Calendar Sync
Connect your external calendar to keep appointments in sync. When your AI agent books an appointment, it automatically appears on your calendar — and appointments you add to your calendar show up in Akol.
Supported Calendars
| Calendar | Connection |
|---|---|
| Google Calendar | OAuth — sign in with your Google account |
| Outlook Calendar | OAuth — sign in with your Microsoft account |
Setting Up Calendar Sync
- Go to Dashboard > Integrations
- Find Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar
- Click Connect
- Sign in with your account and grant access
- Select which calendar to sync with
Calendar sync is bi-directional. Appointments created in Akol appear on your external calendar, and events on your external calendar block those time slots in Akol’s availability.
How Sync Works
Akol → External Calendar
When an appointment is created in Akol (by AI, manually, or via API):
- A corresponding event is created on your external calendar
- The event includes the customer’s name, service, and any notes
- If the appointment is rescheduled, the calendar event is updated
- If the appointment is cancelled, the calendar event is removed
External Calendar → Akol
Events on your external calendar:
- Block those time slots from being available for booking
- Your AI agent won’t offer times that conflict with your existing calendar events
- This prevents double-booking
Sync Status
Each synced appointment shows its sync status:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Synced | Successfully synced with external calendar |
| Pending | Sync in progress |
| Failed | Sync failed — check the error message |
Retrying Failed Syncs
If a sync fails:
- Go to the appointment details
- Check the sync error message
- Click Retry Sync to try again
You can also retry all failed syncs at once from the appointments page.
Sync failures are usually temporary (network issues, API limits). The system automatically retries. If syncs keep failing, check that your calendar integration is still connected in Dashboard > Integrations.
Availability Checking
When your AI agent checks availability, it considers:
- Service availability — Days and times the service is offered
- Existing appointments — Time slots already booked in Akol
- Calendar events — Events from your synced external calendar
- Buffer times — Required gaps before and after appointments
- Max per day — Service-specific daily booking limits
- Advance booking — How far ahead bookings are allowed
All of these are checked in real time during a phone call, so the AI agent only offers times that are truly available.
Tips
- Connect your calendar early — Set up sync before going live so your AI agent knows your existing schedule
- Use one primary calendar — Sync with the calendar where you keep all your appointments to avoid conflicts
- Check sync status regularly — Make sure appointments are syncing correctly, especially after initial setup
- Block personal time — Add personal events to your calendar and they’ll automatically be excluded from booking availability