> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Scheduling, Calendar and Online Booking FAQ | Hive Inspect

> Answers to inspectors' top scheduling questions: Google Calendar sync, the online booking widget, availability, blocking time, and cancelling or rescheduling.

Real questions inspectors asked our support team, with the answers. Tap a question to open it; each one has its own link you can share.

## Google Calendar and Hive Calendar

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I connect my Google Calendar?" id="connect-google-calendar">
    Connect it from the web dashboard. Each person on your team connects their own Google account, and it can be a different Gmail account than the one you log in with.

    1. Click **Org Settings** in the left sidebar and open **Scheduling**.
    2. Under **Google Calendar Connection**, click **Connect Google Calendar**. The **Calendar** page has the same button.
    3. Pick the Google account you want to use.
    4. When Google asks for permissions, check every box. Google leaves them unchecked by default, and Hive needs permission to create events.

    Inspections sync from then on. For an inspection booked before you connected, open it and click **Regenerate calendar event** in its date and time section. If sync stops or shows an error, click **Disconnect**, connect again and check every permission box.

    See [Connect Google Calendar](/onboarding/google-calendar#connect-your-google-calendar).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do my personal Google Calendar events block my online scheduler?" id="google-events-block-scheduler">
    Only if your company uses the Google Calendar engine. You choose the engine under **Org Settings** → **Scheduling** → **Calendar Engine**, and it applies to your whole team.

    * **Google Calendar**: two-way. Hive reads each inspector's connected Google Calendar, and busy events there block those times on your online scheduler. Timed events marked Free don't block. All-day events always block.
    * **Hive Calendar**: one-way. Inspections, events and time off live in Hive, and availability comes only from Hive. Inspectors can still connect Google to get a copy of their jobs, but events added in Google never come back into Hive.

    Hive checks the main calendar of the connected Google account. Events on other calendars in that account, including subscribed ones, don't block your time.

    See [Hive Calendar](/whats-new/aug-3-2026#hive-calendar).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to use Google Calendar? Can I use my iPhone calendar?" id="do-i-need-google-calendar">
    No. Switch to the built-in Hive Calendar under **Org Settings** → **Scheduling** → **Calendar Engine**. It needs no Google account, so it suits teams where not every inspector uses Google. On the Hive Calendar, clicking an inspection opens its order page.

    There is no direct Apple or iCloud calendar connection. To see your jobs on an iPhone, connect a Google account in Hive, then add the same Google account to the iPhone Calendar app.

    See [Hive Calendar](/whats-new/aug-3-2026#hive-calendar).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I change my time zone? My times are off by an hour." id="change-time-zone">
    Go to **Org Settings** → **Scheduling**, pick your zone under **Timezone** and save. Hive uses this zone for all scheduling, so a wrong one also shifts times in your emails and on Google Calendar.

    See [Organization settings](/onboarding/team-availability#guide-to-setting-up-team-availability-and-organization-settings).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I show a custom field, like a lockbox code, on the calendar event?" id="custom-field-on-calendar-event">
    Yes, in the event description. Go to **Business Tools → Calendar Description** and add the custom field from **Available fields**. Inspection calendar events then show its value, so a lockbox code or permit number is right there for the inspector.

    The fields you pick replace the standard description. Fields with no value on an inspection are left out. Event titles can't be changed. They always show the address.

    See [Calendar description](/whats-new/may-17-2026#calendar-description).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Online scheduler

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I add the online scheduler to my website?" id="add-scheduler-to-website">
    Go to **Business Tools** → **Widget Integration**. It has two widgets:

    * **Scheduling Widget**: clients book an inspection.
    * **Quote Widget**: clients get an instant price, then continue to the scheduler to book.

    Each widget has a link, an embed code and a QR code you can download. Paste the embed code into your website, or send it to whoever manages your site. You don't need a website built by Hive. If the embed doesn't work on your site, point a booking button at the scheduler link instead.

    Bookings go straight into Hive. The services, add-ons and prices clients see come from **Business Tools** → **Services and Fees**.

    See [Add the scheduling widget to your website](/how-tos/scheduling-widget#get-your-scheduling-link-or-embed-code) and [Add the quote widget](/how-tos/quote-widget).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Where do I set the times clients can book online?" id="set-online-booking-times">
    In **Profile Settings**, under **Weekly Availability Schedule**. Clients only see the start times you set there. If you manage a team, click **Team Settings** on that page to set each inspector's times.

    There are two kinds of hours:

    * **General Business Hours**: only for you. When you book from the dashboard, you can pick any start time in this range.
    * **Weekly Availability Schedule**: the exact start times offered on your online scheduler.

