Appointment distribution
In a nutshell
Appointment distribution lets you decide how appointments are assigned when multiple users are available for an event type. You can distribute appointments using Round robin, Load-based, or Priority-based methods to balance workload and align bookings with user capacity or expertise.
1. Overview
Appointment Distribution determines how appointments are allocated among the users. By default, appointments are assigned considering all event types. Appointment Distribution allows you to define different distribution methods independently for each event type and applies to the active users assigned to that event type who are available at booking time. Zoho Bookings supports the following distribution methods:
1.1 Default distribution
Applies the standard appointment assignment logic across all event types. When no specific distribution method is configured, this option is applied automatically. Appointments are distributed evenly among available users across all event types, ensuring balanced allocation across the organization. Default distribution is recommended when you want a simple setup without configuring user order, weight values, or priority tiers.
Example:
Users A, B, and C are assigned to multiple event types. If 9 appointments are booked across those event types, the system distributes them evenly — A:3, B:3, C:3 — based on overall availability, without any event-type-specific configuration.
Users A, B, and C are assigned to multiple event types. If 9 appointments are booked across those event types, the system distributes them evenly — A:3, B:3, C:3 — based on overall availability, without any event-type-specific configuration.
1.2 Round robin distribution
Assigns appointments equally and sequentially in a fixed rotation based on the configured user order for the event type. Appointments are circulated among available users one after another in the defined sequence, ensuring predictable and balanced allocation. Round Robin is suitable when users have similar capacity and responsibilities and a simple rotation-based assignment is sufficient.
Example:
Users A, B, and C are arranged in the order A → B → C. As appointments are booked for this event type, assignment follows the same sequence repeatedly:
1st → A
2nd → B
3rd → C
4th → A
5th → B
…and so on.
Users A, B, and C are arranged in the order A → B → C. As appointments are booked for this event type, assignment follows the same sequence repeatedly:
1st → A
2nd → B
3rd → C
4th → A
5th → B
…and so on.
1.3 Load-based distribution
Distributes appointments for the event type proportionally based on configured weight percentages assigned to users. Users with higher weights receive more appointments while maintaining proportional balance. Load-based is suitable when users have varying capacities or when workload needs to be managed in defined proportions.
Example:
Users A, B, and C have weights 50%, 30%, and 20%. If 10 appointments are booked for the event type, the distribution will follow the same proportion:
A → 5 appointments
B → 3 appointments
C → 2 appointments
Users A, B, and C have weights 50%, 30%, and 20%. If 10 appointments are booked for the event type, the distribution will follow the same proportion:
A → 5 appointments
B → 3 appointments
C → 2 appointments
1.4 Priority-based distribution
Distributes appointments for the event type based on assigned priority tiers: Highest, High, Low, or Lowest. Users in higher tiers receive a larger share of bookings, while users within the same tier share appointments equally. Priority-based is suitable when senior members, specialists, or primary users should receive more bookings, while others function as secondary or backup resources.
Example:
Users A and B are in High, and user C is in Low. If eight appointments are booked:
High tier receives the larger share → A and B share it equally
Low tier receives the smaller share → C
Users A and B are in High, and user C is in Low. If eight appointments are booked:
High tier receives the larger share → A and B share it equally
Low tier receives the smaller share → C
Result:
A → 3
B → 3
C → 2
A → 3
B → 3
C → 2
2. Comparison of distribution methods
Method | How it works | Best suited for | Control level |
Default | Distributes appointments evenly among users across all event types. | Simple setup with no customization | Basic |
Round Robin | Distributes appointments sequentially in rotation among users based on the configured order for the event type. | Equal and balanced workload | Moderate |
Load-based | Distributes appointments proportionally for the event type based on configured weight values of the assigned users. | Capacity-based workload management | High |
Priority-based | Distributes appointments for the assigned users based on assigned priority tiers for the event type. | Expertise-based or role-based allocation | High |
3. Use case
A consulting firm offers business advisory sessions that can be handled by multiple consultants. Since all consultants provide the same service but have different levels of experience and capacity, the admin configures Appointment Distribution for the event type. They use Round Robin distribution to ensure bookings are assigned equally among consultants during regular days. During peak season, they switch to Load-based distribution by assigning higher weight values to senior consultants who can handle more sessions. By configuring appointment distribution, the firm ensures balanced workload, efficient utilization of team capacity, and structured allocation.
4. Steps to configure appointment distribution
- Go to the required workspace and click Event Types, and select the Assigned Users tab in the left side pane. Here, you can view the list of users assigned for the event type.
- Locate the Assign Appointments Based on dropdown to choose how appointments must be distributed among the assigned users for this event type. Select one of the following options:
- Default: Distributes appointments evenly among users across all event types.
- Round Robin: Distributes appointments equally and sequentially in rotation among users for the event type based on the selected order. Drag and arrange users in the preferred sequence to decide how appointments should be circulated among them.
- Load-based: Distributes appointments for the event type proportionally based on the weight percentages assigned to each user. Enter the weight percentage for each user (for example 10, 20, or 100). Users with higher weight values receive more appointments while maintaining a proportional balance.
- Priority-based: Distributes appointments for the event type based on the share allocated to each priority tier. Assign users to Highest, High, Low, or Lowest, where higher tiers receive more appointments and users within the same tier share appointments equally.
- Click Save. Appointments are distributed among assigned and available users based on the selected method.
5. Points to note
- Changes to distribution settings apply to future bookings only.
- Users with a weight value of 0 in Load-based distribution are excluded from appointment distribution.
- If all users have equal weights, Load-based distribution behaves similar to the Round robin distribution method.