Event types (scheduling)

Event types are the bookable meeting types your firm offers, like an Initial consult or a Discovery call. Each one defines how long the meeting runs, who hosts it, where it takes place, and the public link clients use to pick a time. When someone books, Esqase creates an event on your calendar and (optionally) a lead in your intake pipeline, so scheduling stays connected to the rest of your work.

This page covers everything you can do from the Event types screen: creating and editing a type, setting the host, duration, buffers, location, time zone behavior, per-period meeting limits, auto-confirm vs. host approval, attaching a workflow, copying the booking link, and the archive, restore, and delete lifecycle.

Before you begin

• Find the page. In the sidebar, expand Intake, then click Event types.
• Permissions. To see this page your role needs View access for event types (firm owners always have access). Creating, editing, archiving, restoring, and deleting each require the matching permission. By default, owners and administrators have full access, while attorneys and staff can view, create, and edit but cannot delete. If your role is view-only, you will not see the New event type button or the per-row action buttons. See Roles and permissions.
• A public firm username helps. Your booking link is built from your firm's username (for example, book.esqase.com/your-firm/initial-consult). If your firm has not set a username yet, the form shows a placeholder and the link will not be shareable until that is configured. See Your firm profile and details.
• Connect Google for the best experience. Choosing Google Meet as the location and syncing booked meetings to your calendar both rely on a connected Google account. See Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet).

What an event type is

An event type is a reusable template for a single kind of meeting. Think of it the way a calendar-booking tool works: you define the meeting once, and clients (or prospective clients) book it themselves from a public page.

Each event type row in the table shows:

• Name (for example, Initial consult).
• Duration, shown as minutes or hours (for example, 30 min or 1 hour).
• Location, with an icon (In person, Phone call, Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Ask customer, or Custom). For a custom location, the row also shows your custom label underneath.
• Host, the firm member who runs the meeting.
• Status, one of Active or Archive.
• Updated by and Last updated, so you can see who changed it and when.

Use the tabs above the table to switch between All, Active (the default view), and Archive. Use Search event types to find one by name, and use the Location filter to narrow by meeting location. Click Clear filters to reset.

Create an event type

Creating an event type opens a single dialog where you fill in every detail of the meeting.

1. In the sidebar, expand Intake, then click Event types.
2. Click New event type. The New event type dialog opens.
3. In Name, enter a clear title clients will recognize, for example Initial consult. This field is required.
4. (Optional) In Description, add details clients see on the booking page, such as what to prepare or who should attend.
5. In Host, choose the firm member who runs this meeting. See Set the host (assigned member) below. This field is required.
6. In Location, pick where the meeting happens. See Choose the meeting location. This field is required.
7. (Optional) Add Buffer times and Meeting limits (covered in their own sections below).
8. Under Booking page options, confirm the Booking link (slug), choose the Duration, and set the Time zone display.
9. (Optional) Turn on Auto-confirm bookings and attach a Workflow.
10. Click Create event type. Esqase saves the type, you see a confirmation, and the new type appears in the table as Active.

Required fields and limits

• Name is required and can be up to 255 characters.
• Host is required.
• Location is required (and some locations require extra detail, see below).
• Booking link is required, must be lowercase, and may use only letters, numbers, and hyphens (no leading or trailing hyphen), up to 128 characters.
• Duration is required and must be between 1 minute and 24 hours.
• Description is optional and can be up to 5,000 characters.

If anything is missing or invalid, the dialog highlights the affected fields and shows a short message. Fix the highlighted fields and click Create event type again.

Edit an event type

Editing reuses the same dialog you used to create the type, with all the current values filled in.

1. On the Event types page, find the row you want to change.
2. Click Edit on that row. The Edit event type dialog opens.
3. Change any field: name, description, host, location, buffers, meeting limits, booking link, duration, time zone, auto-confirm, or workflow.
4. Click Save changes. Esqase updates the type and you see a confirmation.

Set the host (assigned member)

The host is the firm member who runs the meeting. Their availability and time zone drive which slots clients can choose on the booking page, and the booked event lands on their calendar.

1. In the create or edit dialog, open the Host field.
2. Start typing to search, then select a member from the list. Only active firm members appear.
3. When you create a new type, Esqase defaults the host to you (if you are an active member); otherwise it picks the first available member. You can change it before saving.

Configure duration and before/after buffers

Duration sets how long the meeting runs. Buffers add padding before or after the meeting so back-to-back bookings do not crowd your schedule.

Set the duration

1. In the dialog, find Duration under Booking page options.
2. Choose a preset: 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, or Custom. (New types default to 30 minutes.)
3. If you choose Custom, two more fields appear:
   • Length, a whole number.
   • Unit, either Minute or Hour. For example, set Length to 90 and Unit to Minute for a 90-minute meeting. The total must be between 1 minute and 24 hours.

Add buffer times

A buffer is reserved time around the meeting that no other booking can use, useful for travel, notes, or a breather.

1. In the dialog, find the Buffer times section.
2. Click Add to reveal the buffer fields.
3. In Before event, enter how much time to block before the meeting.
4. In After event, enter how much time to block after the meeting.
5. Use natural formats like 30min, 1h, or 1h 30m. Leaving a field at 0min means no buffer on that side.
6. To remove buffers entirely, click the trash icon next to the buffer fields; both reset to 0min.

Choose the meeting location

The Location field tells clients where the meeting takes place and, for online meetings, how they will join.

