Contractor Accelerator is designed to schedule customer appointments and job activity, but we know teams also need a way to block off things like PTO, vacations, sick days, and personal appointments.
Here’s how time off scheduling currently works inside CA.
While there is not currently a designated way to schedule time off inside CA directly, you can accomplish this using the calendar integration with Google Calendar.
When a user connects Google Calendar, any events marked on their calendar (including personal appointments, holidays, vacations, sick days, and PTO) will automatically appear inside Contractor Accelerator on the schedule.
CA also pushes scheduled customer appointments back into Google Calendar, so both calendars stay aligned.
Click here to learn more about how to sync user Google Calendars
Does it have to be a work calendar?
During the integration setup, each user chooses which Google Calendar(s) to share with CA.
Common setups include:
- A personal Google account with separate work and personal calendars
- A company Google Workspace account
- A dedicated “Work Calendar” used only for scheduling availability
Once connected:
- Events from Google → appear in CA
- Appointments from CA → appear in Google
Click here to learn more about how to sync user Google Calendars
What if we don’t use Google Calendar?
We do offer other calendar connections, but they work differently.
Other providers (Outlook, Apple Calendar, etc.) use an iCal-based integration, which is a one-way sync.
That means:
- CA appointments may appear on the external calendar
- External personal events do not push into CA
So Google remains the best option for blocking off PTO and personal time.
Additional Options
- Company Calendar Option:
Contractor Accelerator also supports connecting a Google Company Calendar, which is different from a user calendar.
A Company Calendar:
- Pushes events into CA for visibility
- Helps teams see shared events (holidays, meetings, training days)
- Is a one-way sync only (Google → CA)
Customer appointments cannot be added to the Company Calendar in CA. It is view-only inside the software.
This is best for team-wide scheduling awareness as the time off will show on the Company Calendar line on the schedule for full visibility to all users.
2. Fake Customer Workaround:
A common workaround is to create a customer named something like "Time Off". Then, schedule an appointment for that “customer” during the time the user is unavailable.
Important note: After the time off passes, you should cancel the appointment, as it may impact reporting and metrics if you keep it open (it can look like a missed sales appointment).
Future Updates
We do have plans for a calendar update coming that will include an easier way to mark personal appointments inside CA without an integration. However, we dont have a confirmed timeline of when that update will be done.
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