How to Enable and Use Booking Approval Workflow
Booking Approval Workflow
TidyCal's Booking Approval feature allows you to manually review and approve booking requests before they're confirmed on your calendar. Instead of automatic confirmation, bookings enter a "pending" state until you approve or reject them.
Plan Required: ✅ Available on all plans (Free, Individual, Agency)
💡 When to Use Booking Approval:
- Screen potential clients before committing time
- Review booking details and custom form responses
- Manage capacity for high-demand time slots
- Prevent spam or unwanted bookings
- Maintain control over your schedule
How the Approval Workflow Works
When you enable "Require Approval" on a booking type, here's what happens:
Step 1: Booker Requests Appointment
- Someone visits your booking page and selects a time slot
- They complete the booking form (name, email, custom questions)
- They click "Schedule Event" to submit the request
- They receive an email: "Your booking request is pending approval"
- The time slot remains visible to other potential bookers (not blocked yet)
Step 2: You Review the Request
- You receive an email notification: "New booking request waiting for approval"
- Email includes booking details and approve/reject links
- You can also review pending bookings in your TidyCal dashboard
- Review the booker's information and custom form responses
- Decide whether to approve or reject
Step 3: Approve or Reject
If you APPROVE:
- Booking is confirmed and added to your calendar
- Time slot is blocked (no longer available to others)
- Booker receives confirmation email with meeting details
- Calendar events are created (Zoom link, Google Meet, etc.)
- Email and SMS reminders are scheduled (if configured)
If you REJECT:
- Booking request is cancelled
- Time slot reopens and becomes available again
- Booker receives rejection notification (optional)
- No calendar event is created
How to Enable Booking Approval
Step-by-Step Setup
- Go to Booking Types in your TidyCal dashboard
- Click on the booking type you want to require approval for (or create a new one)
- Scroll down to the Require Approval section
- Toggle Require Approval to ON
- Click Save Booking Type
That's it! All new bookings for this booking type will now require your approval.
⚠️ Important: Requiring approval only applies to NEW bookings after you enable it. Existing confirmed bookings are not affected.
How to Approve or Reject Bookings
Method 1: Approve/Reject from Email
The easiest way to manage booking requests is directly from the email notification:
- Open the "New booking request" email from TidyCal
- Review the booking details (name, email, time, custom responses)
- Click the "Approve Booking" button to confirm
- OR click the "Reject Booking" button to decline
- You'll be redirected to TidyCal to confirm your decision
- Booker is automatically notified of your decision
✅ Pro Tip: You can approve or reject bookings from your mobile device using the email links - no need to log into your computer!
Method 2: Approve/Reject from Dashboard
You can also manage pending bookings directly in your TidyCal dashboard:
- Log into your TidyCal account
- Go to Bookings in the main navigation
- Filter by Pending status (or look for "Pending Approval" label)
- Click on a pending booking to view details
- Click "Approve" or "Reject" button
- Confirm your decision
Managing Pending Bookings
Viewing Pending Bookings
In your dashboard:
- Pending bookings appear with a "Pending Approval" badge
- They're listed separately from confirmed bookings
- You can filter to show only pending bookings
- Pending count is shown in navigation (if any exist)
What Happens to Time Slots While Pending?
Important behavior:
- Time slots with pending bookings remain AVAILABLE on your booking page
- Other people can still request the same time slot
- You may receive multiple requests for the same time
- First-approved request "wins" and blocks the slot
- Other pending requests for that slot should be rejected
💡 Why it works this way: This prevents time slots from being held indefinitely by pending (but unconfirmed) requests. You maintain control over which booking to confirm.
