How to connect Google Calendar to your AI4CALL assistant

Connecting Google Calendar to your AI4CALL assistant takes three steps: activate the Google Calendar plugin from the Plugin Marketplace, authorize access to your Google account through the authorization email, and assign the plugin to the assistant in the Capabilities tab, choosing which actions it may perform. From then on, during a phone call, the assistant can check your calendar and book an appointment on its own.

The Plugin Marketplace is the area of AI4CALL where you connect external services to your phone assistant. A plugin is an extension that adds a capability to the assistant: with the Google Calendar plugin, the assistant reads your schedule and books appointments. For a small business or a professional, this means a booking call ends with the appointment already in the calendar, with no manual follow-up. In this video tutorial we walk through the whole process, from purchasing the plugin to a working configuration.

Step 1: activate the Google Calendar plugin from the Marketplace

From the side menu, open the Plugin Marketplace. Plugins are grouped by category: automation, calendars and other services. In the Calendars section you will find Google Calendar, alongside Apple iCloud, Zimbra and Calendly.

1. Open the Google Calendar plugin page and click Purchase.
2. In the Purchase plugin window, review the summary: activation fee and first month.
3. Enter the name you will use to identify this plugin instance.
4. Confirm the purchase: the plugin is added to your available plugins.

Why give the plugin instance a clear name

An instance is a single activation of the plugin, identified by the name you choose at purchase. If you connect several calendars to the same account, a clear name lets you tell one instance from another at a glance.

After the purchase, the plugin appears on the Marketplace Plugins page, in the Calendars section, with the instance name, the activation date and the next renewal date.

Step 2: authorize access to your Google Calendar

Next, the plugin needs permission to access your Google calendar. Open the Calendar Tool configuration: the platform asks for the email address of the Google account to connect. Enter it and click Invite: the platform sends an authorization email to that address.

1. Open your inbox and look for the Authorization Request email.
2. Click the Calendar Access Request button in the email: the Google page opens.
3. Choose the Google account to connect.
4. Google asks you to confirm that the assistant wants to access your Google Account: review the requested permissions and click Continue.
5. When Google confirms that authorization is complete, go back to the portal and click Verify.
6. Save the plugin configuration.

Access limited to calendar events and revocable

As the authorization email points out, access is limited to calendar events only and you can revoke it at any time. After verification, the account appears among the authorized accounts, along with the date it was connected.

Step 3: assign the plugin to the assistant in the Capabilities tab

The plugin is ready, but it is not yet assigned to the assistant. Open the assistant and go to the Capabilities tab. In the Plugins purchased from the Marketplace section you will find Google Calendar Service: enable it and choose which actions to make available.

Calendar actions available to the assistant

Actions are the calendar operations the assistant is allowed to perform. You can select:

• Event creation: the assistant adds new appointments to the calendar.
• Calendar reading: the assistant checks the commitments already in the calendar.
• Availability check: the assistant verifies whether a time slot is free.
• Invitation management: the assistant handles event invitations.

Select the actions you need and confirm: they appear in the summary of the assistant's capabilities. Save the assistant and the configuration goes live. From now on, during a phone call, the assistant can check your calendar and book an appointment on its own.

FAQ about the AI4CALL Google Calendar plugin

Which calendars can I connect to the AI4CALL assistant?

The Calendars section of the AI4CALL Plugin Marketplace offers Google Calendar, Apple iCloud, Zimbra and Calendly.

Does the assistant get access to my whole Google account?

No. As stated in the authorization email, the Google Calendar plugin can access calendar events only, and you can revoke that access at any time.

Is purchasing the plugin enough for the assistant to use my calendar?

No. After purchasing the plugin and authorizing your Google account, you must assign the plugin to the assistant in the Capabilities tab, select the actions to enable and save the assistant.