# Automated Appointment Handling (/docs/guides/answer-every-call/automated-appointment-handling)



Booking the appointment is only half the job. The other half is making sure
the member actually shows up and gets connected to your agent. careCycle
handles most of that for you, and it's all set in your [calendar settings](/docs/guides/campaign-toolkit/calendars) (**Configure >
Calendars**). Each calendar has its own rules, so
a 30-minute AEP review can work differently than a quick callback.

Right After Booking [#right-after-booking]

* **A confirmation text goes out right away.** Always, no matter how your
  workflows are set up.
* **The member's campaigns end.** Booking an appointment ends every active
  campaign the member is in, so they don't keep getting outreach calls while
  they wait for their appointment. See [How Campaigns
  Run](/docs/guides/concepts/how-campaigns-run#booking-an-appointment-ends-every-campaign).
* **It lands on the right calendar.** With **Customer's agent** routing (the
  default), it goes to the member's assigned agent, and onto their connected
  calendar if they have one.

Reminders and Follow-Up Texts [#reminders-and-follow-up-texts]

Each calendar has **Workflows**: texts that go out before an
appointment starts or after it ends, and can depend on the appointment's
status. Every new configuration comes with three:

| Workflow                      | When it goes out                                                 |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **24-hour confirmation text** | 24 hours before, if it's still Scheduled, with a link to confirm |
| **1-hour reminder text**      | 1 hour before, if it's Scheduled or Confirmed                    |
| **No-show text**              | 5 minutes after the end of a No-show, with a link to reschedule  |

You can edit, turn off, or delete any of them, or add your own. See
[Calendars](/docs/guides/campaign-toolkit/calendars#workflows)
for the details.

The Call at Appointment Time [#the-call-at-appointment-time]

The **Meeting type** on the calendar decides who makes the
call:

<Tabs items="[&#x22;Phone Call (AI agent)&#x22;, &#x22;Phone Call (agent-initiated)&#x22;]">
  <Tab value="Phone Call (AI agent)">
    The default. At the appointment time, an AI employee calls the member from
    your business number and transfers them to their agent. The member
    doesn't have to dial anything, they just pick up.

    The AI that makes this call is the appointment callback employee from the
    campaign that booked it (most templates come with one, and you can edit
    it in the campaign's **Assembly** tab), or your organization's default
    one.

    With **Whole organization** routing, no specific agent is assigned, so the
    AI hands the call to a routing group instead.
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="Phone Call (agent-initiated)">
    The AI never calls. At the appointment time, the assigned agent gets a
    **Call now** prompt and dials the member from the softphone. With **Whole
    organization** routing, your team works these from the **Appointments**
    page.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

When the Member Doesn't Show [#when-the-member-doesnt-show]

If the AI calls at appointment time and transfers the member to your team,
the appointment is marked **Completed**. If it can't reach them, it's marked
**No-show**, and the **No-show text** goes out with a link to pick a new
time.

Heads up: careCycle doesn't automatically call no-shows again. If you want
your team to chase them, you'll find them on the **Appointments** page. And
if the member calls your number back, careCycle recognizes they had an
appointment and gets them to the right place.

<Cards>
  <Card title="Calendars" href="/docs/guides/campaign-toolkit/calendars">
    Meeting types, routing, limits, and workflows.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect Your Calendar" href="/docs/guides/getting-set-up/connect-your-external-calendar">
    Let careCycle check your agents' personal calendars.
  </Card>

  <Card title="MA AEP Renewals Outreach" href="/docs/guides/template-library/medicare/pre-aep-appointment-booking">
    AEP outreach that gets members to your team, or on your calendar.
  </Card>
</Cards>