Skip to main content

​
What you will accomplish

You will run a short practice appointment so you can see the event the same way your team and customers will see it. When you finish, you will know whether the event name, time slots, messages, photos, and resources are ready for real use. Use this guide after you create or change an event type. Testing catches problems early—confusing names, missing fields, wrong hours, reminders that send at the wrong time, or bays that still allow double booking. Testing is especially important when customers can book the event themselves.

​
Before you start

​
Use a safe test record

Use a real-looking test customer or vehicle when possible. This helps you see the same fields staff will see later.
Do not test with a live customer appointment unless you mean toIf your team uses customer notifications, saving an appointment may send emails or texts. Use a test customer, turn off customer-facing messages on the event type, or clearly label the appointment as a test in the description.

​
Create a test appointment from Schedule

This is the fastest way to see how the event behaves on your calendar.
1

Open Schedule

In the left sidebar, click Schedule, or go directly to Schedule.Expected result: You see your calendar with colored appointment blocks for the days your team already has work scheduled.
2

Click Schedule Event

Click Schedule Event in the top-right area of the page.Expected result: A window titled Create New Event (or Schedule Event) opens.
3

Choose the event type

Open the Event type list and select the event you are testing.Check that the name is easy to recognize and not too similar to another event type on the list.
4

Choose the customer or vehicle if the form asks for one

If the event is about a vehicle, search for and select a test car.If the event is about a customer only, select a test customer.If the event is for the whole facility (for example, a calendar block), the form should not require a customer or car.Expected result: The correct name appears in the vehicle or customer field before you pick a time.
5

Choose an option if one appears

If you created booking options (for example, Basic Detail or Premium Detail), pick one and confirm the option names make sense to a new staff member.If no option field appears, your team may use one default length for that event type.
6

Check available times

Pick a date on the calendar, then look at the highlighted time slots.Confirm the slots match your Scheduling hours, closed days, minimum notice, buffer time, and any resource rules.Try a date that should be open and, if you can, a date that should be closed. The closed date should show fewer or no slots.
7

Add a clear test note

In Description, type something obvious such as TEST – event setup check. This helps your team spot and remove the appointment later.
8

Click Create Event

Review the event type, customer or vehicle, date, time, and notes. Then click Create Event.Expected result: The window closes and a new colored block appears on the calendar at the time you chose.
Create New Event dialog on the Schedule page showing event type, vehicle, date picker, and available time slots
Use Schedule Event to test the same form your team uses every day. Check that the right fields appear and that time slots look correct.
Schedule calendar showing multiple colored appointment blocks across the month for different vehicles and event types
After you save a test appointment, it should appear on the calendar like other real work. Look for the correct color, time, and vehicle or customer name.

​
Check the event on the calendar

After saving, stay on Schedule and review the appointment you just created.
  • The event appears on the correct date and time.
  • The event type name and color are easy to recognize.
  • The right customer, vehicle, or facility information is attached.
  • The assigned staff member, if any, is correct.
  • The appointment length on the calendar looks right for the work (not too short or too long).
Click the appointment block if your team uses that to open details. Confirm the description shows your TEST note.

​
Open the event workflow from Schedule

If your event type uses photos, checklists, or other steps during the visit, confirm staff can start that workflow from the calendar.
1

Click the test appointment

On Schedule, click the colored block for your test event.Expected result: A detail panel opens on the right (or a dialog) showing the event name, time, customer, vehicle, and status.
2

Look for Open Event

If this event type has a linked workflow, you should see an Open Event button.Why this matters: Technicians use Open Event to take photos, complete checklists, and mark work finished—not just read the calendar block.
3

Walk through one step

Click Open Event and confirm photo prompts or checklist items appear in the order you expect.For day-to-day help, see Run event workflow from Schedule.
Schedule event detail panel showing customer, vehicle, status, and an Open Event button
If Open Event appears, your team can run the full visit from Schedule. If it is missing, review photo rules and event type settings.

​
Quick verification matrix

Use this table when you want a pass/fail check for each part of the setup.

​
Test Require Approval (when customers must wait for staff)

Skip this section if Require Approval is off for your event type. See Configure event types.
1

Turn on Require Approval

Open the event type from Settings > Services & schedule, click Set up or Advanced, and turn Require Approval on. Wait for Saved near the top of the page.Expected result: New customer bookings for this service wait for staff before they are fully confirmed.
2

Submit a customer-style test booking

Create a test appointment the same way a customer would—portal, website booking, or Schedule Event using a customer record.Expected result: The appointment saves with a pending approval status instead of jumping straight to Scheduled.
3

Open Schedule and filter Needs approval

Go to Schedule. Click Needs approval near the top of the page if that button appears.
Schedule page with Needs approval filter showing pending customer booking requests
The Needs approval filter helps managers find customer requests waiting for a decision.Expected result: Your test booking appears in the list with a pending or approval-needed label.
4

Approve or decline the request

Click the pending appointment to open the detail panel. Choose Approve or Decline and follow the on-screen steps.
Schedule event detail panel for a pending approval booking showing Approve and Decline actions
Approving confirms the time with the customer. Declining frees the slot and should notify the customer when messages are enabled.Expected result: After approval, the event moves to a normal Scheduled state. After decline, it no longer blocks the calendar as confirmed work.
For daily approval habits, read Approve or decline customer booking requests.

