Appointments
Package: BASIC
1. General
The Appointments module is used to plan and manage meetings, calls and visits with customers, prospects or team members. It offers the following core functions:
- Calendar and planning view – display appointments in a day, week or month view
- Linking to other modules – link appointments directly to Organizations, Contacts, deals, Tasks and more
- Invite participants – invite users, contacts and leads via notification or email; acceptances and declines are documented in the appointment
- Recurring appointments – create recurring appointments with a configurable interval and end date
- Calendar sharing – share your own calendar with other users or groups with individual permissions
- Group calendars – display appointments from groups and shared calendars in your own view
- Birthdays – display birthdays from the Contacts module as all-day events in the calendar
A sales representative plans a meeting with a customer. In the Appointments module a new appointment is created, linked to the corresponding organization, and the responsible contact is invited as a participant. The Send appointment as email message toggle is enabled so that the contact receives an email invitation. After the appointment, the status is set to completed and a follow-up appointment is created.
A weekly team meeting is created as a recurring appointment. In the Repeat block, the interval Weekly is selected and an end date is set. All team members are added as participants and receive a notification. Changes to the main appointment automatically affect all future appointments of the series.
This section describes only the special fields and functions of the module, since all general brainX functions are described elsewhere in the handbook.
2. Global Settings
2.1. General module settings
For the Appointments module the following settings items are available in Global Settings - Module management:
2.2. Basic configuration
Via the basic configuration, an administrator can pre-configure the default calendar settings for all new users. Newly created users adopt these settings but can adjust them individually in the Calendar settings.
The Basic configuration tab is divided into the following areas:
The following settings items cannot be made in the basic configuration but must be configured individually by the user in the Calendar settings:
2.2.1. Basic settings
Appointments basic configuration
The settings items and fields are described in detail in the section Calendar settings – Basic settings.
2.2.2. Default references
Default references setting
The settings items and fields are described in detail in the section Calendar settings - Default references.
2.2.3. Calendar colours
Calendar colours setting
The settings items and fields are described in detail in the section Calendar settings – Type settings.
3. Functional areas
The Appointments module is divided into the following functional areas:
Appointments module - functional areas
- Select calendar/planning view → switch between Calendar view and Planning view
- Actions → General actions of the view
- Create appointment → opens the creation view of a new appointment
- Calendar sidebar → Sidebar with month calendar, calendar, My Groups and Shared Calendars
- Filter → Filter settings for the calendar
- Select day/week/month view → Selection of the period to display
- Navigation/select period → navigation between periods
- Search → Search appointments
- Calendar settings → open the Calendar settings
- Display area → shows the Calendar view or Planning view
3.1. General actions
After clicking the „Actions" button, a flyout menu opens with the following actions:
To use several records for the actions, multiple appointments can be selected in the calendar in the Calendar view or Planning view using the key combination Ctrl + click.
3.2. Calendar sidebar
The calendar sidebar is divided into several functional areas.
Calendar sidebar
- Period displayed in the Calendar view or Planning view
- Month calendar
- Calendar
- My Groups
- Shared calendars
3.2.1. Month calendar
The month calendar always shows the period currently displayed in the calendar view.
By selecting a day, month or year, the corresponding period is shown in the calendar view.
The current week is highlighted in colour in the month calendar.
Beneath each date, a marker indicates how many appointments fall on that day: for a single appointment a dot is shown, for several appointments a widening bar.
Month calendar example
3.2.2. Calendar
Via the „My appointments" checkbox you can choose whether your own appointments are displayed in the calendar view.
This setting only takes effect if groups or shared calendars are selected at the same time.
3.2.3. My Groups
In the „My Groups" area, all groups of which the user is a member are displayed.
Via the checkbox you can determine whether group appointments are displayed in the calendar view.
3.2.4. Shared calendars
In the „Shared calendars" area, all users who have shared their calendar are listed.
Via the checkbox, the respective shared calendar can be shown or hidden.
3.3. Functions in views
The general functions in the Calendar view and Planning view are identical. View-specific functions are explained in the respective sections.
3.4. Filter
Via the Filter button, temporary filters can be set for the calendar view. After clicking, a flyout window opens; further filters are added via Add filter.
Filters in views
All fields of the detail view are available as filter options. By clicking the „Add filter" button again, further filters can be added.
The filters are temporary but remain active when switching between the Calendar view or Planning view. Filters are removed by actively clicking the filter or when reloading or leaving the page.
3.5. Select view period
Via the picklist you can choose between day, week and month view in the Calendar view or Planning view.
3.6. Select/navigate period
Via the navigation buttons you can switch to the previous or next month/week/day. If the current period is not displayed, a button appears to switch directly to today, this week or this month.
