Google Meet integration works as an extension of the Google Calendar sync.
For simple appointment-based services, and meetings, it works simply.
Your Google Calendar event will have the meeting link, and your meeting invitation will be automatically shared with your customer.It is important to note that the Google events are created in the staff calendar.
Since Google Calendar sync is asynchronous, the booking confirmation email won't show the link right after the booking. Instead, Google's native invitation will show the link and also block your customer's calendar.
Fixed-dated services (group sessions like experiences, tours, and courses) work differently. When you create the schedule, your staff calendar is blocked, and a meeting link is generated. The same meeting link is added to the booking confirmation emails. Your customers won't be receiving a calendar invitation from Google.
Activate Google Meet
Step 1) Google Calendar Sync
Activating Google Meet requires you to two-way sync your calendar with Google.
If you have done it already, please go to step 2.
If you don't know how you sync your Google Calendar, here is the article that explains it:
This has to be done by the staff. If you are a solopreneur, this information might be redundant to you. What's important to note is that, if you are an admin, your staff members will be syncing their Google Calendars individually (Your employed instructors, consultants, and practitioners).
Step 2) Activate Google Meet
On the page where you synchronize your Google Calendar, you will see a toggle to activate Google Meet for online sessions.
If you synced your calendar before, and you want to reach this page, you can find it under the top right user menu, labeled as "Staff Integrations".
How does it work
The behavior of Google Meet changes depending on the service's schedule type which you choose at the second step while creating the service.
This article explains what are the different types of schedules: What are schedule types?
It also gives some examples so you can map your services better.
1) Appointment based services
If a booking is created for a staff member who has activated Google Meet, we add your customer's email as the "participant" to the Google Event. The invitation is sent from Google automatically.
Google Calendar event is created asynchronously. When a customer makes a booking, we don't yet know if sync is successful. That's why the booking confirmation email will not have a Google Meet link. However the invitation from Google will be sent to your client as a separate invitation a couple of minutes after the booking.
2) Fixed Dated ("Course or program" or "Activity and/or Experience")
For fixed-dated services, the schedules and calendar events are not created when the booking occurs, but they are created when you create these schedules.
If you serve a "Macaron Making" class, and create a schedule like "12 March 9 am - 10 am", the instructor's calendar is already booked, and the calendar events are already created.
If the instructor (staff) has activated Google Calendar sync with Meet, we do create the event with a Meet link even without a participant. That link is saved with us, and when a new booking comes, we send the booking confirmation email with this link.
You also will see this link on the booking details page on your admin panel.
Since the customer already received the booking confirmation email with a link, we are not changing the conferencing details for fixed-dated service bookings. Due to restrictions with Google, the Meet links on fixed-dated services are very vulnerable to rescheduling and staff changes, and they have to be managed manually.
Troubleshooting/Questions
Please do the below checks and reach out to us through in-app messenger or support@kiwilaunch.com if you don't find the resolution:
1) Why did my customer not receive the meeting link?
Appointment based:
Check if, in the booking details page on the admin panel, you see the meeting link yourself.
I see the booking link in the admin panel:
Ask your customer to check their spam inbox. They should have received an email from your staff member.
Check in your staff Google calendar if the customer is added as a participant
Check if your staff member disabled auto-invitation for events on their Google Calendar settings
I don't see the booking link in the admin panel.
Wait for a few minutes, and re-check, Google Calendar sync might take a few mins
Check if it is an online service from the admin panel/services
Check if the assigned staff has linked their Google Calendar
Check if Google Meet is activated by the staff member in the integrations page.
Fixed Dated ("Course or program" or "Activity and/or Experience")
Check if, in the booking details page on the admin panel, you see the meeting link yourself.
I see the booking link in the admin panel.
The customer will NOT receive an invitation from your staff member.
Check their booking confirmation email, if they have "Join via" value with the meeting link.
I don't see the booking link in the admin panel.
Check if it is an online service from the admin panel/services
Check if the assigned staff has linked their Google Calendar before the booking is created. If they do after the booking is created, the booking won't be altered. You have to manage it manually.
Check if the staff member activated Google Meet before the booking is created.
There is a chance you have created the booking immediately after creating the schedule, before the Google calendar sync was completed, and when the booking is created there was no meeting link available. If that's the case, try to create a new booking, and verify the meeting link appearing. For the missing link, please manage it manually.
Admin panel booking details page
2) I am the owner of the account, I don't see the bookings on my calendar. Why?
The bookings are created at the Staff calendar, hence they are synced with the Staff Google Calendar. If you are a solopreneur, this might be irrelevant for you, but if you are and admin or owner of an account, where there are multiple staff members, then only the assigned staff sees it on their calendar. But as admin, you get to see the meeting links in the booking details page in the admin panel.
3) Sometimes my customer receives the meeting link in their booking confirmation email, sometimes not, why?
This is due to sequential nature of how Google Calendar sync works.
To reduce external dependency, when a customer books a service, we are not waiting for Google to answer us before sending the booking confirmation email.
Seconds after the customer receives the booking confirmation message and the email, we may get a response from Google, and fill in the meeting link field on the booking detail page. After that, if you resend the confirmation email, the customer will see it in their email. This doesn't mean you should resend the email, because either way, the customer receives an invitation from Google. This is also crucial, because Google doesn't place external events to their users' calendars automatically, meaning this native invitation is more valuable for your customers as it will be inserted into their calendars, and they will see the Google Meet link.
Exception is fixed dated services (workshops, courses). For such services, the booking doesn't generate a new calendar event. The calendar event is generated when you create new dates (schedules). This means even before any customer books, we already know the meeting link, and we can place it into the booking confirmation email directly.
4) I see the meeting link changing, which is confusing, why?
When you change the date and time, or staff of any appointment, the calendar event disappears and a new one is generated. Which also means an updated invitation for the customer, and changing of. the meeting links on the booking details page.
If you are changing the fixed dates and times of the workshop or course, please make sure to handle this communication manually, as the existing bookings won't be updated with the new meeting links.