In this article
Objective
Learn how the sync between your Google calendar and Coconut works, as well as some best practices for optimal use.
Why use the sync?
The integration keeps GSuite calendars and Coconut schedules in sync for anyone taking client appointments. This helps prevent double-bookings. What’s more, the sync also uses your calendar to determine your availability when clients are booking appointments online.
How the sync works
Coconut receives changes from GSuite at 10 minute intervals and updates accordingly. The average time for completing a sync is up to 5 minutes. This, however, can vary depending on how your organization has configured GSuite, the amount of data needing updating, network bandwidth, etc.
Sync requirements
Syncing from your Google calendar to Coconut
An event in your Google calendar - and updates made to it - will sync with Coconut if:
The event is in your primary calendar
The event is set to Busy
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The event has an end date
Hot tip! Coconut recommends that, if the event is recurring, the recurrence is set to less than 2 years
You are an appointment-taking user in Coconut
Syncing from Coconut to your Google calendar
An appointment scheduled through Coconut - and updates made to it in Coconut - will sync with your Google calendar if:
The event is assigned to a staff member in Coconut who is a sync user
NOTE: External absences and unassigned appointments are not synced to Google calendars.
What info is included in my Google calendar for a synced event?
When an appointment in Coconut is synced to your Google calendar, the following happens:
The title of the calendar event reflects the name of the service for an appointment, or the title set for an away/busy block
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The location for the calendar event reflects the branch location address
NOTE: If it is a virtual location in Coconut, the location will be blank in your Google calendar
The Show As for the event is set to Busy and Visibility set to Public
Details included in the Notes tab in Coconut are saved to the calendar event’s description
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First name, last name, and email for each attendee included in a Coconut appointment are saved to the calendar event’s description following any notes
NOTE: Only the client/member's details display for the client/member in their calendar event
Responses to custom questions are saved to the calendar event’s description following the notes and attendee info
Recommended best practices
Keep these tips in mind for a smooth experience using the Google Calendar<>Coconut integration:
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Make a habit of adding the following to your primary Google calendar as early as possible:
Internal team, department, and company meetings
Breaks, lunches, and vacation time
Personal time (for example, a medical appointment, after-school pick-up, etc.)
Whenever possible, set the event duration as a single day (24 hours or less)
Set an end date and time for every recurring event and make it no further than 2 years in the future
Refrain from immediately making changes to recently created events, as this can disrupt the initial sync for the event
Drop the emojis - Coconut does not support emoji use and they will be overwritten in future syncs
When is it best to use Coconut and when is it best to use my Google calendar?
Coconut recommends the following best practices for when to use Coconut and when to use GSuite:
Additional resources
For more detailed information on the event syncing process between GSuite and Coconut, please refer to this article.