Calendar Sync custom feature

Calendar Sync Custom Feature is used for 2-way synchronization with Google and Outlook calendars. You can export bookings from SimplyBook to Google or Outlook calendars and also block times occupied by Google/Outlook Calendar event in your SimplyBook dashboard.

Please note that this feature works with web calendars only - it will not work with Microsoft Exchange calendars.

How to use

1. Enable Calendar Sync feature in the Custom Feature section.

2. Click on "Settings" near this option.

3. Click on "Connect new calendar" and connect Google or Outlook account.

4. Select the desired calendar and connect necessary providers to it.

5. Press "export" to export your old bookings to Google or Outlook calendar for sync process to start.

6. Check the box "sync busy time" if you want to block times in the simplybook dashboard occupied by Google/Outlook Calendar events.

Please note that if "sync busy time" is checked and you have set your provider to accept more than 1 client at a time it will not be possible to make more than 1 booking as the booking will be exported to Google/Oultook as "busy time" and will block that time from booking.
If you need to accept more than one booking at a time for your provider please uncheck "sync busy time" box.

7. You will be able to see Google/Outlook calendar events that block time in SimplyBook only in Service Provider view in calendar (because you connect calendar to provider). Nothing will be visible in Day and Week view because those views are for all providers (if you have several providers, it would be impossible to show all Google/Outlook events in 1 calendar).

Please note During sync process no events details are imported from your external calendar. The events are represented by blue blocks on Calendar page only.

Simplybook doesn’t sync with Google/Outlook calendar

Possible reasons:

1. please, note that synchronization can take up to 10 mins;

2. if Google/Outlook updates calendar app, press “Export” button again to sync;

3. wrong calendar was chosen (in Custom Features//Calendar Sync//Settings//Please select calendar) or you are using Microsoft Exchange server calendar;

4. timezones in your Google/Outlook calendar and SimplyBook.me account do not coincide.

5. Google calendar events should be marked as “busy” for 2-way synchronization, Outlook calendar events should not be marked as "free" to block times on the booking page.

Example from Google calendar:

Example from Outlook calendar:

SimplyBook.me event is listed twice in Google calendar

It can be because of the Google calendar setting to automatically add events from your emails. Therefore, if you receive confirmation emails with booking details, Google automatically adds them to your calendar. To turn off this option: click Settings icon in the top right corner of Google calendar//Settings and uncheck the box near "Automatically add events from Gmail to my calendar" option.