​
Check the setup areas that affect the appointment

Use this checklist to confirm the event is ready before you tell customers or staff to use it.
1

Check scheduling

Try a date that should be available and a date that should not be available.Expected result: Open dates show time slots for customers. Closed days show Unavailable on customer booking—or a marked day on the Schedule month view. Staff may still override from Schedule Event when a manager approves.
Create New Event dialog on a closed date with Unavailable or no time slots shown
Pick a holiday or whole-shop closed day in the test dialog. Customer-facing booking should show Unavailable or no selectable times.See Set closed days for events for setup help.
2

Check booking options

If the event has options, open Settings > Services & schedule, click Set up or Advanced on the event type, and scroll to Booking Options.Confirm each option has the correct duration, buffer, minimum notice, capacity, and Active status.
Booking Options table on an event type edit page showing option name, duration, buffer, minimum notice, and active status
Booking Options are one of the most important places to check before customers use a new event type.
3

Check notifications and reminders

On the same event type edit page, scroll to Notification Settings and Reminder Settings.Confirm the event uses the correct team defaults or custom settings.If you do not want test messages to send, turn off customer email or text channels before testing with a real customer email or phone number. See Set up event notifications and reminders.
4

Check photo rules

If photos are required, open the test appointment on Schedule and run the workflow (see Run event workflow from Schedule). Confirm the prompts are clear and in a sensible order.For setup help, see Configure photo rules.
5

Check resources

If a resource is required (bay, lift, room, or staff), try to book a second appointment at the same time for the same resource.Expected result: The app should block the conflicting time or show that the resource is not available.

​
Test from a car record (optional)

Some events are started from Cars instead of Schedule. If your team uses that path, run this quick check too.
Car detail page for a Lamborghini Huracan showing the Add menu with Create event option
From a vehicle record, open the + Add menu and choose Create event when the visit is about that specific car.
1

Open a test car

Go to Cars and open a vehicle that fits this event type.
2

Click Event

At the top of the car page, click + Add, then choose Create event.Why this matters: Starting from the car record saves time—the app already knows which vehicle the visit is for.
3

Choose the same event type

Select the event type you are testing and pick a time slot.
4

Create the event

Click Create Event and confirm the new event appears in Vehicle Activity on the car page.Expected result: The car’s activity list shows the new event with the correct type and time.
For a full walkthrough of car-based events, see Start a car session.

​
Test the customer-facing path when customers can book it

If Who can see this is Customer or Both, test the customer path too.
1

Confirm customers can see it

Open the event type from Settings > Services & schedule and click Set up or Advanced. In Access & Status, confirm Who can see this is Customer or Both, and Active is on. If customers should pick a time themselves, also turn on Customers can book.
2

Confirm Require Approval matches your process

Still in Access & Status, check Require Approval.
  • Turn it on if customers should wait for staff confirmation before the appointment is real.
  • Turn it off if the booking should confirm as soon as the customer submits the form.
If you use a Designated Approver, remember that other team members’ bookings may also need that person’s approval—not just customer requests.
3

Open the customer booking area your team uses

This may be the customer portal, a booking box on your website, a registration page, or a facility web page.If you are not sure which page customers use, review Facility Web Pages and Choose the right public link.
4

Find the event type

Confirm the event name and description make sense to a customer who has never used your software before.Avoid internal shorthand unless your customers already use those words.
5

Choose a time

Confirm available times match what you expect from your scheduling test.
6

Stop before final booking if you do not want messages sent

If this is only a visual check, stop before submitting the booking.If you submit the booking, label it as a test and cancel it after you finish.

​
Clean up after the test

1

Open the test appointment

Find the test appointment on Schedule.
2

Cancel or delete it if it is not needed

Remove the test appointment so staff do not treat it like real work.For steps, see Cancel or delete a scheduled event.
3

Keep notes if something was confusing

If a name, field, reminder, or time slot was confusing, update the event type before real customers use it.

​
What success looks like

After testing:
  • The event type is easy for staff to choose from the list.
  • The right customer, car, or facility fields appear when someone creates the event.
  • Available times match your real operating process.
  • Booking options have the correct duration, buffer, notice, and capacity.
  • Closed days block the right dates.
  • Messages and reminders are correct and not excessive.
  • Photo prompts and resource rules appear when expected.
  • Pending online bookings appear under Needs Approval when that setting is on—and staff can approve them.
  • You removed or cancelled test appointments so the calendar stays accurate.

​
Troubleshooting

The event type is missing from ScheduleOpen the event type and confirm Active is turned on. If the event should be customer-facing, also confirm Who can see this is Customer or Both.
The form asks for the wrong recordReview Event Scope on the event type edit page. Use Vehicle for car-based work, Customer for customer-only work, and Facility for internal facility work.
Available times look wrongReview Scheduling, Booking Options, closed days, minimum notice, buffer time, and resources. A slot may be hidden because one of those settings blocks it.
A test message went to a real customerContact the customer if needed and explain that it was a test. Then use a test customer record for future checks, or turn off customer messages before testing again.
Staff see the event but customers do notCustomers only see event types that are Active, set to Customer or Both, and linked to the correct public booking page. Check Facility Web Pages if the portal or website path is missing the service.
Appointment stays Pending approvalIf the event type requires staff approval before it is confirmed, that is expected. Pending requests appear under Needs Approval on Schedule. Review Approve or decline customer booking requests. Admins turn on Require Approval in Configure event types.
Schedule calendar filtered to Needs Approval showing a pending customer booking request
When Require Approval is on, customer bookings wait here until staff approve or decline them.

​
What to do next

After the test works:
  • Tell your team which event type to use and when to use it.
  • If customers can book it, review the public-facing name and description one more time.
  • Use Create an appointment to train staff on day-to-day scheduling.
  • Use Events overview to see how this event fits with your other setup guides.