1. In the dialog, open the Location field and choose one:
   • In person: a physical meeting.
   • Phone call: you or the client places a call.
   • Google Meet: a Google Meet video link is created for the meeting. This works best with a connected Google account.
   • Zoom: a Zoom video meeting.
   • Microsoft Teams: a Microsoft Teams video meeting.
   • Ask customer: let the client choose how to meet from a list of options you define.
   • Custom: a location you describe in your own words (for example, a specific room or address).

Two locations need extra setup:

Custom location

When you choose Custom, the dialog reveals two more fields:

1. In Custom location, type the location text clients should see, for example Conference Room 2B. This is required for a custom location.
2. Under Visibility, choose when clients see this location:
   • Show on booking page: clients see the location while choosing a time.
   • Only after booking confirmation: the location is hidden until the client has booked, useful for private addresses.

Ask customer

When you choose Ask customer, you build the list of choices clients pick from at booking:

1. Under Customer options, check any of the built-in choices you want to offer: In person, Phone call, Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams.
2. To add your own choice, type it in Add your own option (for example, Coffee shop) and click Add, or press Enter. Custom choices appear under Other options, where you can remove any with the X button.
3. You must add at least one option for this location to be valid.

Set timezone display (auto-detect vs. locked)

The Time zone display option controls how times are shown to the person booking, which matters when your firm and the client are in different time zones.

1. In the dialog, find Time zone display under Booking page options.
2. Choose one:
   • Automatically detect and show the times in my invitee's time zone: the booking page converts available slots into the client's local time. This is the default and is best for phone and video meetings.
   • Lock the time zone (best for in-person events): times are shown in a fixed zone rather than the client's, which avoids confusion when everyone meets in person at one location.

Add per-period meeting limits (day, week, month)

Meeting limits cap how many of this event type can be booked in a given period, so a single popular meeting type does not flood your calendar.

1. In the dialog, find the Meeting limits section.
2. Click Add. A limit row appears.
3. In Meetings, enter the maximum number allowed (a whole number).
4. In Per, choose the period: Day, Week, or Month.
5. Repeat to add more limits. You can add at most one limit per period, and up to three limits total (one for each of Day, Week, and Month).
6. To remove a limit, click the trash icon on its row.

For example, a limit of 3 per Day plus 10 per Week caps this meeting type at three a day and ten across the week.

Turn on auto-confirm vs. host approval

By default, a public booking is tentative until the host approves it. Auto-confirm flips that so bookings are accepted immediately.

1. In the dialog, find the Auto-confirm bookings switch (near the bottom).
2. Leave it off to require host approval. When someone books, the meeting is created as tentative and the host gets a scheduling request to accept, reject, or propose a different time.
3. Turn it on to confirm bookings automatically. The meeting is locked in the moment the client books, with no approval step.

The dialog summarizes this under the switch: "When off, new bookings are tentative until you approve them."

Assign a workflow

Attaching a workflow automates follow-up. When someone books this event type and a new lead is created from that booking, the workflow's steps are added to that lead so your intake process starts on its own.

1. In the dialog, open the Workflow field.
2. Select an active workflow, or leave it as Don't attach a workflow to skip this.
3. Save. From then on, bookings that create a lead will have the workflow's steps attached.

The field description says it plainly: "Attach a workflow to the lead created when someone books this event type."

Copy the public booking link

Every event type has a public link clients use to book it. The link follows the pattern book.esqase.com/your-firm/your-meeting, combining your firm's username with the event type's booking link (slug).

1. On the Event types page, find the row for the type you want to share.
2. Click Copy link. Esqase copies the public booking URL to your clipboard and confirms with "Invite link copied to clipboard."
3. Paste it into an email, your website, or a signature so clients can book themselves.

Common questions

• The link does not include my firm name. Your firm needs a public username set on its profile. Until then, the link shows a placeholder. See Your firm profile and details.
• Can I rename the part after my firm name? Yes. Edit the event type and change the Booking link field. Remember that changing it breaks the old URL.
• What do clients actually see? For the booking experience from the client's side, see How clients book meetings.

Archive, restore, and delete an event type

Event types follow a safe lifecycle: archive to take a type off your booking pages without losing it, restore to bring it back, and delete only after archiving when you are sure.

Archive an event type

Archiving removes the type from your public booking pages and moves it to the Archive tab. Existing bookings are not affected.

1. On the Event types page, find an Active row.
2. Click the more actions button (the "..." menu) at the end of the row.
3. Click Archive. Esqase archives the type and confirms.

Restore an archived event type

1. Switch to the Archive tab above the table.
2. Find the archived row and open its more actions menu.
3. Click Restore. The type returns to Active and appears on your booking pages again.

Delete an event type

Deleting is permanent and is only offered for types that are already archived.

1. Switch to the Archive tab.
2. Open the archived row's more actions menu and click Delete.
3. In the Delete event type? dialog, read the warning ("'...' will be permanently removed. This can't be undone.") and click Delete event type to confirm.

Troubleshooting

• I do not see Archive, Restore, or Delete. These actions depend on your permissions. Archive and Restore need edit access; Delete needs delete access. By default, attorneys and staff cannot delete. See Roles and permissions.
• The "..." menu has no options. That row may be in a state with no actions available to your role, or you may lack edit and delete access entirely.
• An archived type still has upcoming meetings. Archiving stops new bookings but does not cancel existing events. Manage those from the Calendar and events page.

Related

• Calendar and events
• How clients book meetings
• Setting firm availability
• Workflows and the builder
• Connecting Google (Gmail, Calendar, Meet)
• Managing leads