CoachVantage allows you to connect (or link) with your external Calendar such as iCloud, Google Calendar, Office365, Exchange, and Outlook. You can link to only one external calendar of your choice. (See the article CoachVantage Integrations on how to connect to your external calendar).

Once you've connected CoachVantage with your external calendar and if you have enabled two-way sync in the Integrations setting, any appointment created in CoachVantage will sync with your external calendar. Vice versa, any events in your external calendar will sync to your CoachVantage Calendar.

Events from your external calendar will show up in your CoachVantage calendar as 'free' or 'busy' events, depending on how these events are created in your external calendar.

Refer to the image above:

  1. Appointments that you have created in CoachVantage display the meeting time and the name of the client. The client name is underlined and is a link; if you click it, it will open that client's page. If you click on the time, it will open up details of the appointment.
  2. Events from your external calendar are in highlighted as light green blocks. 
    NOTE: CoachVantage does not display the details of your external calendar events such as who you are meeting or where. It only displays 'External Cal - Busy' or 'External Cal - Free' external events in light green highlight blocks.
  3. The calendar can be switched to a Month, Week or Day view.

Adding a New Client Appointment

There are two ways to add a new client appointment from the Calendar page:

  1. Double-click on any date in the Calendar that you want to add a client appointment (see arrows in the image below). This will open the Add New Appointment window. 
  2. Click the Add New Appointment button. This will open the Add New Appointment window.

The Add New Appointment window is shown below:

Refer to the above image:

  1. Select the name of the client to schedule the appointment with. This is a scrollable drop-down menu supplying the current contacts.
    TIP: If you have lots of contacts, start typing the first couple of letters of the first or last name to bring up the contact name faster.
  2. Client’s Time Zone is already provided by default, if it was configured in the Client Profile. If not, select your client's time zone from the drop-down menu. Doing so will ensure that your client receives the meeting notification in his/her own time zone.
  3. The Appointment Name has the drop-down menu with all the coaching programs a client has signed up for. Alternatively, select 'Other' and then give the appointment a new name by typing it in.

  4. Check the Log coaching time for this session automatically in my Coaching Log box to log your coaching sessions automatically in the Coaching Log. When you check this box, the This is a pro bono session check box appears. You can check this box if it is a pro-bono coaching session, i.e. you are not charging for this coaching session. Pro-bono coaching hours will get logged accordingly in your Coaching Log.
  5. Select the Start Time (in your time zone) of the appointment. It will automatically convert to the client's time zone in the email notification to your client. Clicking in the Start Time field opens a date and time picker.

  6. The Location drop-down menu provides the following options for your meeting location:
    • Face-to-Face meeting 
    • Phone call – the client’s phone number will be populated automatically (if it's saved in the client's profile page)
    • Skype call – the client’s Skype ID will be populated automatically (if it's saved in the client's profile page)
    • Zoom – a Zoom meeting URL link will be generated and included in the meeting notification and will also appear in the meeting details on your account after you've saved the appointment
    • Other – you can add your own details, for example, a Webinar link or other video conferencing tool meeting link

  7. Check the box to automatically send the client an appointment email notification as well as send appointment reminder notifications. To send appointment reminder notifications to your clients, you will need to first configure this in Settings > Appointments page (refer to the article Appointment Reminders & Buffer Time Settings).
  8. Notes/Instructions information entered here is for your client's information. These are included in the appointment email notification that your client receives. Provide instructions for the appointment as in how to connect on Zoom or Skype etc.
  9. Private Notes are for your eyes only. You might want to jot down some information or reminder in relation for this appointment. This will not be shared with your client.

Once the appointment is booked, it will display in your calendar as shown below.

Clicking in the white area opens the appointment window, to Reschedule Appointment. You can edit details such as change the date/time of the meeting, Cancel Appointment or Reschedule Appointment.

Clicking on the client’s name opens the Client Engagement window (see below). The appointment is now listed in the client’s coaching engagements (if the appointment is for a specific coaching program) and also listed on the Client > Session page.

Appointment Notification to Coach

Once you've saved an appointment, you will receive an email notification from CoachVantage about the appointment.

The appointment time is shown in your local time. You can access the appointment information via the View Appointment button contained in the email, or launch the session (if it's Zoom or Skype) directly from the email as well, as shown below. 

Appointment Notification to Client

After creating the appointment in the Calendar and selecting Send appointment notification to client (see #7 under Add New Appointment section above), your client will receive an appointment email generated by CoachVantage.

Refer to the image below:

  1. The client email displays the date and time of the appointment in the subject line of the appointment email. NOTE: The time will be displayed in the client’s time zone.
  2. The Appointment Name, Date, Time and Duration  of the appointment are indicated for the client.
  3. The meeting Location is indicated, it could be Skype, Zoom, Face-to-face meeting address or a phone number, a clickable link which will allow the client to easily join the session.
  4. Instructions which were added by the coach when the appointment was added to the calendar (see #8 under Add New Appointment section above).

Client Portal Calendar

If the client has access to the Client Portal, appointments will display in the client’s Calendar in the portal as shown below.

The client can click on the appointment to get the Appointment pop-up with more detailed information shown in the image below.

NOTE: Client cannot make changes to the appointment in the Calendar – client can view the appointment and details and access the appointment via provided links as shown below.

The appointment information provides the Coach’s Name, email and the type of coaching scheduled. The appointment location, Start time, End time and any Notes/Instructions the coach wants to share with the client as shown above.