Automating appointment status and customer feedback collection

Automating appointment status and customer feedback collection

Hello community members,

In the spirit of elevating your scheduling game for 2024, we're bringing you a couple of useful workarounds that can enhance your overall Bookings experience.

We have divided the community post into two halves. In the first half, we will show how to automate the appointment status to Completed. This action ensures that emails are automatically triggered after the appointment is completed. In the second half, we will explore how to add and prefill the feedback form in your customer emails. This will allow you to efficiently gather feedback from customers.

In an effort to streamline the entire process, we're merging both topics into a single post. This aims to automate updating the appointment status to completed, triggering the completion email to customers, and seamlessly integrating our Zoho Survey form for actively collecting valuable feedback.

Automating the appointment status

Currently, updating an appointment's status to Completed is a manual process in Zoho Bookings. However, with our new workaround, you can now streamline this task through automation. We've included steps below that will make it so that once an appointment has ended, its status will automatically switch to Completed.  

Note that if you mark an appointment as No show, your selection will not be overwritten by this new workaround. 

If you're still concerned about this, consider editing the content of the appointment completion trigger email, providing generic content suitable for both attendees and non-attendees. This guarantees that even if all appointments are marked as completed, a generic email with relevant information will be sent to all customers.

Prerequisites for automating the appointment status 

1. Zoho Bookings basic or premium subscription.
2. Zoho Flow paid subscription

How to automate 

A. First, we'll create a new flow in Zoho Flow:

1. Sign in to Zoho Flow.

2. Select the Create flow option.



3. Select App and search for Zoho Bookings in the search bar.



4. Select the Appointment booked trigger.



5. Select the Connection and Variable Name.



6. Click Done. 

You have now created a new flow for Zoho Bookings.

Other helpful links for this process:
B. Next, let's configure the logic: 

1. Navigate to the Logic tab in Zoho Flow.

2. Click the Flow Control dropdown and select Delay.

3. Drag and drop the Delay function to the bottom of the Appointment booked trigger.



4. Click on the edit icon next to the Delay function.



5. In the Delay For the column, select the appointment end time variable from the available Zoho Bookings variables.



Completing this steps helps us ensure that this workflow executes exclusively at the end of each appointment.

C. We can now allocate additional time for any necessary actions:

For example, let's consider extending the remaining actions by an extra 5 minutes. This extension grants you additional time to update the appointment status. 

1. From the Logic tab, drag and drop another Delay action to the bottom of the first Delay action.



2. Click on the edit icon next to the Delay function.



3. In the Delay For column, set the desired extra time based on your preference. If going by our proposed example, we'd configure an additional 5 minutes.


For more details: Delay

Note: If you decide not to include extra time and prefer to execute the flow precisely at the end of the appointment duration, you do not need to complete this section of steps.

D. Finally, let's configure a custom function

Through this step, we'll ensure our ended appointment's status updates to Completed (as long as no other status has been selected).

1. From the Logic tab, click the Custom Functions dropdown.



For more details: Custom Functions

2. Click +Custom Function.



3. Add a relevant name for the function under Function Name, and set the Return Type as void - Returns nothing from the dropdown.

4. Under Input parameters, type bookingID and select string from the dropdown as shown in the screenshot below.



5. Click Create to open the Deluge script page, where we will enter our code for execution.

Please configure the below code in the Deluge script page.  

Code Link



If you're interested, here is a brief explanation of the code:

Line 1: To pass the input data below to the code.
  • Booking ID: Identifies the specific booking for fetching details and checking the status.
Line 3: Set up the API endpoint URL based on the Zoho Bookings account's data center.
Line 3–12: We utilize the Get Appointment API' to retrieve the appointment details. For more details: Get Appointment API

Line 13: Here, we're fetching the status of the respective appointment from the response of the Get Appointment API.

Line 15: Implement an 'if' condition to execute the code only if the appointment status is not No show.

Line 16–27: In this step, we utilize the 'Update Appointment API to mark the appointment status as Completed' when the condition specified in line 15 of the code is met.

