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

• Finish the basic event type setup in Configure event types.
• Review scheduling and options in Configure scheduling and booking options.
• Add closed days if needed with Set closed days for events.
• Review customer messages with Set up event notifications and reminders.
• If the event requires proof, review Configure photo rules.
• If the event needs a bay, lift, room, or staff member, review Set up bookable resources.

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.

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.

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.

Quick verification matrix

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

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.

   

   See Set closed days for events for setup help.

2. Check booking options

   If the event has options, open Settings > Events & schedule, click Edit on the event type, and scroll to Booking Options.

   Confirm each option has the correct duration, buffer, minimum notice, capacity, and Active status.

   

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.

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 Customer Accessible is turned on, test the customer path too.

1. Confirm Customer Accessible is on

   Open the event type from Settings > Events & schedule and click Edit. In Access & Status, confirm Customer Accessible is on and Active is on.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Choose a time

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

5. 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.
• You removed or cancelled test appointments so the calendar stays accurate.

Troubleshooting

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.