In “Google Calendar Voice Receptionist for Business Owners – Tutorial and Showcase – Vapi,” Henryk Brzozowski shows you how to set up AI automations for booking systems using Vapi, Google Calendar, and Make.com. This beginner-friendly guide is ideal if you’re running an AI Automation Agency or want to streamline your booking process with voice agents and real-time calendar availability.
You’ll find a clear step-by-step tutorial and live demo, plus a transcript, overview, and timestamps so you can follow along at your own pace. Personal tips from Henryk make it easy for you to implement these automations even if you’re new to AI.
Video Overview and Key Moments
Summary of Henryk Brzozowski’s video and target audience
You’ll find Henryk Brzozowski’s video to be a practical, beginner-friendly walkthrough showing how to set up an AI-powered voice receptionist that talks to Google Calendar, built with Vapi and orchestrated by Make.com. The tutorial targets business owners and AI Automation Agency (AAA) owners who want to automate booking workflows without deep engineering knowledge. If you’re responsible for streamlining appointments, reducing manual bookings, or offering white-labeled voice agents to clients, this video speaks directly to your needs.
Timestamps and what each segment covers (Intro, Demo, Transcript & Overview, Tutorial, Summary)
You can expect a clear, timestamped structure in the video: the Intro (~0:00) sets the goals and audience expectations; the Demo (~1:14) shows the voice receptionist in action so you see the user experience; the Transcript & Overview (~4:15) breaks down the conversational flow and design choices; the Tutorial (~6:40 to ~19:15) is the hands-on, step-by-step build using Vapi and Make.com; and the Summary (~19:15 onward) recaps learnings and next steps. Each segment helps you move from concept to implementation at your own pace.
Why business owners and AI Automation Agency (AAA) owners should watch
You should watch because the video demonstrates a real-world automation you can replicate or adapt for clients. It cuts through theory and shows practical integrations, decision logic, and deployment tips. For AAA owners, the tutorial offers a repeatable pattern—voice agent + orchestration + calendar—that you can package, white-label, and scale across clients. For business owners, it shows how to reduce no-shows, increase booking rates, and free up staff time.
What to expect from the tutorial and showcase
Expect a hands-on walkthrough: setting up a Vapi voice agent, configuring intents and slots, wiring webhooks to Make.com, checking Google Calendar availability, and creating events. Henryk shares troubleshooting tips and design choices that help you avoid common pitfalls. You’ll also see demo calls and examples of conversational prompts so you can copy and adapt phrasing for your own brand voice.
Links and social handles mentioned (LinkedIn /henryk-lunaris)
Henryk’s social handle mentioned in the video is LinkedIn: /henryk-lunaris. Use that to find his profile and any supplementary notes or community posts he may have shared about the project. Search for the video title on major video platforms if you want to watch along.
Objectives and Use Cases
Primary goals for a Google Calendar voice receptionist (reduce manual booking, improve response times)
Your primary goals with a Google Calendar voice receptionist are to reduce manual booking effort, accelerate response times for callers trying to schedule, and capture bookings outside business hours. You want fewer missed opportunities, lower front-desk workload, and a consistent booking experience that reduces human error and scheduling conflicts.
Common business scenarios (appointments, consultations, bookings, support callbacks)
Typical scenarios include appointment scheduling for clinics and salons, consultation bookings for consultants and agencies, reservations for services, and arranging support callbacks. You can also handle cancellations, reschedules, and basic pre-call qualification (e.g., service type, expected duration, and client contact details).
Target users and industries (small businesses, clinics, consultants, agencies)
This solution is ideal for small businesses with limited staff, medical or therapy clinics, independent consultants, marketing and creative agencies, coaching services, salons, and any service-based business that relies on scheduled bookings. AI Automation Agencies will find it valuable as a repeatable product offering.
Expected benefits and KPIs (booking rate, missed appointments, response speed)
You should measure improvements via KPIs such as booking rate (percentage of inbound inquiries converted to booked events), missed appointment rate or no-shows, average time-to-book from first contact, and first-response time. Other useful metrics include agent uptime, successful booking transactions per day, and customer satisfaction scores from post-call surveys or follow-up messages.
Limitations and what this system cannot replace
Keep in mind this system is not a full replacement for human judgment or complex, empathy-driven interactions. It may struggle with nuanced negotiations, complex multi-party scheduling, payment handling, or high-stakes medical triage without additional safeguards. You’ll still need human oversight for escalations, compliance-sensitive interactions, and final confirmations for complicated workflows.
Required Tools and Accounts
Google account with Google Calendar access and necessary calendar permissions
You’ll need a Google account with Calendar access for the calendars you intend to use for booking. Ensure you have necessary permissions (owner/editor/service account access) to read free/busy data and create events via API for the target calendars.
Vapi account and appropriate plan for voice agents
You’ll need a Vapi account and a plan that supports voice agents, telephony connectors, and webhooks. Choose a plan that fits your expected concurrent calls and audio/processing usage so you’re not throttled during peak hours.