This is how the final flow will look:



Note: The described flow is tailored for newly scheduled appointments. For cases where appointments are initially scheduled and later rescheduled, a separate flow must be created. The flow for rescheduled appointments follows the same steps outlined above, with the only modification being the initial trigger. Instead of the 'Appointment booked' trigger, please substitute it with the 'Appointment rescheduled' trigger in step A (steps B, C, and D remain the same).



Collecting feedback with surveys

Ensuring a seamless and positive customer experience is a top priority for every appointment. An integral part of this process involves gathering feedback from customers after the appointment's completion. This valuable feedback not only helps understand their sentiments but also provides insights for continuous improvement. 

Let's explore how to leverage Zoho Survey to collect valuable feedback from customers. Additionally, we'll delve into the process of pre populating survey fields with the customer's name extracted from the appointment.

How to create a survey in Zoho survey:

You have the option to create a new survey from scratch or choose from templates or existing surveys.

For more details, refer to: Create a Survey.

As an example, let's use the Customer Feedback Survey from the templates.




To enhance your survey experience, you have the flexibility to edit the survey form and select specific fields for inclusion.

Now, let's take a closer look at streamlining the customer experience by auto-populating the field inputs in Zoho survey with customer details. This additional step eliminates the need for customers to add their information manually, contributing to an enhanced overall experience.

1. Click on the Actions button (three dots) next to the Last Name field, and choose Edit.




2. Click on Advanced options and check the box next to Prepopulate answer.



3. Select First Name, Last Name, and Email Address under Question label and URL parameter in each corresponding Value from field.



4. In the Value field, configure the parameter name (e.g., firstname, lastname, email). Once configured, this parameter name will be used in the survey link to prefill the fields in the survey form. Customize it as per your requirements, ensuring consistency with the term used in the survey URL.



To publish the survey, go to the Launch tab and click on the Publish button to obtain the Zoho Survey URL.




Pre-populating fields in the Zoho Survey form

Once we have the Zoho Survey URL, we'll need to match the configured parameter name and variables from the Zoho Bookings email notifications. These variables play a crucial role in dynamically fetching customer information and populating it in the Zoho Survey form.

For details about variables in Zoho Bookings email notifications, refer to this link: Pre-defined variables

We'll now edit the survey URL to align the variables with the configured Value, or parameter name, from our prepopulated answer settings.

Let's say this is our survey URL: 

https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/E****h

We'll want to use a question mark ("?") at the end of the survey URL and an ampersand ("&") to separate different parameter names.

Here's what that would look like using our example Value names from earlier:


Now, let's map the parameter names to the Zoho Bookings variables.

It would look like this:


For more details: Autofill 

Where to use the Zoho Survey URL

To enable the automatic sending of the Zoho Survey URL to customers upon updating the appointment status to Completed, follow these steps in the Zoho Bookings application:

For one-on-one services:

1. Click on Service in the top left corner.
2. Select the desired one-on-one service.
4. Navigate to the For Customers tab.
5. Click Customize next to the Mark As Completed' trigger to access the email content.



6. Enter your desired name for the button. For example, you might use something like 'Please fill out the survey'. 

7. Select the entered text and click on the Add Link icon. Paste the configured Zoho Survey URL in the URL box. This will convert your text into a hyperlink that leads to the survey.



For group and resource booking services, please follow the same steps under Workspaces > Notifications.

For more details: Workspace Notifications

With the completion of this step, we have incorporated the Zoho Survey URL with dynamic variables, facilitating the dynamic autofill of customer data.

To wrap it up

With the successful implementation of the configuration described above, the entire process of automating status updates and collecting feedback is now seamlessly integrated, promising an elevated and enhanced product experience for all users.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your configuration, please email us at hello@zohobookings.com or support@zohobookings.com.



