Synchronization works well except there is a logic problem. Client uses google calendar to note any offline/manual bookings for appointments. Google does not have a way to note the concept of "buffer time" or prep time before or after an appointment like Amelia does. Therefore, when Amelia removes the blocked out "busy" time for manually booked appointments from the options offered to those booking online, some options that are back-to-back are showing.
For example, my client has manually booked an appointment on Sept 3 at 3pm which is a 1 hour appoint, ending at 4pm. He will need the usual 1 hr of time afterwards to travel to next appointment. Amelia is offering a 4pm-5pm appointment even with a one hour buffer time after appointments.
I would like to know if you would enhance Amelia to offer a configuration option to add buffer time to incoming blocked out appointments. I realize there are potentially a lot of options, but to offer at least 1 where you could (1) add a buffer before or (2) add a buffer after or (3) add a buffer both before and after any "busy" calendar times would be very helpful.
You are correct, and Google Calendar indeed misses the option to include the buffer time on the appointment reserved for Amelia.
What I don't understand is this:
Amelia is offering a 4pm-5pm appointment even with a one hour buffer time after appointments.
This shouldn't be happening in Amelia. If you have a 1 hour buffer time after an appointment, Amelia has to honor that. Are you talking about the slot in the Google Calendar?
Unfortunately, if having the Google Calendar respect the buffer time is "a must", the only option would be to extend each appointment by an hour, and making a note (as a custom field), where it says the appointment lasts for an hour, and not two.
I will forward this issue to our development team, so they can fix it in one of our future updates.
Here is a graphical explanation of what I was trying to explain in words:
What's in Google Calendar
1:00pm - nothing
2:00pm - nothing
3:00pm - nothing
4:00pm - Appointment for 1 hour
5:00pm - nothing but is really 1 hour of buffer time needed after 4pm appointment
6:00pm - nothing
What's in Amelia Calendar
1:00pm - nothing
2:00pm - Appointment set in Amelia
3:00pm - 1 hour buffer time set in Amelia
4:00pm - Nothing offered for this hour in Amelia
5:00pm - Open slot for scheduling in Amelia *
6:00pm - Nothing offered for this hour in Amelia
* the example above shows where Amelia will offer the inherent buffer time needed for the 4-5pm appointment that was manually scheduled in Google.
It would be a very nice feature in Amelia if you offered the option to add a buffer time before or after appointments that are coming in from Google. The likelihood of Google ever adding this feature is slim. Unless all of a client's appointments are at the same place, anyone who uses this software is going to have this same issue.
It would be really, really nice to at least have the option of setting something for a buffer for incoming appointments.
Looking at your graphical representation - I see that the times are different, correct?
If that is true, there are probably different time zones set in WordPress where Amelia is installed, and your Google account.
Or you simply didn't add the notes for Google cal for 1pm?
As for adding the appointment you created in Google cal. in Amelia, and adding the predefined buffer time to it, I don't know if it is possible or not, but I will definitely forward that to our development team, so they can take a look.
Synchronization works well except there is a logic problem. Client uses google calendar to note any offline/manual bookings for appointments. Google does not have a way to note the concept of "buffer time" or prep time before or after an appointment like Amelia does. Therefore, when Amelia removes the blocked out "busy" time for manually booked appointments from the options offered to those booking online, some options that are back-to-back are showing.
For example, my client has manually booked an appointment on Sept 3 at 3pm which is a 1 hour appoint, ending at 4pm. He will need the usual 1 hr of time afterwards to travel to next appointment. Amelia is offering a 4pm-5pm appointment even with a one hour buffer time after appointments.
I would like to know if you would enhance Amelia to offer a configuration option to add buffer time to incoming blocked out appointments. I realize there are potentially a lot of options, but to offer at least 1 where you could (1) add a buffer before or (2) add a buffer after or (3) add a buffer both before and after any "busy" calendar times would be very helpful.
Google does not offer that option at all.
Hello Debra.
You are correct, and Google Calendar indeed misses the option to include the buffer time on the appointment reserved for Amelia.
What I don't understand is this:
Amelia is offering a 4pm-5pm appointment even with a one hour buffer time after appointments.
This shouldn't be happening in Amelia. If you have a 1 hour buffer time after an appointment, Amelia has to honor that. Are you talking about the slot in the Google Calendar?
Unfortunately, if having the Google Calendar respect the buffer time is "a must", the only option would be to extend each appointment by an hour, and making a note (as a custom field), where it says the appointment lasts for an hour, and not two.
I will forward this issue to our development team, so they can fix it in one of our future updates.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best regards.
Kind Regards,
Aleksandar Vuković
[email protected]
Rate my support
wpDataTables: FAQ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Front-end and back-end demo | Docs
Amelia: FAQ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amelia demo sites | Docs | Discord Community
You can try wpDataTables add-ons before purchasing on these sandbox sites:
Powerful Filters | Gravity Forms Integration for wpDataTables | Formidable Forms Integration for wpDataTables | Master-Detail Tables
Here is a graphical explanation of what I was trying to explain in words:
What's in Google Calendar
1:00pm - nothing
2:00pm - nothing
3:00pm - nothing
4:00pm - Appointment for 1 hour
5:00pm - nothing but is really 1 hour of buffer time needed after 4pm appointment
6:00pm - nothing
What's in Amelia Calendar
1:00pm - nothing
2:00pm - Appointment set in Amelia
3:00pm - 1 hour buffer time set in Amelia
4:00pm - Nothing offered for this hour in Amelia
5:00pm - Open slot for scheduling in Amelia *
6:00pm - Nothing offered for this hour in Amelia
* the example above shows where Amelia will offer the inherent buffer time needed for the 4-5pm appointment that was manually scheduled in Google.
It would be a very nice feature in Amelia if you offered the option to add a buffer time before or after appointments that are coming in from Google. The likelihood of Google ever adding this feature is slim. Unless all of a client's appointments are at the same place, anyone who uses this software is going to have this same issue.
It would be really, really nice to at least have the option of setting something for a buffer for incoming appointments.
This is a graphical representation of what I was trying to explain below.
Hi Debra.
I'm just gonna go off topic a bit:
Looking at your graphical representation - I see that the times are different, correct?
If that is true, there are probably different time zones set in WordPress where Amelia is installed, and your Google account.
Or you simply didn't add the notes for Google cal for 1pm?
As for adding the appointment you created in Google cal. in Amelia, and adding the predefined buffer time to it, I don't know if it is possible or not, but I will definitely forward that to our development team, so they can take a look.
Best regards.
Kind Regards,
Aleksandar Vuković
[email protected]
Rate my support
wpDataTables: FAQ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Front-end and back-end demo | Docs
Amelia: FAQ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amelia demo sites | Docs | Discord Community
You can try wpDataTables add-ons before purchasing on these sandbox sites:
Powerful Filters | Gravity Forms Integration for wpDataTables | Formidable Forms Integration for wpDataTables | Master-Detail Tables