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.
Topic Participants
Kaushik S
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