---
title: "Online appointment booking: what makes it work | attendo"
description: "What online appointment booking is, when it pays off for a service business, what makes it work (real slots, types, self-service changes) and one mistake."
url: "https://attendo.me/en/glossary/online-appointment-booking"
lang: "en"
---

# Online appointment booking: let customers pick a slot without calling

Also known as: Online scheduling · self-service booking

Online appointment booking lets a customer reserve a time on a web page: they pick a free slot in the schedule of whoever will serve them, without calling.

## When it pays off

Whenever each visit or meeting needs a time agreed with the customer: a service call at their home, a technical visit to a store or a call with a specialist. Every “does Tuesday work for you?” by phone turns into several calls.

## What makes it work

- **Real availability:** the page only offers what is free, after subtracting what is already on the schedule.
- **Appointment types**, each with its own length. An inspection does not take as long as an installation.
- **Rescheduling and canceling from the link**, without calling. If changing it takes a phone call, the customer does not let you know and is not there when you arrive.
- **The appointment on both calendars**, with a reminder.

## Proposed appointment or open schedule

Sometimes the best option is not to open the whole schedule but to propose the appointment from the job itself: the customer gets a link with the slots that fit and picks one. That protects the [first-time fix](https://attendo.me/en/glossary/first-time-fix-rate): the right technician, with the right amount of time.

## The usual mistake

Opening the schedule with no room for travel or emergencies. The page fills the day with back-to-back appointments, and the first breakdown delays them all. The slots you offer have to leave room for what cannot be planned.

## In attendo

With [online booking](https://attendo.me/en/modules/online-booking) you define appointment types, and agents propose an appointment from the record or the conversation. The customer picks a slot on their page, reschedules or cancels from their link, and slots subtract the schedule and the jobs already planned.

- [attendo Field Service](https://attendo.me/en/field-service)

## Where it is used in attendo

### Modules

- [Appointments and online booking](https://attendo.me/en/modules/online-booking): Appointments your agent proposes or customers book, on the real schedule
- [Scheduling and calendar](https://attendo.me/en/modules/calendar): The team’s schedule, based on each person’s real working hours
- [Customer, supplier and partner portals](https://attendo.me/en/modules/customer-portal): Customers, subcontractors and partners reach their own, your brand

### Industries that use these modules

- [HVAC and refrigeration](https://attendo.me/en/industries/hvac)
- [Elevators and escalators](https://attendo.me/en/industries/elevators)
- [Hospitality, retail and multi-site](https://attendo.me/en/industries/multi-site-operations)
- [Facility maintenance and services](https://attendo.me/en/industries/facility-maintenance)
- [And any other business](https://attendo.me/en/industries)

## Related terms

Support and service

### Customer portal

Self-service portal

A customer portal is the web space where your customers check and open their requests without having to call you.

Field work

### First-time fix rate

FTFR

The first-time fix rate is the percentage of jobs resolved without having to go back.

Support and service

### SLA

Service level agreement

An SLA (service level agreement) is the written commitment, usually part of a contract, on how quickly you will respond to and resolve a customer’s tickets.

[See all 53 glossary terms](https://attendo.me/en/glossary)

## Shall we look at it with your data?

We will show you how what you just read works in attendo, with your own assets, tickets and customers. If it is not a fit, we will tell you.

- With your operation, not a generic demo
- A real person from our team replies
- No cold calls afterwards

Would you rather talk first?

- Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530)
- Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me)
- Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)