Appointment Enquiry and Scheduler through AI - n8n Workflow

Your calendar is a precious resource. Every appointment slot you give away is time you cannot get back. Yet, businesses continue to let anyone book meetings, including tire kickers, irrelevant inquiries, and people who just want free advice. What if your booking system could think before it schedules?

This n8n workflow creates an intelligent appointment scheduling system that uses AI to qualify leads before they ever reach your calendar. It analyzes enquiries, presents terms and conditions, collects availability preferences, and sends approval requests to you before confirming any meeting. The result is a frictionless experience for qualified prospects and a protected calendar for you.

What You Need to Get Started

Before diving into the workflow construction, make sure you have access to these services and credentials set up in n8n:

• OpenAI API: Powers the AI classification and summarization of enquiries
• Gmail Account: Handles approval emails and confirmation messages to clients
• Google Calendar API: Creates and manages calendar appointments automatically
• n8n Instance: Either cloud or self-hosted to run your workflow

Key Components in This Workflow

This automation leverages several powerful n8n nodes working in harmony:

• n8n Form Trigger: Creates the initial appointment request form
• Text Classifier: Uses AI to determine if enquiries are relevant
• Form Nodes: Provides multi-step form experience for better user engagement
• LLM Chain: Summarizes enquiries using OpenAI for quick review
• Gmail Node: Sends approval requests and confirmation emails
• Google Calendar Node: Creates meeting events with video conferencing links
• Execute Workflow Trigger: Enables modular workflow architecture

Step 1: Qualify Enquiries Using AI

The workflow begins with an n8n Form Trigger that collects basic information from potential clients. The form asks for their name, email, and enquiry details. This is where most booking systems stop, but yours is just getting started.

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Once submitted, the enquiry passes through an AI-powered Text Classifier connected to an OpenAI Chat Model. This classifier evaluates whether the enquiry relates to relevant topics like AI, automation, digital products, or product engineering. Any enquiry that does not match these categories gets routed to a polite decline page suggesting the person send a direct message instead.

This first filter is crucial. It prevents your calendar from filling up with meetings that fall outside your expertise or service offerings. The AI does the thinking so you do not have to manually screen every request.

Step 2: Present Terms and Conditions

For enquiries that pass the relevance check, the workflow displays a Terms and Conditions form. This is not just legal protection but another qualification layer. The terms specify that discussions are non-binding and prohibit recording or AI-assisted note-taking during calls.

A conditional node checks if the user accepted these terms. If they decline or skip this step, they are redirected to an alternative completion page. Only those who explicitly agree move forward to select their preferred appointment time. This ensures everyone who books understands the ground rules.

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Step 3: Collect Date and Time Preferences

The workflow then presents a dynamically generated date and time selection form. Using JavaScript expressions, it creates dropdown options showing the next five weekdays and hourly slots from 9 AM to 6 PM.

This dynamic approach means the form always shows current dates without manual updates. The user selects their preference, and the workflow captures this along with all previous form data using a Set node that formats everything into a clean structure.

The split form approach dramatically improves completion rates compared to long single-page forms. Each step feels manageable, and users see progress as they move through qualification, terms, and scheduling.

Step 4: Send User Confirmation and Trigger Approval Process

After the user submits their preferred time, the workflow executes another workflow using the Execute Workflow node. This modular design keeps the main workflow clean and allows for easier maintenance.

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The secondary workflow sends an immediate acknowledgment email to the user confirming their request was received. This creates a professional impression and sets expectations that approval is pending. Meanwhile, the approval process begins running in the background.

Step 5: Review and Approve Appointments

Here is where the workflow gets really clever. The AI summarizes the original enquiry using an LLM Chain connected to OpenAI. This summary, along with all appointment details, gets formatted into an approval email sent to your Gmail inbox.

The Gmail node uses the special "sendAndWait" operation, which pauses the workflow until you click either Confirm or Decline directly in the email. No need to log into a dashboard or admin panel. You make decisions right from your inbox.

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A conditional node checks your response. If you approve, the workflow creates a Google Calendar event complete with the user as an attendee and a Google Meet link automatically generated. If you decline, it sends a polite rejection email to the user. Either way, everyone gets closure.

Why This Workflow Changes the Game

Traditional appointment booking systems are passive. They accept whatever gets thrown at them. This workflow is active. It thinks, filters, and protects your time while maintaining a smooth experience for legitimate prospects.

The benefits extend beyond just filtering bad leads:

• Time Savings: You only review pre-qualified, summarized requests instead of reading full enquiries
• Professional Image: Multi-step forms and immediate confirmations signal sophistication
• Better Data: Every submission includes context about why they want to meet
• Flexible Approval: Make decisions from anywhere using email
• Automated Follow-up: Both parties get appropriate communications without manual effort

Real-World Applications

This workflow architecture adapts to various use cases beyond consultations. Service providers can use it to screen project requests. Coaches can filter clients by readiness level. Sales teams can qualify leads before booking demos. Healthcare practitioners can ensure appointment requests match their specialties.

The modular structure also makes customization straightforward. Want to add payment collection? Insert a payment node before the approval step. Need to sync with multiple calendars? Add parallel Google Calendar nodes. The foundation handles the core logic while you extend functionality as needed.

The Bottom Line

Your calendar deserves a bouncer, and AI makes that bouncer intelligent, tireless, and consistent. This n8n workflow transforms appointment scheduling from a passive liability into an active asset that protects your time while delivering a premium experience to qualified prospects.

The automation handles repetitive decisions, the AI provides intelligent filtering, and you maintain final control over who gets on your calendar. That is the kind of leverage that turns good businesses into great ones.

Build this once, and it works forever. Your calendar will thank you.