3.7. Search
After clicking the „Search" button, the „Search appointments" sidebar opens.
Search appointments sidebar
The search starts from the second character entered and searches the fields Subject, Type, Status, Priority and Description. After clicking a search result, the corresponding period is displayed in the calendar view.
3.8. Calendar settings
These are opened via the „Calendar settings" button (icon „cog").
Calendar settings button
The „Calendar settings" popup is divided into the following areas:
- Basic settings
- Default references
- Type settings
- Appointment sharing
- Task sharing
- Group appointment colours
3.8.1. Basic settings
Calendar settings popup - Basic settings
The following table describes fields with a non-obvious function. All other fields are self-explanatory.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Default view | Defines which view is displayed when opening the module: Calendar view or Planning view |
| Default display | Defines which view is displayed when opening the module: Today, This week, This month |
| Week start | Weekday on which the displayed week begins |
| Weekdays | Selection of the weekdays displayed in the calendar (any combination Mon–Sun) |
| Non-selected weekdays | Display of non-selected weekdays: Hide or Grey out |
| Non-selected times | Display of times outside the working day: Hide or Grey out |
| Show birthdays | When enabled, birthdays from the Contacts module are displayed as all-day events in the calendar – see Section 3.8.1.1. |
| Follow up appointment | When enabled, a popup for creating a follow-up appointment is displayed after setting an appointment to completed |
| Automatic appointment invitation | When enabled, added participants are automatically invited when a new appointment is created |
3.8.1.1. Notes on showing birthdays
If the „Show birthdays" toggle is set to „active", note the following:
- If the „Date of birth" field is filled in the Contacts module, this is automatically displayed as an appointment in the calendar as an all-day event.
- Each user sees the birthdays of all records to which they have access based on the permission settings.
- First and last name as well as the age in brackets are displayed; clicking the name opens the detail view of the record.
- The event type „Birthday" can be used as a filter (e.g. in custom list views or Reports).
- In the detail view of a record and for incoming calls, the birthday is signalled by the Gift icon.
- The respective birthday appointment is displayed 11 months before and 1 month after the birthday.
- The colour can be set globally by the administrator and adjusted individually by each user.
3.8.2. Default references
Calendar settings popup - Default references
In the Default references area, you configure which reference fields are displayed in the Relationships block when creating a record in the Appointments and Tasks modules.
Only modules to which the user is allowed to access based on the Global permissions are available for selection.
3.8.3. Type settings
Calendar settings popup - Type settings
A separate calendar colour and an icon can be defined for each appointment type. After clicking a type, a flyout window opens for colour selection and icon selection.
Type colour selection
Type icon selection
Colours for group appointments are configured in the Group appointment colours area.
3.8.3.1. Configuring the follow up appointment duration
In the „Follow up appointment" field, the desired default duration (in minutes) for a follow-up is defined.
3.8.4. Appointment sharing
Appointment sharing only takes effect if the Appointments module is set to private in the Global permissions. With public, all users can see all appointments. Private appointments are generally only visible as a private entry (incl. time) as long as they have not been shared via appointment sharing.
Calendar settings popup - Appointment sharing
Via appointment sharing, users can share their calendar with other users and/or groups.
Calendar settings popup - Appointment sharing permission selection
The following permission levels are available for selection:
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
| Sees when I am busy | Only date and time visible, no further details |
| Can see titles and locations | Date, time, title and location visible, no further details |
| Sees all details | All details visible, no editing possible |
| Can edit everything | All details visible and editable |
| Delegate (read & write) | Read and write access |
| Delegate (full access) | Full access to all records |
3.8.4.1. Private appointments
Via the Can see all details of private appointments toggle (only available with the Delegate (full access) permission), you define whether selected users/groups can see all details of private appointments.
Private appointments can, regardless of other permission settings, only be edited or deleted by the responsible user or the responsible group.
3.8.4.2. Further shares
Via the Add share button, further appointment shares for other users/groups with individual permissions can be configured.
3.8.4.3. Delete shares
To delete an appointment share, click the Delete share action icon (icon Recycle Bin) in the corresponding row and then click Save.
3.8.5. Task sharing
Task sharing only takes effect if the Tasks module is set to „private" in the Global permissions.
Calendar settings popup - Task sharing
Via task sharing, users can share their tasks with other users and/or groups.
Calendar settings popup - Task sharing permission selection
The available permission levels correspond to those of the Appointment sharing.
To be able to create tasks for other users, at least the Delegate (read & write) permission is required.
3.8.5.1. Further shares
Procedure identical to Section 3.8.4.2.
3.8.5.2. Delete shares
Procedure identical to Section 3.8.4.3.