Email Notifications for Pending Bookings
You receive:
- Immediate email when new booking request arrives
- Email includes all booking details and custom form responses
- One-click approve/reject buttons in the email
Booker receives:
- "Pending approval" email immediately after requesting
- "Booking confirmed" email if you approve
- Optional rejection notification if you decline
Common Use Cases for Booking Approval
Coaching & Consulting
- Screen potential clients: Review their goals and needs before committing
- Qualify leads: Ensure they're a good fit for your services
- Review intake forms: Check custom question responses before booking
High-Value Services
- Limited availability: Manually approve when you have exclusive time slots
- VIP clients: Prioritize certain clients over others
- Expensive services: Extra vetting for premium offerings
Events & Workshops
- Capacity management: Approve attendees up to exact capacity
- Waitlist management: Accept requests and approve when spots open
- Attendee vetting: Ensure participants meet requirements
Spam Prevention
- Public booking pages: Review requests to prevent spam bookings
- Free consultations: Screen for serious inquiries only
- Popular time slots: Prevent bots or malicious bookings
Best Practices for Using Approval Workflow
Respond Quickly
- 24-hour response time: Try to approve/reject within 1 business day
- Set expectations: Tell bookers in your booking page description that approval is required
- Communicate timeline: "You'll receive confirmation within 24 hours"
Clear Communication
- Booking page notice: Add text like "All bookings require approval" to your description
- Custom questions: Ask relevant screening questions to inform your decision
- Rejection messages: Consider following up with a polite explanation if rejecting
When to Use (and Not Use) Approval
✅ Good for:
- Initial consultations with new clients
- High-value or exclusive services
- Limited capacity events
- Services requiring qualification
❌ Not recommended for:
- Regular repeat clients (use automatic confirmation)
- High-volume booking types (creates too much manual work)
- Time-sensitive bookings (people need instant confirmation)
- Commoditized services (haircuts, quick appointments)
Approval Workflow vs Other Options
Require Approval vs Automatic Confirmation
| Feature | Require Approval | Automatic Confirmation |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Status | Pending until approved | Confirmed immediately |
| Host Control | Manual review required | Fully automated |
| Time Slot | Remains available | Blocked immediately |
| Booker Experience | Must wait for approval | Instant confirmation |
| Best For | Screening, vetting, control | Volume, convenience, speed |
Approval vs reCAPTCHA Bot Protection
Different purposes:
- reCAPTCHA: Prevents automated bot submissions (spam prevention)
- Approval: Manual review of legitimate booking requests (screening)
- Use together: Enable both for maximum control (reCAPTCHA blocks bots, approval screens humans)
📚 Learn more: How to Enable Bot Protection with reCAPTCHA
Troubleshooting Booking Approval
Not Receiving Approval Notification Emails
Q: I enabled approval but I'm not receiving emails when someone books.
A: Check these common issues:
- Spam folder: Check your spam/junk folder
- Email settings: Go to Settings → Notifications → Verify booking notifications are enabled
- Email address: Verify your account email is correct in Settings → Profile
- Email filters: Check if email rules are filtering TidyCal emails
- Test booking: Make a test booking yourself to trigger notification
Bookers Not Receiving "Pending" Email
Q: People are booking but not receiving the "pending approval" email.
A: Ask bookers to:
- Check their spam/junk folder
- Verify they entered email correctly during booking
- Add noreply@tidycal.com to contacts/safe senders
- Check email provider isn't blocking TidyCal emails
Time Slot Not Reopening After Rejection
Q: I rejected a booking but the time slot is still blocked.
A: Verify:
- Refresh your booking page to see updated availability
- Check if another booking was confirmed for that time
- Verify the booking status shows "Rejected" in your dashboard
- Wait a few minutes - availability cache may need to refresh
Multiple People Requesting Same Time Slot
Q: Multiple people have requested the same time slot. What do I do?
A: This is normal with approval workflow:
- Review all pending requests for that time
- Choose which request to approve (first-come, best-fit, etc.)
- Approve ONE booking - this blocks the time slot
- Reject other requests for that time - they'll be notified
- Consider following up with rejected bookers to offer alternative times
Accidentally Approved Wrong Booking
Q: I approved the wrong booking by mistake.
A: You can cancel the approved booking:
- Go to Bookings in your dashboard
- Find the incorrectly approved booking
- Click "Cancel Booking"
- Time slot will reopen
- You can then approve the correct pending request
- Consider emailing the accidentally approved person to explain
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I get charged for pending bookings (if using paid bookings)?
A: No. Payment is only processed when you approve the booking. Rejected bookings are never charged.
Q: Can bookers cancel their pending request?
A: Yes. Bookers receive a pending email with a cancellation link if they change their mind before you approve.
Q: How long do pending bookings stay pending?
A: Indefinitely, until you approve or reject them. There's no automatic expiration, so it's important to review requests promptly.
Q: Can I enable approval for some booking types but not others?
A: Yes! Approval is configured per booking type. You can have some with automatic confirmation and others requiring approval.
Q: What happens to email/SMS reminders if a booking is pending?
A: Reminders are NOT sent while a booking is pending. They're only scheduled after you approve the booking.
Q: Can team members approve bookings for team booking types?
A: This depends on team member permissions. Check your team settings for approval permissions.
Q: Is there a limit to how many pending bookings I can have?
A: No limit. You can have as many pending requests as needed.
Q: Can I customize the "pending approval" email that bookers receive?
A: Email template customization may be available on Individual/Agency plans. Check your booking type email settings.
Getting Started with Booking Approval
Ready to take control of your bookings? Follow these steps:
- Identify which booking types need approval (new clients, consultations, etc.)
- Update booking page descriptions to mention approval is required
- Enable "Require Approval" on selected booking types
- Add custom questions to help you screen requests (optional)
- Test the workflow by making a test booking yourself
- Set up mobile notifications so you can approve on-the-go
- Commit to quick response times (within 24 hours)
✅ Pro Tip: For high-volume booking types, keep automatic confirmation enabled. Only use approval for booking types where manual screening truly adds value!
Need help? Contact TidyCal support if you have questions about the approval workflow.