Using Tentative bookings

The Tentative Bookings feature gives you final control over whether a booking will happen.  The booking goes into your calendar with question marks on it until you decide to accept or reject the appointment. You can customize the emails that go to your booker based on whether the booking is accepted or declined.

Activate tentative bookings

Tentative bookings can be activated on any of your booking pages on a case by case basis. There may be some pages you use Tentative bookings, and other pages you allow bookings to go straight to confirmed. 

Edit Settings on the booking page you want to activate Tentative bookings. Navigate to Notifications > Actions. Under the action After new booking made toggle the Tentative bookings to On.

You'll then see two additional sections where you can set up emails to your booker, depending on whether you accept or decline the booking.  These emails work in the same way as the other emails in your workflow.

Edit email before acceptance of booking

Once tentative bookings have been activated, the button on the booking form will turn from  Confirm Booking to Request Booking.

Ensure that you edit the  Confirmation email to booker (that is sent out as soon as the booking is requested) to inform the booker that their booking isn't confirmed, and when they should expect a final decision. 

You can also delete this initial confirmation email to booker if you don't want them to receive an email before the booking is confirmed. 

Edit After booking message

Customize the message After booking that displays on screen after booking to reflect that this is a request for a time, not a confirmation. 

Configure accepted/rejected email to booker 

Under Notifications > Actions > After new booking made, customize the email that goes to the booker if you accept the booking or if you decline it. You can provide more details about their booking in this email now that the booking is accepted. 

?? on Tentative Bookings

All bookings that are tentative will initially come through with two question marks at the beginning of the Booking Title. Once you confirm these bookings, the event will refresh and the question marks will be removed.

Confirmation emails to you will may also start with two question marks in the subject line, prompting you to accept or reject the booking.

Managing tentative bookings

The confirmation email you receive will include details of the bookings plus accept/reject buttons. Using these buttons you can accept or reject a booking directly from your email without being logged into YouCanBook.me. 

If you are using Tentative bookings on a team booking page, be sure to include the following line in the confirmation email to team member so each team member can manage their own bookings.:

You can also manage all of your tentative bookings from your bookings dashboard. 

Login to your account and click on Bookings from your dashboard. Here you'll see a list of all your bookings along with the current status. Click Details to review each booking, or click the arrow next to Details to Accept or Reject it. You can only accept or reject bookings that have not occurred yet. 

Once you select accept or reject on a booking you have the decision to send the acceptance email you've created to the booker or not, or to edit that email with additional emails specific to that booker.