3.8.6. Group appointment colours
Calendar settings popup - Group appointment colours
For groups of which the user is a member, individual calendar colours can be configured. Group appointments without their own colour definition appear in the colour of the appointment type.
If a colour is defined for both a type and a group, the group colour is used.
4. Calendar view
In the calendar view, all appointments are displayed according to the selected period view (day, week, month view) as well as the selection in the sidebar (own appointments, groups, shared calendars).
Appointments module - Calendar view
4.1. Opening the detail view of an appointment
After clicking an appointment, a flyout opens with the most important details: Subject, Type, Date and time, Status (directly editable).
Appointment details display
The following actions are available:
- „Open" action icon (icon „square with arrow") → opens the Detail view
- „Edit" button → opens the Edit view
- „Delete" button → deletes the appointment
4.2. Edit appointment
After clicking the „Edit" button, the Edit view of the appointment is opened.
4.3. Delete appointment
After clicking the „Delete" button, the appointment is deleted and moved to the Recycle Bin module.
4.4. Create a new appointment
Clicking any day in the calendar view opens the „Create appointment" popup with the most important fields.
Create appointment popup
After filling in the mandatory fields and clicking Save, the appointment is created. Via the „More options" button, an extended popup opens with all available fields.
Create appointment popup - more options
5. Planning view
In the planning view, all appointments are displayed in a list form according to the selected period view. The selection in the sidebar (own appointments, groups, shared calendars) is taken into account.
Appointments module - Planning view
Thanks to the clear presentation, the planning view makes it easier to keep an overview of upcoming appointments.
All functions of the Calendar view (Opening the detail view of an appointment, Edit appointment, Delete appointment, Create a new appointment) are also available in the planning view.
6. Detail view
The Appointments module does not have a list view. The detail view of an appointment can only be opened directly from the Calendar view or Planning view.
6.1. Fields
The following table describes mandatory fields as well as fields with a non-obvious function. All other fields are self-explanatory.
Appointment block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Start * | Date and time of the appointment start |
| End * | Date and time of the appointment end |
| Type |
|
| All-day | When enabled, the appointment is displayed in the *All-day* row in the week/day view |
| Private appointment | Marks the appointment as a private appointment; visible to other users only as a private entry |
| Status |
|
| Send appointment as email message | When enabled, in addition to a notification, email invitations are also sent to all participants |
*Mandatory field
Relationships block
In the Relationships block, reference fields to other modules are displayed. Unlike in other modules, references here are not defined in the Relations tab but directly in the Relationships block.
Which modules are displayed by default can be configured individually by each user in Calendar settings – Default references.
Via the Add further references button (only available in the create/edit view), individual references to further modules can be added.
Relationships block in the create/edit view
After clicking the „Add further references" button, a popup of the same name opens.
Add further references popup
After selecting modules and clicking the „Select references" button, the corresponding reference fields are added in the „Relationships" block.
Follow-up block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Follow-up | When enabled and with a Date and time entered, a follow-up appointment is created automatically |
| Date and time | Date and time of the follow-up appointment |
Reminder block
In the Reminder block, two fields (1st reminder and 2nd reminder) are available. After selecting a value, a notification is displayed at the defined time; default values: none, 5 minutes before, 10 minutes before, 30 minutes before, 1 hour before, 2 hours before, 1 day before, 2 days before.
Repeat block
In the Repeat block, recurring appointments (recurring series) can be configured. After selecting an interval, the Recurrence rule popup opens, in which interval, time and end date are configured.
Recurrence rule popup - example interval „Custom"
When creating a recurring appointment, no appointments are created in the past. If a series is created at 11:00 that should begin at 10:00, the current day is no longer taken into account.
If the interval is not entered correctly, the following note appears: The configured rule does not generate any appointments. Please check the recurrence rule.
Displaying all appointments of a series
All appointments of a series are listed in the Relations tab of the detail view of the recurring appointment.
Detail view - Relations tab - recurring appointments
- Changes to the main appointment affect the entire series.
- Changes to an individual appointment affect only that one. To change all future appointments, the Apply changes to all future appointments of the series checkbox must be enabled in the edit view.
- A change of the recurrence rule on the main appointment deletes all future appointments and creates a new series.
Add participants block
In the Add participants block, calendar invitations for other users, Contacts and Leads are defined, see section Invitation to contacts/leads.
Invitation to users
After clicking the „Add participants" button, a popup of the same name opens.
Add participants popup - user selection
Users can be added individually or via multiple selection (checkbox + Select button).
Invited users receive a notification and optionally an email invitation (if Send appointment as email message is active). They can respond with accept, accept tentatively or decline:
| Response | Follow-up action |
|---|---|
| accept | A new appointment is created in the invitee's calendar |
| accept tentatively | A new appointment is created; in the detail view the action Give firm acceptance appears |
| decline | No appointment is created; the inviter receives a notice |
The response status is visible in the detail view of the appointment for all parties involved: green tick (accepted), yellow question mark (tentative), red X (declined), grey question mark (no response).
