Welcome to your Professional Plan Setup Checklist! This guide will walk you through the essential steps to get your account up and running smoothly, with quick explanations and links to more detailed instructions if you’d like to dive deeper. And you don’t have to go it alone, our Customer Success team is here to help. If you’d like personalized guidance, reach out to us through the yellow chat box to schedule a System Review with one of our experts.
Foundational Features to Set Up
These features are the backbone of your TimeZest account and should be configured first.
PSA Integration (ConnectWise, Datto Autotask, etc.)
Keep tickets, contacts, and workflows automatically in sync with your PSA. This ensures client details, statuses, and scheduling activity are always accurate.
Best Practice: Review and test PSA workflows (such as auto-close or reminder workflows) to avoid duplication with TimeZest’s built-in reminders.
Where to Configure It: Go to Integrations → Manage PSA Integration in TimeZest to connect your PSA.
Email Settings (Custom Email Domain)
Improve deliverability by sending scheduling emails directly from your company’s domain (e.g., [email protected]). This also ensures client replies are routed back to the right inbox.
Best Practice: Verify your domain in TimeZest, then switch mail-sending mode to use your custom domain.
Where to Configure It: Go to Email Settings → Custom Domains.
Office 365 Integration
Sync Office 365 with TimeZest to prevent double-bookings across Outlook and PSA calendars. This also enables non-PSA users to schedule using Shareable URLs.
Best Practice: Configure calendar syncing at the user level for consistent availability.
Where to Set It: Go to Integrations → Manage Microsoft 365 Calendars and connect accounts.
Online Meeting Integrations
Connect TimeZest with Zoom or Microsoft Teams to automatically generate meeting links when appointments are scheduled. This ensures clients and technicians can join their sessions with a single click, without manual setup.
Best Practice: Match the integration to your team’s primary meeting platform so every appointment includes the right type of meeting link.
Where to Set It: Go to Integrations →Manage Online Meetings and connect Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Once these foundational features are in place, you’ll have a strong base for accurate scheduling, reliable communication, and seamless client meetings.
Users, Roles & Permissions
Make sure your team is set up correctly in TimeZest so everyone has the right level of access and can start scheduling immediately.
Add Users
Invite your team members into TimeZest so they can begin scheduling. Each user needs their own account for their availability to be managed, tracked, and visible in scheduling.
Best Practice (Adoption Tip): Add all schedulers, technicians, and dispatchers early — even if they won’t be using every feature right away. This ensures:
Availability is accurate from the start, preventing scheduling conflicts.
Your team gets comfortable with TimeZest in their daily workflow.
Adoption is smoother, since everyone begins on the same page rather than rolling out piecemeal.
You can take full advantage of features like Team Scheduling and Panel Scheduling right away.
Where to Set It: Go to Users → Invite Users.
Assign Roles
Roles define what each user can see and do in TimeZest. For example, technicians may only need to manage their own availability, while dispatchers or managers may require access to team scheduling and reporting.
Best Practice (Adoption Tip): Map TimeZest roles directly to job functions your team already knows (e.g., Dispatcher, Technician, Manager). This makes it easier for staff to understand their access and creates less friction in adoption.
Where to Set It: Go to Users → [Select User] → User Details → Role.
Set Primary Calendars
Each user should set their primary calendar in TimeZest to ensure availability is accurate and double-bookings are avoided. The primary calendar is also the only place where TimeZest will write appointments.
Best Practice:
Users working primarily in the PSA (Tickets) should set the PSA as their primary calendar.
Users working primarily out of Outlook (Office 365) should set Outlook as their primary calendar.
This keeps scheduling aligned with how each person actually manages their workday and ensures all appointments are recorded in the right system.Where to Set It: Go to Users → [Select User]→ Overview →Primary Calendar.
Set Permissions
Permissions control access to features like editing appointment types, managing integrations, or changing company-wide settings.
Best Practice (Adoption Tip): Keep permissions focused on each role’s responsibilities. For example:
Give administrators full control of global settings and integrations.
Allow dispatchers to manage scheduling and team availability wth Calendar HQ.
Let technicians focus on their personal calendars, URLs, and client appointments with Calendar HQ.
This keeps adoption smooth because each user only sees tools relevant to their daily work.
Where to Set It: Go to Settings → Roles & Permissions→ Users.
Organize Teams
Group users into teams (e.g., Tier 1 Help Desk, Onsite Technicians, Sales Team) to make scheduling faster and more efficient. Teams can be used in both round-robin and maximum-availability scheduling.
Best Practice (Adoption Tip): Align teams with how you already operate (Help Desk tiers, regional groups, field vs. remote). This helps users immediately see how TimeZest reflects their daily workflow, increasing buy-in.
Start small by grouping your most active schedulers.
Expand to include all departments as they get comfortable.
Where to Set It: Go to Teams → Create a Team.
With users, roles, permissions, and calendars set correctly, everyone has access to what they need, and availability always reflects reality.
Lifecycle of a Scheduling Request
These settings define how TimeZest handles a scheduling request from start to finish — keeping tickets clean, clients reminded, and follow-up consistent if there’s no response.
Preset Statuses
Keep your PSA accurate by automatically updating ticket statuses when scheduling events happen.
Status After Creation → When an invite is sent (e.g., TimeZest Schedule Sent).
Status After Scheduling → When a client books (e.g., TimeZest Scheduled).
Status After Cancellation → If a client cancels (e.g., TimeZest Cancelled).
No-Response Status → If the client does not schedule in time (e.g., TimeZest No-Response).
