Keeping your calendars in sync is crucial for managing your schedule effectively. If you’re using Cal.com for booking appointments and Microsoft Outlook for your calendar, integrating the two can save you time and prevent scheduling conflicts. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of automatically adding new Cal.com bookings to your Outlook Calendar using Make (formerly Integromat). This setup is beginner-friendly and should take about 30 minutes.
## Introduction
Cal.com is a powerful scheduling tool that simplifies appointment bookings, while Microsoft Outlook serves as a comprehensive email and calendar platform. By integrating these two services, you can ensure that every new booking made through Cal.com is automatically reflected in your Outlook Calendar. This automation eliminates the need for manual entry, reduces the risk of double bookings, and keeps your schedule up-to-date across platforms.
## Step-by-Step Guide
### Step 1: Set Up Your Make Account
1. **Sign Up or Log In to Make**: If you haven’t already, create an account on [Make.com](https://www.make.com/) or log in to your existing account.
2. **Create a New Scenario**: Once logged in, click on the “Create a new scenario” button. This will open a blank canvas where you’ll build your automation.
### Step 2: Connect Cal.com to Make
1. **Add the Cal.com Module**: Click on the “+” button on the canvas, search for “Cal.com,” and select it.
2. **Choose the Trigger Event**: Select the “Watch Bookings” trigger. This will monitor your Cal.com account for new bookings.
3. **Connect Your Cal.com Account**:
– Click on “Add” to create a new connection.
– You’ll be prompted to enter your Cal.com API key. To obtain this:
– Log in to your Cal.com account.
– Navigate to the [Cal.com App Store](https://cal.com/apps/make) and install the Make app.
– After installation, generate and copy your API key.
– Paste the API key into Make and click “Save.”
4. **Set Up the Trigger**:
– In the “Watch Bookings” module, configure the following:
– **Event Type**: Choose the specific event type you want to monitor, or select “All” to monitor all bookings.
– **Status**: Select “Confirmed” to trigger the automation only for confirmed bookings.
– **Limit**: Set the maximum number of bookings to process per run (e.g., 10).
### Step 3: Connect Outlook Calendar to Make
1. **Add the Microsoft Outlook Module**: Click on the “+” button next to the Cal.com module, search for “Microsoft Outlook,” and select it.
2. **Choose the Action Event**: Select the “Create an Event” action.
3. **Connect Your Outlook Account**:
– Click on “Add” to create a new connection.
– Log in with your Microsoft credentials and grant Make the necessary permissions to access your calendar.
4. **Set Up the Action**:
– In the “Create an Event” module, configure the following fields:
– **Calendar ID**: Select the calendar where you want the events to be added.
– **Subject**: Map this to the “Event Title” from the Cal.com booking.
– **Start Time**: Map this to the “Start Time” from the Cal.com booking.
– **End Time**: Map this to the “End Time” from the Cal.com booking.
– **Attendees**: Map this to the “Attendee Email” from the Cal.com booking.
– **Location**: Map this to the “Location” from the Cal.com booking, if applicable.
– **Description**: Map this to the “Event Description” from the Cal.com booking.
### Step 4: Test and Activate the Scenario
1. **Run a Test**: Click on the “Run once” button to test the scenario.
2. **Verify the Integration**: Create a test booking in Cal.com and check if it appears in your Outlook Calendar.
3. **Schedule the Scenario**: If the test is successful, schedule the scenario to run at your desired frequency (e.g., every 15 minutes).
4. **Activate the Scenario**: Click on the “Save” button and then toggle the scenario to “On” to activate it.
## Optional Enhancements
– **Add Notifications**: Set up an additional module to send you an email or Slack message whenever a new booking is added to your calendar.
– **Handle Cancellations**: Create a separate scenario to remove events from your Outlook Calendar when a booking is canceled in Cal.com.
– **Customize Event Details**: Include additional information in the event description, such as meeting agendas or preparation notes, by mapping extra fields from Cal.com.
By following these steps, you can seamlessly integrate Cal.com with your Outlook Calendar, ensuring that your appointments are always up-to-date and synchronized across platforms. This automation not only saves time but also enhances your productivity by reducing manual data entry and minimizing scheduling errors.