Make.com (formerly Integromat) account and connectors
Make.com will orchestrate webhooks, API calls, and business logic. Create an account and ensure you can use HTTP modules, JSON parsing, and the Google Calendar connector. Depending on volume, you might need a paid Make plan for adequate operation frequency and scenario runs.
Optional tools: telephony/SIP provider, Twilio or other SMS/voice providers
To connect callers from the public PSTN to Vapi, you’ll likely need a telephony provider, SIP trunk, or a service like Twilio to route incoming calls. If you want SMS notifications or voice call outs for confirmations, Twilio or similar providers are helpful.
Developer tools, API keys, OAuth credentials, and testing phone numbers
You’ll need developer credentials: Google Cloud project credentials or OAuth client IDs to authorize Calendar access, Vapi API keys or account credentials, Make API tokens, and testing phone numbers for end-to-end validation. Keep credentials secure and use sandbox/test accounts where possible.
System Architecture and Data Flow
High-level architecture diagram description (voice agent -> Vapi -> Make -> Google Calendar -> user)
At a high level, the flow is: Caller dials a phone number -> telephony provider routes the call to Vapi -> Vapi runs the voice agent, gathers slots (date/time/name) and sends a webhook to Make -> Make receives the payload, checks Google Calendar availability, applies booking logic, creates or reserves an event, then sends a response back to Vapi -> Vapi confirms the booking to the caller and optionally triggers SMS/email notifications to the user and client.
Event flow for an incoming call or voice request
When a call arrives, the voice agent handles greeting and intent recognition. Once the user expresses a desire to book, the agent collects required slots and emits a webhook with the captured data. The orchestration engine takes that payload, queries free/busy information, decides on availability, and responds whether the slot is confirmed, tentative, or rejected. The voice agent then completes the conversation accordingly.
How real-time availability checks are performed
Real-time checks rely on Google Calendar’s freebusy or events.list API. Make sends a freebusy query for the requested time range and relevant calendars to determine if any conflicting events exist. If clear, the orchestrator creates the event; if conflicted, it finds alternate slots and prompts the user.
Where data is stored temporarily and what data persists
Transient booking data lives in Vapi conversation state and in Make scenario variables during processing. Persisted data includes the created Google Calendar event and any CRM/Google Sheets logs you configure. Avoid storing personal data unnecessarily; if you do persist client info, ensure it’s secure and compliant with privacy policies.
How asynchronous tasks and callbacks are handled
Asynchronous flows use webhooks and callbacks. If an action requires external confirmation (e.g., payment or human approval), Make can create a provisional event (tentative) and schedule follow-ups or callbacks. Vapi can play hold music or provide a callback promise while the backend completes asynchronous tasks and notifies the caller via SMS or an automated outbound call when the booking is finalized.
Preparing Google Calendar for Automation
Organizing calendars and creating dedicated booking calendars
Create dedicated booking calendars per staff member, service type, or location to keep events organized. This separation simplifies availability checks and reduces the complexity of querying multiple calendars for the right resource.
Setting permissions and sharing settings for API access
Grant API access via a Google Service Account or OAuth client with appropriate scopes (calendar.events, calendar.readonly, calendar.freeBusy). Make sure the account used by your orchestration layer has edit permissions for the target calendars, and avoid using personal accounts for production-level automations.
Best practices for event titles, descriptions, and metadata
Use consistent, structured event titles (e.g., “Booking — [Service] — [Client Name]”) and put client contact details and metadata in the description or extended properties. This makes it easier to parse events later for reporting and minimizes confusion when multiple calendars are shown.
Working hours, buffer times, and recurring availability rules
Model working hours through base calendars or availability rules. Implement buffer times either by creating short “blocked” events around appointments or by applying buffer logic in Make before creating events. For recurring availability, maintain a separate calendar or configuration that represents available slots for algorithmic checks.
Creating test events and sandbox calendars
Before going live, create sandbox calendars and test events to simulate conflicts and edge cases. Use test phone numbers and sandboxed telephony where possible so your production calendar doesn’t get cluttered with experimental data.
Building the Voice Agent in Vapi
Creating a new voice agent project and choosing voice settings
Start a new project in Vapi and select voice settings suited to your audience (language, gender, voice timbre, and speed). Test different voices to find the one that sounds natural and aligns with your brand.
Designing the main call flow and intent recognition
Design a clear call flow with intents for booking, rescheduling, cancelling, and inquiries. Map out dialog trees for common branches and keep fallback states to handle unexpected input gracefully.
Configuring slots and entities for date, time, duration, and client info
Define slots for date, time, duration, client name, phone number, email, and service type. Use built-in temporal entities when available to capture a wide range of user utterances like “next Tuesday afternoon” or “in two weeks.”
Advanced features: speech-to-text tuning and language settings
Tune speech-to-text parameters for recognition accuracy, configure language and dialect settings, and apply noise profiles if calls come from noisy environments. Use custom vocabulary or phrase hints for service names and proper nouns.
Saving, versioning, and deploying the agent for testing
Save and version your agent so you can roll back if a change introduces issues. Deploy to a testing environment first, run through scenarios, and iterate on conversational flows before deploying to production.