    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • Approve or deny appointments based on criteria

                                                                Hey, community members! Have you ever wondered how to automatically approve or deny appointments? While we're still working on building that feature, we've got an alternative method to cancel appointments if they don't meet your specific criteria. Let


                                                              Manage your brands on social media



                                                                    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

                                                                                        • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                          CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                        • Kaizen

                                                                                          Kaizen

                                                                                        • Functions

                                                                                          Functions

                                                                                        • Meetups

                                                                                          Meetups

                                                                                        • Kbase

                                                                                          Kbase

                                                                                        • Resources

                                                                                          Resources

                                                                                        • Digest

                                                                                          Digest

                                                                                        • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                          CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        • MVP Corner

                                                                                          MVP Corner







                                                                                            Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                            Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                            Get Started Now


                                                                                              Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                Zoho Writer

                                                                                                Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                  Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                        ご検討中の方




                                                                                                                • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                • Zoho CAMPAIGNS working hours

                                                                                                                  Hi I use Campaigns Automation workflows to automate follow-ups to my Leads. I discovered this weekend that emails are being sent out on Sundays. How do I limit my Campaigns outgoing emails to business working hours? This is very important! Thanks, D
                                                                                                                • Depositing funds to account

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have been using Quickbooks for many years but am considering moving to Zoho Books so I am currently running through various workflows and am working on the Invoicing aspect. In QB, the process is to create an invoice, receive payment and then
                                                                                                                • Create Receipt of a Donation (not a sale)

                                                                                                                  We are a non-profit organization that receives general donations. How do I create a receipt of payment for the donor and categorize the payment as a Gift? I tried the method of creating an invoice; however that automatically created a "Sales" transaction
                                                                                                                • Function #2: Create a Deal in Zoho CRM when an Estimate is created in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  For those who use Zoho CRM integrated with Zoho Books, here's a nifty function that helps you optimize your sales process by adding a Deal in Zoho CRM whenever an estimate is created in Zoho Books. Custom Function: To create the custom function, go to
                                                                                                                • New Custom View -Sorting the Custom fields

                                                                                                                  While creating a New Custom View in invoice , Customers, Bills ,expense etc , the sorting of custom fields are not available , a query function "order by / sort by  " may also be included in  Define new criteria module  which will be more beneficial to
                                                                                                                • Grouping Undeposited Funds to Move to other accounts

                                                                                                                  In the bank option it would be nice to check what transactions in undeposited funds I want to move to other accounts. Then while checking this it can accumulate totals and created whats essentially a deposit slip. Once the transaction is moved it should
                                                                                                                • Finding rhythm through poetry

                                                                                                                  Poetry has long been a powerful form of expression, discovery, and reflection. For many, it is a way to pen down their thoughts and experiences. The "poetic license" allows writers to shape their words with rhythm and flow. This year, on World Poetry
                                                                                                                • Sync your CRM Tasks with Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                  Zoho Projects integration with Zoho CRM helps you manage your tasks more efficiently. You can create all project related activities right inside your CRM using this integration. Create new portal or associate an existing portal, add projects to the portal,
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM strips whitespace in text fields

                                                                                                                  When editing field text with multiple spaces: CRM - both UI and API trim / compress the whitespace to a single space when saving: Is this known / expected / documented behaviour?
                                                                                                                • WorkDrive API returning empty response even after placing file in Team Folder

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I am trying to fetch a file from Zoho WorkDrive using a Deluge standalone function in Zoho People. The API call executes successfully using a configured connection, but the response is coming back empty. I have verified the following: The
                                                                                                                • Custom Button makes scroll bar go down in report

                                                                                                                  I have a report with a Custom button called Completed. A colleague mentionned to me that when he pressed this custom button it scrolled down the page which is annoying since he want to stay at the same space on the repoort. There is no reload linked to
                                                                                                                • Quickbooks Integrations Stopped Working

                                                                                                                  All of our Quickbooks integrations have stopped working. I am checking in to see if: a) this is a known issue b) if anyone else is having this issue. As usual, Zoho support is unavailable.
                                                                                                                • sync two zoho crm

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone. Is it possible to sync 2 zoho crm? what would be the easiest way? I am thinking of Flow. I have a Custom Module that I would like to share with my client. We both use zoho crm. Regards.
                                                                                                                • CRM x WorkDrive: We're rolling out the WorkDrive-powered file storage experience for existing users

