If you use Calendly to manage appointments, you can connect it to Upfirst so your AI receptionist books directly into your calendar. Callers hear available time slots and book over the phone, without you being involved. This works the same way as Google Calendar, Outlook, and Acuity scheduling in Upfirst.
Note: Calendly scheduling requires a paid Calendly plan (Standard, Teams, or Enterprise). That is because Calendly's scheduling API is not available on free plans.
How to set it up
1. Connect your Calendly account
Go to Integrations in the left sidebar. Find Calendly and click Enable. Sign into your Calendly account to authorize the connection.
2. Add an appointment type
Go to Agent > Scheduling. Click Add appointment type. Select a Calendly event type from your account.
3. Add event details
Write any static text you want included in the calendar event description. This text will be the same for every booking. (Unlike other calendar integrations, Calendly event details cannot be populated with information from the call.)
4. Add scheduling instructions
Tell your receptionist when to offer this appointment type. For example: "If the caller wants to schedule a consultation, offer this appointment."
What's managed in Calendly vs. Upfirst
With Calendly, the following settings are managed directly in your Calendly account (they do not appear in Upfirst):
Duration (how long the appointment is)
Buffer before / Buffer after (padding between appointments)
Availability step (time increments for available slots)
Minimum scheduling notice (how far in advance someone can book)
Weekly availability schedule (which days and hours you're available)
Timezone
To change any of these, edit the event type in Calendly. Your receptionist will use whatever you have configured there.
Things to know
Calendly scheduling requires a paid plan (Standard, Teams, or Enterprise). Free Calendly accounts do not have API access.
Event details are static. The text you enter will appear on every booking. Caller-specific info (like name or reason for calling) is not added automatically.
Duration, availability, and buffer settings come from your Calendly event type. You do not set these in Upfirst.
Your receptionist will check real-time availability before offering time slots.
If you already use Calendly for online booking, adding Upfirst gives your callers the same experience over the phone.