Using Make.com to automate SMS
notifications for Calendly Event Bookings
Make.com is a “no code” web-based platform that can be used for integrating activities among multiple applications. Make has pre-built connectors for many applications like Adobe, Android, Safari, Calendly , Facebook, DocuSgn, and Dropbox, just to look at the proverbial tip of the iceberg. In this article we will be focusing on utilizing Make to automatically send an SMS message to anyone you want when a Calendly event is booked. We will start by providing an overview of what the Make.com interface looks like and then go into a step by step instruction on how to build this particular integration — all in no time at all!
If you haven’t used Make before, read this article for an introduction and steps to set up your Make account.
Setting up our SMS auto-reply integration
Now that you have a basic understanding of Make.com, it’s time to set up our integration which will automatically send an SMS reply when a Calendly appointment is booked.
Step 1: create a connection
Click on the Scenarios button in the main side menu then look for a button called “+ Create a new scenario”. Once you click on this button you will be taken to a scenario design wizard area. You will be guided through selecting an app and creating steps to go through while you create your scenario. The first screen you will see is shown in figure 1.
Initially you should name your scenario [1]. So in our case we will call it “Calendly & RingCentral SMS”. Double-click on the name area to enter the editing mode. Next, [2] we select the app that we want to interact with by clicking on the big purple circle with the plus sign in its middle. You will be shown a list of applications that are popular and some that you may already be connected to. You can also search for new applications in the search area at the bottom of the list area. In area [3] you can control more details of the scenario like saving your progress, adding notes, and so on.
As we want to create a connection for Calendly, we will connect to the Calendly app. Search for it with the searching tool at the bottom of the apps list to filter your options. Next you will select the action you want Make to watch for, this is known as the trigger. In this case with Calendly we have to make a Webhook which is really only the provision of some extra information to Make so that it can monitor the triggering event more accurately. The webhook screen looks like that shown in figure 2. Here we are describing the event we want to watch for [1], name the webhook [2] and select the connection that we have already established with Calendly [3]. Next we want to select “Invitee Created” [4] to have Make react when this event occurs. In area [5], simply select the offered URIs for both Organization and User. Save these values.
Step 2: select your action
You will then need to add a module to the scenario that will be the action to the trigger. Essentially, what you want Make to do for you when the previous trigger occurs in the future. Remember, in this example, we are sending out a RingCentral SMS message when there is a new Calendly event. Hover over the semicircle on the right side of the trigger that you just created and click on the “Add a module” option that appears. Select or search for the RingCentral app and then select the action of “Send an SMS”. Next, fill in the details that are needed to send the SMS.
Take a look at figure 3. Following the choice of action and desired account [1], you need to select one of the valid phone numbers [2] associated with the selected account.
Each account can use one or more actual phone numbers. Naturally, you also need to inform Make where you want the SMS message to go to, so you need to provide that information as well [3]. The actual text that you want to send out when there is a triggering event should be provided next [4]. It is important to note that Make can pick up a lot of data points on the Calendly event itself so a list of these data items are offered to you when crafting the text of the SMS [5]. You can also combine your own text with this data. Click OK when you are ready. You can test your newly crafted action. To run a test, save your work (save button on the bottom toolbar) and click the “Run once” button. You will then have to connect to the Calendly account admin and enter a test event, then the target phone number (phone number to) should get an actual text message that looks similar to figure 4.
Keep in mind that the free version of Make only processes its active scenarios every 15 minutes so there will likely be a lag between the submitted Calendly booking event and delivery of the generated SMS. Also, remember to go back to the list of scenarios and make sure your newly built scenario is turned on as sometimes they are not automatically activated. Be sure to play with the many combos that could save you time and grief and put Make to work for you.
Please let us know what you think by leaving your questions and comments below. To learn about RingCentral features make sure to visit our developer site and if you’re ever stuck make sure to go to our developer forum.
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