Best Practice: Create TimeZest-specific statuses for visibility and reporting, and align them with your PSA workflows.
Where to Set It: Go to Integrations → PSA Integration → Preset Statuses.
Reminders
TimeZest can automatically send up to two follow-up emails to clients who haven’t picked a time after the initial scheduling notification—these are only for non-responders (confirmed appointments already get a calendar invite with a 10-minute reminder).
Where it works: Triggers only when invitations are sent from the TimeZest Pod/Insight (not via copied/shareable URLs).
Timing: Configure per Appointment Type by choosing the delay after the original notification; TimeZest checks every 5 minutes for reminders to send.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → [Select Appointment Type] → Additional Settings → Reminders → Add Reminder to set the timing and select a template.
Templates: Use the built-in Default Reminder Template or create your own under Email Settings → New Email Template → Reminder.
No-Response Timing
No-Response deadline defines how long TimeZest should wait if a client doesn’t pick a time after receiving an invite. Once that deadline passes, the ticket status automatically changes to your chosen No-Response status.
Where to Set It Up: Go to the selected Appointment Type → Scheduling Options (scroll to the bottom) → set the No-Response Deadline.
Best Practice: Set the deadline to at least 3–4 days to give clients enough opportunity to respond. Adjust timing based on the type of appointment — sales calls may allow a longer window, while help desk calls may need a shorter one.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Scheduling Options (bottom) → No-Response Deadline.
Tip: Align this deadline with your reminder schedule so clients get nudges before the ticket flips to No-Response.
With Preset Statuses, Reminders, and No-Response in place, your scheduling flow is structured from start to finish, with no dropped tickets, no duplicate messages, and clear accountability.
Appointment Types: Setup Features
Appointment Types define the rules and experience for scheduling in TimeZest. Each Appointment Type has its own settings, which should be customized for the specific kind of meeting. An on-site visit will have very different needs than a remote support session or a sales call. Below are some key features to set up first, but there are many more options, including advanced customization in Workflow Mode, that you can explore as your team gets more comfortable.
👉 Learn more: Creating Appointment Types
Best Contact Number
Collect a client’s phone number when booking so technicians always have the right details handy.
Best Practice: Make this field required for phone calls and onsite visits where immediate contact may be needed. Avoid using for online meeting appointment types where it may confuse the client.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Scheduling & Availability→ Best Contact Number.
Buffer Times
Add extra time before or after appointments so technicians have room for prep, wrap-up, or travel.
Best Practice: Set at least 15 minutes between remote sessions; longer for onsite visits or back-to-back meetings. Use "Write this buffer time into the calendar" for travel time.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Scheduling Options → Buffer Times.
Minimum Notice & Scheduling Window
These settings control both how soon and how far into the future clients can schedule their appointments.
Minimum Notice
Prevents clients from booking appointments at the last minute by requiring a minimum amount of lead time.Scheduling Window
Defines how far into the future clients are allowed to book appointments. Entering “0” means no limit, so clients can schedule indefinitely.Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Scheduling Options → Scheduling Availability.
Client Rescheduling and Cancellation
Allow clients to reschedule or cancel their own appointments, reducing manual work and improving flexibility.
Best Practice: Enable this for phone and remote sessions; avoid using it for onsite visits where cancellations cause greater disruption.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Scheduling Options → Rescheduling & Booking Rules.
With these features configured, your Appointment Types will provide a smooth, reliable client experience. Later, you can dive into Workflow Mode to add more customization and automation for advanced scheduling scenarios.
Scheduling Links & Pages
TimeZest gives you several ways to share scheduling options with clients beyond sending invitations through tickets. These tools let you meet different needs, from automated workflows to marketing campaigns to individual booking pages. For inspiration and practical examples, we recommend reviewing the article on How MSPs Use TimeZest.
URL-Based Scheduling
Use URLs inside your PSA workflows to automatically link appointments to existing tickets. This is ideal for automating client outreach when tickets sit too long or need faster engagement.
How it works: Add the
[srnumber]or[Ticket: Number]token to the end of the URL to connect the appointment to the correct ticket.Best Practice: Use for automated responses to new tickets, letting clients book quickly while technicians stay in control.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Overview → Scheduling Links.
Shareable URLs
Give clients the ability to book appointments without an existing ticket. Perfect for sales, marketing, or campaigns where a ticket doesn’t yet exist.
Use Cases:
Email signatures
Campaign or bulk emails
Buttons on websites
Best Practice: Configure Appointment Types specifically for Shareable URLs so the correct ticket or activity type is created automatically.
Where to Set It: Go to Appointment Types → Additional Settings → Shareable URLs.
Personal & Team Pages
Create branded scheduling pages that display available Appointment Types for individuals or teams. These give clients a simple, self-service way to book time directly with the right resource.
Best Practice: Use Personal Pages for individual resources (like account managers) and Team Pages for groups (like Help Desk or Sales) to streamline client access.
Where to Set It:
Personal Page: Go to Users → [Select User]→ Personal Page.
Team Page: Go to Teams [Select Team] → Team Page.
With URL links and scheduling pages configured, you can offer flexible booking options that fit seamlessly into both automated workflows and client-facing touchpoints.
Next Steps & Ongoing Support
With these features configured, your Professional Plan is ready to provide a streamlined, reliable scheduling process.
From here, you can explore Workflow Mode for advanced automation and deeper customization of Appointment Types, giving you even more flexibility in how scheduling works for your team.
And remember, you don’t have to do it alone. Our Customer Success team is here to guide you. Open the yellow chat box anytime to schedule a System Review, where we’ll walk through your setup together and share best practices tailored to your business.