                                                                                                                  Release plan: Gradual rollout to customers without file storage add-ons, in this order: 1. Standalone CRM 2. CRM Plus and Zoho One DCs: All | Editions: All Available now for: - Standalone CRM accounts in Free and Standard editions without file storage
                                                                                                                • Incorrect Functioning of Time Logs API (Version 3)

                                                                                                                  We need to fetch the list of time logs for each task for our company internal usage. We are trying to achieve it by using the next endpoint: https://projects.zoho.com/api-docs#bulk-time-logs#get-all-project-time-logs Firstly, in the documentation the
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM Queries Now Support Databases and Cloud Data Sources

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! We're thrilled to announce a major enhancement to the Queries feature in Zoho CRM! Queries now support a broader range of external data sources, allowing you to fetch live data and combine it with CRM records, all using a unified query
                                                                                                                • Salesforceに添付ファイルを格納したい

                                                                                                                  お世話になっております。 Salesforceに添付ファイルを格納したく、カスタムオブジェクトに連携し、 「ファイルのアップロード」項目を設けました。 実際、エラーもなく送信出来たのですが、実際生成されたカスタムオブジェクトのレコードを見ると、どこにも添付ファイルがありません。仕様として、この添付ファイルはSalesforceのどこに格納されるのでしょうか? 今回作りたいフォームは、複数の書類を添付するため、Zohoformのファイルアップロード項目「本人確認書類」「源泉徴収票」などの項目を、Salesforce側にも設けた「本人確認書類」「源泉徴収票」という各項目にURLリンクとして紐づけたいと思っておりました。
                                                                                                                • Dynamic image in form works in the app but not on the customer portal.

                                                                                                                  img = frm_Fichas[ID == input.Nombre].Foto; imgno = Nophoto[ID2 = 1].Image; if(len(img) > 1) { img = img.replaceAll("/sharedBy/appLinkName/",zoho.appuri); img = img.replaceAll("viewLinkName","Fichas_de_personal_public"); img = img.replaceAll("fieldName","Foto");
                                                                                                                • Is it possible to retrieve function (Deluge) code from Zoho CRM externally?

                                                                                                                  Hi Everyone, Is it possible to fetch or retrieve the Deluge function code from Zoho CRM using an external method (API or any other approach)? I would like to know if there is any way to access or extract the function script outside of Zoho CRM, or if
                                                                                                                • Uplifted homepage experience

                                                                                                                  Editions: All editions. Availability update: 17th February 2026: All editions in the CA and SA DC | JP DC (Free, Standard and Professional editions) 23 February 2026: JP (All Editions) | AU, CN (Free, Standard, Professional editions) 27 February 2026:
                                                                                                                • Darshan Hiranandani : How many participants can join a Zoho Meeting at once?

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I'm Darshan Hiranandani, trying to find out the maximum number of participants that can join a Zoho Meeting at once. Has anyone here used Zoho Meeting for larger groups and can share their experience or knowledge about the participant limit?
                                                                                                                • Where is the scheduled report in New UI?

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, Seems there is not such a field in New UI, hence I have to switch to old UI to handle request..
                                                                                                                • Approval Workflow for Purchase Orders Abrir

                                                                                                                  The requirement is , that all purchase orders greater than or equal to 5000 go through an approval process from certain people, but within books I only see that the approvers can be by levels or any approver but we cannot enter a rule like these. Can
                                                                                                                • WeTravel + Zoho CRM Integration - Has Anyone Built a Connector or Extension?

