Online appointments — manual and static link modes

Not every business wants OAuth. Two simpler options work without connecting any external account.

Manual mode

You add the meeting link yourself per booking. Use this if you create a fresh Zoom/Meet/Webex room for each call — common with practitioners who keep a per-call audit trail or who use one-time waiting rooms for security.

Workflow

1. Settings → Booking → Online Appointments → Provider = Manual.
2. A customer books a virtual service. Confirmation email and SMS go out without a meeting link.
3. The booking shows up in your admin Bookings list with the usual flow.
4. When you're ready to send the link: open the booking → scroll to the Online meeting panel (only visible on virtual bookings).
5. The badge says Not set. Paste the URL into the Meeting URL field. Optional password and notes.
6. Tick Notify customer of these changes at the bottom.
7. Click Save.

The customer gets an updated email + SMS with the Join Meeting button. The link is now also on their customer portal booking detail.

Static mode

A single permanent room URL + password used for every virtual booking. Cheapest setup. Great for:

• A solo practitioner running their Zoom Personal Meeting Room (PMR)
• A salon-wide Whereby or Jitsi room reused across customers
• Test environments

Setup

1. Provider = Static.
2. Three fields appear:
   • Meeting URL — paste the permanent URL.
   • Password (optional) — if your room has one.
   • Notes (optional) — anything extra customers should know, e.g. "Dial-in: +61 2 1234 5678".
3. Save Settings.

From now on every virtual booking carries that URL automatically. Customers see "Online Meeting" with the same link.

Caveat

Anyone with the static URL can join any session. If you run sensitive conversations (legal advice, medical, financial), use waiting room / lobby controls in your room provider, OR switch to Zoom / Teams / Google Meet so each booking gets its own room.

Switching modes later

Switching provider doesn't affect bookings already created with the old mode — their links stay valid. Only new bookings pick up the new provider. So you can experiment freely: set Static while you wait for OAuth to be configured, then switch to Zoom once it's ready.