    Hive blocks the full length of each inspection, so check each service's duration in **Business Tools** → **Services and Fees**. **Org Settings** → **Scheduling** also has **Buffer Between Inspections** and **Scheduling Restriction**, a minimum notice period for online bookings.

    See [Set team availability](/onboarding/team-availability#guide-to-setting-up-team-availability-and-organization-settings).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do online bookings need my approval before they are confirmed?" id="online-bookings-need-approval">
    Yes. Every booking from your online scheduler arrives with **Waiting** status. Review it, adjust the price or details if needed, then confirm it: on the **Inspections** page, click the three dots, choose **Status** and pick **Confirmed**.

    Your confirmation emails and texts go out only after you confirm. You also get a notification when someone starts an online booking and when they complete it, so you can follow up with people who stop partway.

    See [What happens after a client books](/how-tos/scheduling-widget#what-happens-after-a-client-books).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I schedule an inspection or send a quote, and what do I need for each?" id="schedule-or-send-quote">
    When you click **New Inspection**, choose one:

    * **Schedule now:** you pick the date and time, then click **Confirm Inspection**. The inspection is booked and your confirmation emails go out.
    * **Send a quote:** click **Send for Review**. The client gets a link to check the price, add or remove add-ons, accept and pick a time from your availability. You confirm the time they pick.

    Both need a property address and at least one service. **Schedule now** also needs a date and time. A client isn't required, but without a client email nothing can be sent.

    Hive doesn't send a quote email until you import one: go to **Automations**, click **Browse**, search for `quote` and import **Inspection Quote - Accept & Schedule**.

    See [Schedule or send a quote](/how-tos/schedule-or-send-quote) and [Send a quote](/how-tos/send-a-quote).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Blocking time on the calendar

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I block off a day or vacation so clients can't book online?" id="block-off-day-vacation">
    Add a blocking event to your calendar.

    1. Go to **Calendar** and click the date.
    2. Choose **Create Event**.
    3. Turn on **All day** and set the start and end dates. Keep **Block calendar time** on.
    4. Save.

    Those times no longer show on your online scheduler. In the Google Calendar engine, you can also block time straight in Google. In the Hive Calendar engine, events added in Google don't block anything, so add time off in Hive. If you manage the schedule, you can assign an event to **Everyone** and turn on **Block calendar time** to block the whole team.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do drafts and waiting online bookings block my calendar?" id="drafts-waiting-block-calendar">
    Not by default. Only confirmed inspections block time. To make drafts and waiting bookings block time too:

    1. Go to **Org Settings** → **Scheduling**.
    2. Turn on **Create calendar event for draft status inspections**.
    3. Turn on **Create calendar event for waiting status inspections**. Waiting inspections are the bookings from your online scheduler.
    4. Save.

    These inspections then show on the assigned inspector's calendar, and their time can't be booked online. Each inspection also has a **Block calendar** switch next to its scheduled time. Turn it off for a job that shouldn't hold the time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Rescheduling and cancelling

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Should I cancel or delete an inspection, and how do I do it?" id="cancel-or-delete-inspection">
    Cancel when you want to keep a record of the job. Delete only tests and mistakes.

    To cancel:

    1. On the **Inspections** page, click the three dots on the inspection and choose **Status**. You can also click the inspection's status badge, or use **Status** under **Quick Actions** on the order page.
    2. Choose **Canceled** and confirm.

    In the mobile app, tap the **Status** tile on the inspection's summary screen. Cancelling frees the time slot, stops waiting reminders and sends any automations that use the **Inspection Cancelled** trigger, so set one up first. The inspection stays in your list. If you cancelled by mistake, change the status straight back to **Confirmed**. Neither cancelling nor deleting refunds a payment.

    To delete, click the three dots and choose **Delete**. You can only delete from the web dashboard. Deleting removes the inspection and its calendar events and stops pending reminders. It does not send cancellation messages, and you can't undo it yourself.

    See [Delete an inspection, or cancel it instead](/how-tos/delete-inspection) and [Inspection statuses](/how-tos/inspection-statuses).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I reschedule an inspection, and does the client get notified?" id="reschedule-inspection">
    Reschedule from the inspection itself, not by moving the event in Google Calendar.

    1. Open the inspection from the **Inspections** page and click **Date & time**.
    2. Pick the new date, then the new time.
    3. Click **Confirm Update**.

    In the mobile app, open the inspection, tap the **Reschedule** tile, pick the day and time, and tap **Confirm Reschedule**. Signed agreements and payments stay attached. Clients and agents are notified only if you have automations with the **Inspection Rescheduled** trigger.

    To pick a past date or a slot that looks busy, turn on **Show past & busy slots** above the time slots. Clients don't have this option on the online scheduler.