If an appointment is changed, all participants receive a new invitation and can respond again. The invitees' appointment is updated automatically.
To un-invite a participant, click the Recycle Bin icon next to the relevant name in the edit view. The un-invited person receives a notification and the appointment is removed from their calendar.
After responding to an invitation (accept, accept tentatively or decline), the message is removed from the invitee's message centre.
A prerequisite for an invitation to contacts or leads is an active/configured Exchange Connector. If the Exchange Connector is not active/configured, no contacts or leads can be selected in the „Add recipient" popup.
Invited contacts/leads receive an invitation via Outlook (Exchange Server). If an appointment relates to an organization, contacts of the linked organization are primarily displayed in the contact selection.
File attachments block
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| File | Upload a file via Drag & Drop or via the operating system's file explorer |
If the Exchange Connector has been configured, the attachments are synchronised accordingly.
6.2. Actions
The following actions are available in the detail view:
6.2.1. General actions
- PDF Export
- Recommend
- Copy
- Mark appointment as done
- Delete
- Mark appointment as not completed
- Change tracking
For detailed information on the actions, see the section Actions (detail view).
6.2.2. Module-specific actions
| Action | Prerequisite | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Create timesheet | – | Creates a new timesheet and links it to the appointment |
7. Practical examples
1 – Plan, invite to and follow up on a customer appointment
A sales representative plans a meeting with an existing customer. In the Appointments module, a new appointment with the Type Meeting is created, linked to the corresponding organization and the responsible contact in the Relationships block. The Send appointment as email message toggle is enabled so that, in addition to a notification, the contact also receives an email invitation.
Via the Add participants block, all internal parties involved are invited as users. They can respond with accept, accept tentatively or decline – the response status is visible to all in the detail view. After the meeting, the status of the appointment is set to completed. Since Follow up appointment is enabled in the calendar settings, a popup for creating a follow-up appointment opens automatically.
2 – Create a weekly team meeting as a recurring appointment
A weekly team meeting is to be managed as a recurring appointment in brainX. In the Repeat block, the interval Weekly is selected and in the Recurrence rule popup the weekday as well as an end date are defined. All team members are invited via the Add participants block.
Changes to the main appointment – such as a time shift – automatically affect all future appointments of the series. If an individual appointment needs to be treated differently, it can be edited separately without changing the entire series. All appointments of the series are listed in the Relations tab of the main appointment.
3 – Share a calendar for a substitute and use group calendars
An employee stands in for a colleague during their holiday and needs access to their calendar. The colleague shares their calendar in the calendar settings under Appointment sharing with the Delegate (read & write) permission for the substitute.
The substitute sees the shared calendar in the sidebar under Shared calendars and can show it via the checkbox. This way, the colleague's appointments are displayed in their own calendar view. In addition, all groups of which the user is a member can be shown in the sidebar under My Groups – the group's appointments appear in the configured group colour.
8. Frequently asked questions
How do the calendar view and planning view differ?
The Calendar view shows appointments in a graphical day, week or month display. The Planning view shows the same appointments in a clear list form – ideal for a quick overview of upcoming appointments without a graphical display. Both views can be selected as the start view via the default view in the calendar settings.
Can I invite contacts and leads directly to an appointment?
Yes, but only if the Exchange Connector is configured and active. Invited contacts and leads receive the invitation via Outlook (Exchange Server). Without an active Exchange Connector, no contacts or leads can be selected in the Add recipient popup.
What happens if I change a recurring appointment?
Changes to the main appointment of a series affect all future appointments. Changes to a single appointment of the series affect only that one – unless the Apply changes to all future appointments of the series checkbox is enabled in the edit view. A change of the recurrence rule on the main appointment deletes all future appointments and creates a new series.
How are birthdays displayed in the calendar?
If the Show birthdays toggle is enabled in the calendar settings, birthdays from the Contacts module are automatically displayed as all-day events in the calendar – provided the Date of birth field is maintained in the contact record. Each user sees the birthdays of all contacts to which they have access.
How does appointment sharing work?
In the calendar settings under Appointment sharing, your own calendar can be shared with individual users or groups. Various permission levels are available for selection – from Sees when I am busy to Delegate (full access). Appointment sharing only takes effect if the Appointments module is set to private in the global permissions.
Can I bill an appointment as a timesheet directly from the Appointments module?
Yes. Via the module-specific action Create timesheet in the detail view of an appointment, a timesheet is created directly and linked to the appointment. This allows the time spent on a customer appointment to be recorded directly and assigned to a project or contingent.