Need to schedule calendar appointments for someone else, such as leads, clients or team members? Here's how to book appointments manually in ZipLeads.
Booking Appointments Manually
ZipLeads makes it easy to book appointments manually from different parts of the platform. Booking an appointment yourself is handy when you want to create it on behalf of a contact. This is especially useful when you're working across different time zones or calendars.
You might be messaging a contact, managing your calendars or looking at a contact's profile. Whichever it is, you can schedule an appointment in just a few clicks. Manual booking keeps you in control of scheduling, even when contacts are offline, not responding or need extra help.
Key Benefits of Manually Booking Appointments
Manual booking lets you schedule appointments from within the platform without the customer needing to do anything. It's especially useful for hands-on processes, urgent situations or organising things with your team. Here's how it helps:
Schedule appointments on behalf of leads or customers when they can't or don't book themselves.
Book appointments while on a call to secure a slot straight away.
Respond to SMS or email confirmations by locking in an appointment from your end.
Book internal meetings with team members directly in the system.
Create test appointments to check your workflows, reminders or calendar settings.
Choose specific dates, times and calendars when precision matters.
Work across multiple time zones with automatic time zone detection.
Add recurring events and block off time to manage your availability.
Different Ways to Access the "Book Appointment" Feature
You can book an appointment from several places in ZipLeads, including Conversations, Contacts, Calendars and Opportunities. Choose the one that suits the way you work.
Important: All of these let you book appointments, but the screen may look a little different depending on where you start. For example, Opportunities opens booking inside the Edit Opportunity screen using the appointment modal.
1. From the Conversations Tab
If you're messaging a contact and want to book an appointment on the spot, Conversations is the fastest way. Go to Conversations → Select Contact → Calendar Icon in the sidebar. You'll then see the Book Appointment button.
2. From the Contacts Tab
You can also book appointments from the contact's profile. Go to Contacts → Open a Contact → click the Appointments tab in the right-hand section of the contact → +Add.
3. From the Calendar Tab
Prefer to schedule visually? You can click straight onto a slot in the Calendar view. Go to Calendars → Calendar View, then either click New or click a specific time slot to book an appointment.
4. From Opportunities
You can book or update an appointment directly from an opportunity.
Go to Opportunities and open the opportunity you want to update.
Open the Book/Update Appointment section.
Click + New Appointment, then choose Meetings, Services or Rentals.
Fill in the appointment details in the appointment modal, then save.
Booking the Appointment (After Opening the Modal)
Once you've opened the Book Appointment modal using any of the four methods above, the booking steps are the same. This section walks you through choosing a calendar, selecting a contact, adding details and finalising the appointment.
Step 1: Select the Calendar & Contact
Choose the calendar you want the appointment created in, and the contact it should be assigned to.
Step 2: Add Appointment Details
Next, enter the key information for your appointment, including the title, time, location and recurrence options. ZipLeads makes this easier by detecting time zones automatically and giving you flexible options for custom bookings.
Appointment Title: Add a relevant subject (for example, "Consultation with Sarah"). You can also add a description below the title.
Date & Time: Choose a start and end time. The system shows the user's time zone, but you can switch to a custom date and time.
Custom:
You'll be asked to enter a custom meeting link (for example, Zoom, Teams or a physical address).
You can select a custom start and end time.
You can also make the appointment recurring, with your preferred frequency and duration.
Meeting Location: Choose a default, custom or integrated video meeting option. If you choose custom, you'll need to provide the custom meeting link.
Step 3: Block Off Time (Optional)
The Blocked Off Time tab stops new appointments from being booked during specific times. It's perfect for breaks, personal time, team training or holidays. You can block time for a specific user or a whole calendar, and set the Start Time and End Time.
Important: Use the Blocked Off Time option to remove availability for specific dates and times. Existing appointments won't be deleted. Blocked times only affect new bookings.
Pro tips:
You can schedule for any team member, as long as their calendar is available to you.
Time zones are handled automatically and shown in the modal.
Use recurring appointments for ongoing sessions or check-ins.
Use the "Blocked off time" tab to keep your availability clean and organised.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I book an appointment for another team member?
Yes. Just choose their calendar from the dropdown in the modal.
Q: What if I don't see the appointment on the calendar?
Make sure you selected the correct calendar and contact. Also check whether any filters are applied in the calendar view.
Q: Can I block time without removing existing appointments?
Yes. Blocked-off time stops new bookings but leaves existing ones as they are.
Q: Will the time automatically adjust to the contact's time zone?
Yes. ZipLeads shows appointment slots based on the contact's time zone by default.