    See [Reschedule an inspection](/how-tos/rescheduled-inspections#reschedule-from-the-inspection-order-page-web).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I reschedule without notifying the client or agent?" id="reschedule-without-notifying">
    Yes. Stop the reschedule message on that inspection before you change the date:

    1. Open the inspection and click **Automations** under **Quick Actions**.
    2. Find the reschedule message for each person, shown as **Waiting**, and click **Cancel**.
    3. Reschedule the inspection.

    A message you cancel stays off for that inspection, even if you reschedule it again later.

    If no reschedule message shows as **Waiting**, turn off the reschedule automation's status toggle on the [Automations](https://dashboard.hiveinspect.com/dashboard/automations) page, reschedule, then turn it back on. If that automation has a delay, wait until the delay has passed before you turn it back on. Reminders such as the pre-inspection reminder still move to the new time.

    See [Reschedule notifications](/how-tos/rescheduled-inspections#reschedule-without-notifying-the-client).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my client reschedule the inspection themselves?" id="client-reschedule-themselves">
    No. Once an inspection is **Waiting** or **Confirmed**, clients can't change the date or time from the client portal or the online scheduler. They contact you, and you reschedule it from the dashboard or the app. Your reschedule automations then tell everyone the new time.

    See [Can clients reschedule themselves?](/how-tos/rescheduled-inspections#can-clients-reschedule-themselves)
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Teams, mobile and inspection events

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I see all my inspectors' schedules in one place, on web and mobile?" id="see-all-inspectors-calendars">
    Click **Calendar** in the sidebar. Each inspector has their own color. Switch between **Month**, **Week** and **Day** views, and between **Events** (scheduled inspections and events) and **Availability** (each inspector's weekly open slots).

    In the Google Calendar engine, each inspector must connect their own Google Calendar before their schedule shows. The **Teams** page shows who is connected.

    In the mobile app, open the **Calendar** tab and select one or more inspectors to see their events together. You can also book from your phone: the **Schedule** tab lets you create an inspection or a quote without the web dashboard.

    See [Multi-inspector calendar in the mobile app](/whats-new/sep-7-2026#multi-inspector-calendar-in-the-mobile-app).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I change the inspector on an inspection?" id="change-inspector">
    Open the inspection in the web dashboard. On a confirmed inspection, click the **Inspector** button first. Then click **+ Add** and pick the new inspector, and click the **×** on the old inspector's name. Hive saves automatically.

    Add the new inspector before removing the old one. Hive moves the Google Calendar event and the inspector's automated messages to the new inspector, and the job moves in the mobile app. The client isn't told. You can't change the inspector from the mobile app; **Edit Inspection Order** opens the web page.

    See [Change the inspector](/how-tos/change-inspector).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can the online scheduler assign the closest available inspector?" id="auto-assign-closest-inspector">
    Yes. Clients see **Any Available Inspector** by default. When they book that way, Hive offers the open times of every inspector who covers the address and assigns the closest one who is free.

    To set it up, give each inspector a base address and a **Maximum Travel Distance (miles)** in **Profile Settings** → **Team Settings**. An inspector with no distance set can be offered for any address. If an inspector works from a different place on certain days, click the pin next to that day in their weekly availability and enter the address for that day.

    Service areas only apply to online bookings. When you book from the dashboard or the app, you choose the inspector yourself.

    See [Set inspector service areas](/how-tos/smart-scheduling#how-smart-scheduling-works).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if a client books an address that no inspector covers?" id="address-outside-service-area">
    The online scheduler doesn't let them book it. The client sees that the property is beyond your maximum service distance and is asked to contact you directly.

    To take the job anyway, book it yourself from the dashboard or the app, or raise the **Maximum Travel Distance (miles)** for a nearby inspector. An inspector with no distance set covers any address.

    This works for a one-inspector company too. Set your own base address and maximum distance to stop online bookings that are too far away to be worth the drive.

    See [Set inspector service areas](/how-tos/smart-scheduling#set-an-inspectors-service-area).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I add a radon drop-off, walkthrough or other event to the calendar?" id="add-inspection-events-calendar">
    For a visit tied to a job, add an inspection event:

    1. Open the inspection order, or start a new one.
    2. In the **Inspection Events** section, add the event and set its date and time.

    It shows on the inspector's calendar. Save the events you use often under **Business Tools** → **Inspection Event Presets**, then pick them while booking. To message clients about them, create automations with the **Event Scheduled** or **Pre-Event Reminder** trigger.

    For anything not tied to a job, such as a team meeting, go to **Calendar**, click a date and choose **Create Event**. In the Hive Calendar engine, you can assign the event to **Everyone** and set it to **Repeat**. Repeating works for calendar events only. To book another job for the same client, use **Reorder** from the inspection's three-dot menu.

    See [Preset inspection events](/whats-new/aug-3-2026#preset-inspection-events).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

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