                                                                                                                  Hi all, I'm exploring options for integrating Zoho CRM with WeTravel (booking & payment platform for tour operators). Zapier seems to be the common method but seems limited. I'm wondering if anyone in the community has developed a more comprehensive solution,
                                                                                                                • Option in pipeline deal to select which hotel or branch or store if client has more than one local store

                                                                                                                  Hi, I would like to know if there is an option in the deal pipeline to select which hotel, branch, or store a deal is related to—if the company has more than one location. For example, I have a client that owns several hotels under the same company, and
                                                                                                                • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

                                                                                                                  Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files
                                                                                                                • Undo article like/dislike

                                                                                                                  It seems to be not possible to undo your like/dislike for an article. Would be great if you can. Kind regards, Helen
                                                                                                                • Nested notebooks

                                                                                                                  Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to know if it is possible to nest notebooks. It would be very helpful when there are too many, as it would improve organization. Thank you for your response. Best regards.
                                                                                                                • Tax in Quote

                                                                                                                  Each row item in a quote has a tax value. At the total numbers at the bottom, there is also a Tax entry. If you select tax in both of the (line item, and the total), the tax doubles. My assumption is that the Tax total should be totalling the tax from
                                                                                                                • Issue with "Send Email" from Quotes not loading Email Template data

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I'm currently experiencing an issue when using the "Send Email" option from a Quote record in Zoho CRM. What’s happening: When I go to the Quotes module and select a record, then click Send Email, the attached file (Quote) correctly pulls
                                                                                                                • Dynamically Fetching Lookup Field Display Value

                                                                                                                  I have an audit trail form, Audit_Changes, that tracks old vs new values across different forms. For lookup fields, the old/new value is the ID, but I also need the display value. What's a best practice for dynamically fetching the display value of the
                                                                                                                • Stop Scrolling, Start Asking: Meet Zia for Your Files

                                                                                                                  Hey everyone 👋 The era of 'scrolling and searching' is officially over. Whether it's a dense legal contract or a long meeting recording, searching for specific details is a massive time-sink. We think you should be able to interact with your files, not
                                                                                                                • Introducing a smarter, faster, and more flexible charting experience

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Sheet users, We're delighted to share the latest news about a major update to charts in Zoho Sheet! The new version supports dynamic data ranges, granular styling options, faster loading, and other interesting enhancements that allow you to
                                                                                                                • How to create a new Batch and update Stock via Inventory?

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, We are building an automation where a user enters batch details (Batch Number, Mfg Date, Expiry, and Quantity) into a Custom Module. I need this to trigger an API call to Zoho Inventory to: Create the new batch for the item. Increase the
                                                                                                                • Can't change form's original name in URL

                                                                                                                  Hi all, I have been duplicating + editing forms for jobs regarding the same department to maintain formatting + styling. The issue I've not run into is because I've duplicated it from an existing form, the URL doesn't seem to want to update with the new
                                                                                                                • How do I open MSG files in Microsoft Word?

                                                                                                                  If you want to open MSG files in Microsoft Word is not natively supported, as MSG is an email file format created by Microsoft Outlook. However, there are professional approaches to access MSG content in Word. First, open the MSG file in Outlook and copy
                                                                                                                • Unable to charge GST on shipping/packing & Forwarding charges in INDIA

                                                                                                                  Currently, tax rates only apply to items. It does not apply tax to any shipping or packing & forwarding charges that may be on the order as well. However, these charges are taxable under GST in India. Please add the ability to apply tax to these charges.
                                                                                                                • How to add packing & forwarding charge in purchase order & quotation???

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Team I have just started using Zoho for my company and I wanted to make purchase order. My supplier charges fix 2% as packing & forwarding on Total amount of material and then they charge me tax. For example, Material 1 = 100 Rs Material 2
                                                                                                                • How to create a boxplot chart in Zoho Analytics?

                                                                                                                  Hi, I'm looking forward to making a boxplot in Zoho Analytics, either with all my data or with a time segmentation. No documentation or YouTube video explaining that was found. I guess this is a feature gap. How feasible would it be to add this to Analytics?
                                                                                                                • New UI for Writer - Disappointed

                                                                                                                  I've been enjoying Zoho Writer as a new user for about 6 months, and I really like it. One of my favorite things about it is the menu bar, which you can hide or leave out while still seeing most of your page because it is off to the left. I think this
                                                                                                                • Next Page