Setting Up Linked Calendars & Conflict Calendars

FG Funnels lets you synchronize external calendars (Google, Office 365, Outlook.com) to keep your availability up to date and prevent double-bookings. Use Connected Calendars to authorize FG Funnels' access, Linked Calendars to import events and show true availability, and Conflict Calendars to automatically block FG Funnels slots when you have other commitments.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• When to Use Connected, Linked & Conflict Calendars
• Prerequisites
• Setting up the Linked Calendar
• Sync Preferences (Advanced Settings)
  • 1. Default Sync (One Way Sync)
  • 2. Two-Way Sync
• Conflict Calendars
• How these Calendars Work
• Best Practices & Considerations
• Common Troubleshooting

When to Use Connected, Linked & Conflict Calendars

• Connected Calendars: Grant FG Funnels permission to read (and optionally write) events from an external calendar account.

  
  

• Linked Calendars: Import events and availability into FG Funnels so your true busy times display.

  
  
• Conflict Calendars: Mark certain connected calendars as blockers, automatically making overlapping FG Funnels booking slots Unavailable.

Prerequisites

• User Role: Admin or Manager access in the sub-account.
• External Calendar Account: Active Google Calendar, Office 365, or Outlook.com login credentials for each user.

Setting up the Linked Calendar

Step 1: Access the Connections Tab

In your FG Funnels sub-account sidebar, go to Settings → Calendars, then click the Connections tab at the top to go to Calendars and Connected Calendars. 

Step 2:  Add a Calendar

1. Under Connected Calendars, click + Add New.
2. Select your provider: Google, Outlook, iCloud or Calendly Calendar.
3. Sign in and grant FG Funnels permission to read events (and write, if you plan to sync bookings back).
4. Once successful, you’ll see your email listed with its provider icon.

Step 3: Configure Your Linked Calendar

1. In the Calendar Configuration section under Linked Calendar, click Add.
2. Choose one of your Connected Calendars to import events into FG Funnels.
3. Click Save.

Sync Preferences (Advanced Settings)

1. Default Sync (One Way Sync)

• Events created on the system will be synced to Linked Calendar (Eg, Google).
• Events created on Linked Calendar (Eg, Google) will be synced to the system.
  1. These events are synced as blocked slots.
  2. No contact is created for guests in the Linked Calendar (Eg, Google) events.
  3. No automations / workflows are triggered.

2. Two-Way Sync

• Events created on the system will be synced to Linked Calendar (Eg, Google).
• Events created on Linked Calendar (Eg, Google) will be synced to the system.
  1. These events are synced as appointments.
  2. Contact is created for the guests found in the Linked Calendar (Eg, Google) events.
  3. Automation/workflows can be triggered like any other appointment created in the system.

Conflict Calendars

Events from third-party calendars added as conflict calendars are synced to the system, blocking your availability for the event's duration. As the name suggests, we read all the events from the selected calendar and block off the timings when the user is not available. The availability is blocked only if the event is marked as 'BUSY' in the third-party calendar. For events marked as 'FREE', the events are fetched in the system but the availability remains open. 

This ensures accurate availability and avoids double bookings. You can add multiple calendars to be checked to prevent double bookings. In the Conflict Calendars section, we do not create any appointments, instead we just block off the time for any event already scheduled in your third party calendar.

How these Calendars Work

1. Booking Requests

   • When a client requests an appointment, FG Funnels checks both your Linked and Conflict calendars. Any overlapping events render those slots Unavailable.

     
     

     Two-Way Sync

   • If you enable Write Back Appointments, FG Funnels will write new bookings into your external calendar.

     
     

   • Cancellations or reschedules in FG Funnels also update your external calendar.

     
     

     Calendar View

   • In the Calendar tab, external events display as shaded blocks, FG Funnels bookings as colored events, and blocked slots as Unavailable marking.

Best Practices & Considerations

• Limit Write-Back: Enable write-back on only your primary work calendar to avoid duplicate entries.

  
  

• Block Personal Events: Link personal calendars as Conflict Calendars so family or personal commitments auto-block booking slots.

  
  

• Align Time Zones: Ensure your external calendar’s time zone matches your FG Funnels profile to prevent mismatches.

  
  
• Periodic Reauthorization: If you change your external account password or security settings, reauthorize FG Funnels to prevent broken integrations.

Common Troubleshooting