Designing Conversations and Voice Prompts
Crafting natural-sounding greetings and prompts
Keep greetings friendly and concise: introduce the assistant, state purpose, and offer options. For example, “Hi, this is the booking assistant for [Your Business]. Are you calling to book, reschedule, or cancel an appointment?” Natural cadence and simple language reduce friction.
Prompt strategies for asking dates, times, and confirmation
Ask one question at a time and confirm crucial inputs succinctly: gather date first, then time, then duration, then contact info. Use confirmation prompts like “Just to confirm, you want a 45-minute consultation on Tuesday at 3 PM. Is that correct?”
Error handling phrases and polite fallbacks
Use polite fallbacks when the agent doesn’t understand: “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that—can you please repeat the date you’d like?” Keep error recovery short, offer alternatives, and escalate to human handoff if repeated failures occur.
Using short confirmations versus verbose summaries
Balance brevity and clarity. Use short confirmations for routine bookings and offer a more verbose summary when complex details are involved or when the client requests an email confirmation. Short confirmations improve UX speed; summaries reduce errors.
Personalization techniques (name, context-aware prompts)
Personalize the conversation by using the client’s name and referencing context when available, such as “I see you previously booked a 30-minute consultation; would you like the same length this time?” Context-aware prompts make interactions feel more human and reduce re-entry of known details.
Integrating with Make.com for Orchestration
Creating a scenario to receive Vapi webhooks and parse payloads
In Make, create a scenario triggered by an HTTP webhook to receive the Vapi payload. Parse the JSON to extract slots like date, time, duration, and client contact details, and map them to variables used in the orchestration flow.
Using Google Calendar modules to check availability and create events
Use Make’s Google Calendar modules to run free/busy queries and list events in the requested time windows. If free, create an event using structured titles and descriptions populated with client metadata.
Branching logic for conflicts, reschedules, and cancellations
Build branching logic in Make to handle conflicts (find next available slots), reschedules (cancel the old event and create a new one), and cancellations (change event status or delete). Return structured responses to Vapi so the agent can communicate the outcome.
Connecting additional modules: SMS, email, CRM, spreadsheet logging
Add modules for SMS (Twilio), email (SMTP or SendGrid), CRM updates, and Google Sheets logging to complete the workflow. Send confirmations and reminders, log bookings for analytics, and sync client records to your CRM.
Scheduling retries and handling transient API errors
Implement retry logic and error handling to manage transient API failures. Use exponential backoff and notify admins for persistent failures. Log failed attempts and requeue them if necessary to avoid lost bookings.
Booking Logic and Real-Time Availability
Checking calendar free/busy and avoiding double-booking
Always run a freebusy check across relevant calendars immediately before creating an event to avoid double-booking. If you support multiple parallel bookings, ensure your logic accounts for concurrent writes and potential race conditions by making availability checks as close as possible to event creation.
Implementing buffer times, lead time, and maximum advance booking
Apply buffer logic by blocking time before and after appointments or by preventing bookings within a short lead time (e.g., no same-day bookings less than one hour before). Enforce maximum advance booking windows so schedules remain manageable.
Handling multi-calendar and multi-staff availability
Query multiple calendars in a single freebusy request to determine which staff member or resource is available. Implement an allocation strategy—first available, round-robin, or skill-based matching—to choose the right calendar for booking.
Confirmations and provisional holds versus instant booking
Decide whether to use provisional holds (tentative events) or instant confirmed bookings. Provisional holds are safer for workflows requiring manual verification or payment; instant bookings improve user experience when you can guarantee availability.
Dealing with overlapping timezones and DST
When callers and calendars span timezones, normalize all times to UTC during processing and present localized times back to callers. Explicitly handle DST transitions by relying on calendar APIs that respect timezone-aware event creation.
Conclusion
Recap of key steps to build a Google Calendar voice receptionist with Vapi and Make.com
You’ve learned the key steps: prepare Google Calendars and permissions, design and build a voice agent in Vapi with clear intents and slots, orchestrate logic in Make to check availability and create events, and add notifications and logging. Test thoroughly with sandbox calendars and iterate on prompts based on user feedback.
Final tips for smooth implementation and adoption
Start small with a single calendar and service type, then expand. Use clear event naming conventions, handle edge cases with polite fallbacks, and monitor logs and KPIs closely after launch. Train staff on how the system works so they can confidently handle escalations.
Encouragement to iterate and monitor results
Automation is iterative—expect to tune prompts, adjust buffer times, and refine branching logic based on real user behavior. Monitor booking rates and customer feedback and make data-driven improvements.
Next steps and recommended resources to continue learning
Keep experimenting with Vapi’s dialog tuning, explore advanced Make scenarios for complex orchestration, and learn more about Google Calendar API best practices. Build a small pilot, measure results, and then scale to additional services or clients.
Contact pointers and where to find Henryk Brzozowski’s original video for reference
To find Henryk Brzozowski’s original video, search the video title on popular video platforms or look for his LinkedIn handle /henryk-lunaris to see related posts. If you want to reach out, use his LinkedIn handle to connect or ask questions about implementation details he covered in the walkthrough.
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