How Customers Book
Understanding what your customers see when they book helps you optimize the experience and reduce drop-off. Here's the complete journey from start to finish.
Step 1: Land on your booking page
Customers reach your booking page through a shared link, a button on your website, or your website widget. The page loads with your branding — your logo and brand colors — so it feels like an extension of your business.
Step 2: Choose a service
What customers see next depends on which booking mode you've configured:
Smart Routing — Customers answer a series of questions. Based on their answers, Driive automatically directs them to the right appointment type. They may not even see a list of services — the routing logic handles it behind the scenes.
Appointment Type List — Customers see cards for your active appointment types with names and descriptions. They pick the service they want directly.
If the customer arrived via a direct appointment type link, this step is skipped entirely.
Step 3: Enter contact information
The customer fills in their details:
- First Name and Last Name
- Phone Number
- Email Address
The moment they continue, Driive creates a service request — so even if they drop off later, you know who they are and what they were looking for. If a customer with the same details already exists in Driive, the request is linked to that existing customer automatically.
Note: These fields can be pre-filled via URL parameters so customers don't have to enter information you already have.
Step 4: Answer booking questions
Next comes the guided flow — the booking questions you've configured for the service, asked one at a time. Questions can include:
- Text fields — "Describe the issue you're experiencing"
- Select / dropdown — "What type of property is this?" (Residential, Commercial)
- Photo uploads — "Upload a photo of the area that needs work"
- Preferred technician — pick from your eligible users
Customers can step back to change an earlier answer, and their progress saves as they go. These questions collect the information your team needs before the appointment, reducing back-and-forth later.
Tip: Keep questions focused on what you truly need to know before showing up. Too many questions can cause customers to abandon the booking.
Step 5: Confirm the service address
The customer enters the address where the work is needed. Driive uses it to check the location against your service area and to plan drive time for your team.
Step 6: Driive checks the request
With everything gathered, Driive finalizes the request. Two paths from here:
- Everything checks out — the customer moves straight to time selection (Step 7).
- A human is needed — the appointment type requires approval, the lead didn't meet your qualification threshold, or the address is outside your service area. The request lands in your Inbox with an issue explaining why, and the customer sees a warm thank-you: "Thank you for your request. We'll be in touch soon to get you scheduled." Your team picks it up from there.
Step 7: Pick a time
Qualified customers see a calendar of your real availability. The available slots respect your:
- Business hours and user availability
- Existing appointments (booked slots are removed)
- Connected calendar events (Google Calendar or Outlook blocks are accounted for)
- Buffer times and booking window settings
The customer chooses a date, picks from the available times, reviews their selections, and clicks Confirm Booking. Driive creates the appointment as Scheduled — start to finish without a phone call.
Booking by arrival window: If the appointment type is set to book by arrival window, Step 7 looks a little different — instead of a grid of exact times, the customer picks a window card like "Arrive between 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM." Driive only shows windows it can actually staff, and books the appointment without assigning a technician yet. Your team assigns it afterward on the Dispatch board. From the customer's side the flow is identical; they simply choose a window instead of a slot.
Step 8: Confirmation and self-service
After confirming, the customer receives a confirmation (based on the type's notification settings) with their appointment details and a link back to their booking page, where they can:
- Reschedule — Pick a new date and time from available slots.
- Cancel — Cancel the appointment with a reason.
These self-service options reduce inbound calls and give customers control over their booking. See Customer Confirmation Portal for full details.
The experience at a glance
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Land | Customer opens your booking page link |
| 2. Choose service | Routing form guides them or they pick from a list |
| 3. Contact info | Name, email, phone — Driive creates the request |
| 4. Answer questions | Text, select, and photo upload questions, one at a time |
| 5. Address | Confirm where the work is needed |
| 6. Driive checks | Qualified requests continue; the rest land in your Inbox |
| 7. Pick time | Browse available slots — or arrival windows — and click Confirm Booking |
| 8. Self-service | Add to calendar, reschedule, or cancel from their booking page |
What's next
- Routing Form — Configure the smart questionnaire your customers see.
- Booking Links and Sharing — Get your booking link in front of customers.
- Customer Confirmation Portal — Learn about the post-booking experience.