good day, I was wondering about something. Right now, Zoho Books doesn’t seem to have a way to flag certain items as being on sale. For example, if I want a list of specific items to be on sale from October 1 to October 12, the user would have to export[WEBINAR] Smooth year-end closure with Zoho Books (KENYA)
Hello there, This webinar is for all Kenyan businesses looking to wrap up their financial year smoothly! Join our free session to learn how Zoho Books can simplify your year-end process. What to expect from this webinar: - All the latest updates in ZohoSystem flaws and lack of response from Zoho
I have had to go on here as no-one is replying to my emails regarding my problem (been 10 days and no email reply) and your chat facility online through your Zoho Books software opens and closes immediately, so not functioning properly. I actually calledCustomer Grouping
Hi, how can I group multiple customers into single group. So that I can have idea of accounts receivables of all the customers in single group. Like if there are multiple subsidiaries of same company we have having a business with, and want to view theTwo currencies
More and more I am finding that internattional payments' fees are unpredictable. I would like, on my invoices that are in a foreign currency (eg. USD$ or EUR€) for there to be a GBP£ TOTAL display alongside the invoice's currency total. This would makeZoho Books | Product updates | September 2025
Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From PayNow payment method to applying journal credits to invoices and bills in other locations, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. IntegrateGST Slabs Redefined: Stay Compliant Using Zoho Books!
Hello Everyone! The Government of India is rolling out new GST rates, a major reform aimed at simplifying the current tax structure starting 22 September 2025. GST will move from four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) to two main slabs (5% and 18%), plus a specialZoho Books | Product updates | October 2025
Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, AppleNeed Inactive accounts to be visible in Reports in Zoho Books
I N=need Inactive accounts to be visible in Reports in Zoho Books to do recons of the accounts but when i see the same they are not visible in the Accountant - Account Transactions reportEdit item custom fields
Getting this error : Transactions have been created with the custom field. Hence it cannot be deleted. Not trying to delete it, just trying to change which modules to show in or to not show at all in transactions !Zoho Books - How to Invoke a Custom Function in Schedulers
We have multiple schedulers that send emails to customers in batches. Currently, we are maintaining the same code across several schedulers. Is it possible to use a custom function inside a scheduler script? If yes, how can we invoke the custom functionUse Zoho Books to bill for work done in Zoho Desk??
I'm trying to see if something is possible (and if yes, how). We use Zoho One to manage our business. We have a lot of clients that will put in a ticket (via portal) to have work done. Out techs will pick up the ticket, do the work, and then log the timeZoho Finance Suite - Customer Custom Tabs - Dynamic Link
Hi Finance Suite team, When creating a Custom Tab for a Client Portal, there is no option to add dynamic parameters. This would be very helpful for adding Zoho Analytics dashboards which can be dynamically filtered through the URL to only show informationNext Page