Google Calendar - Sync Calendar Resources
Why synchronizing Google Calendar resources?
With the Google Calendar Integration, you can synchronize your Google resource calendars with Flexopus for the meeting rooms. The synchronization works bidirectionally in real time using the Google Management API. Reservations created with Google Calendar will be visible in Flexopus and reservation created at Flexopus will be visible in the Google Calendar.
The following feature can be enabled once the integration is configured:
- Create reservation with a meeting room digital signage display.
- Smart analytics for the of meeting rooms
- Room search with office plans in Outlook as an add-in.
- Catering service - coming soon
Integrating Flexopus with Google Workspace is a convenient way to synchronize your Google Workspace calendar resources and objects such as Flexopus meeting rooms using the Google Calendar API. You can then see your Google Workspace calendar resource appointments in Flexopus. In addition, once linked, the bookings will be displayed in your Google Calendar if you have created a booking with a linked object.
How are the bookings synchronized “bidirectionally”?
Flexopus can manage the reservations of resources like meeting rooms. Details of appointment like the name of the event, invitees, and the description of the event are not part of the resource reservation, they part of the associated event. A resource reservation include the reservation time and date. The management of the events remains with Google, which you can do using Google Calendar. Flexopus focuses on meeting room reservations.
Once you have configured the interface, users have the following booking options:
Direction: Google → Flexopus
- New reservation made in Google Calendar
In Google Calendar, the users can create a new reservation for a meeting room as usual. Once the reservation is created, Google sends the reservation to Flexopus through the Google Management API (ideally in real time). The reservation will appear on the Live-Plan, other users can see who booked a meeting room and when. All types of appointments are supported. (single appointments, recurring appointments) - Edit reservation in Google Calendar
The changes of the reservations made in your Google Calendar are synchronized through the Google Manahement API to Flexopus. Examples: moving an appointment, selecting a different meeting room, or inviting several meeting rooms. - Canceling a reservation in Google Calendar
In case of a cancellation, either the entire appointment can be canceled or only the meeting room can be uninvited in Google Calendar. All cases are supported and synchronized.
Direction: Flexopus → Google
- New reservation in Flexopus
A new resource reservation can be made in Flexopus through the usual reservation workflow, or it can be made through a meeting room signage display. Each reservation need to be accepted by Google Calendar, since Google is the "single source of truth" in this constellation, therefor double reservations are not possible. After a successful reservation, the reservation initiated through Flexopus will be displayed in the Google Calendar of the respective user. The calendar entry will be created by Google. The user can edit the booking in the Google Calendar as usual.
Since Flexopus does not yet manage the usual attributes (appointment name, participants, description and video call) of an event. We recommend this booking option mainly for spontaneous ad hoc bookings if a user needs a meeting room at short notice, still these attributes can be edited later directly in the Google Calendar. - Edit or delete reservation in Flexopus
The reservations are shown in Flexopus. Editing or deleting a synchronized reservation is currently possible through Google Calendar.
A cancellation can be made through Google Calendar as well as via Flexopus.
In case the Google Calendar integration is active, the meeting rooms are blocked until you connect the room with a valid Google Resource mail address.
Setup Instruction Manual
To activate the Google Calendar integration, follow the instruction below.
STEP 1 - Authorize Flexopus
Navigate in the Flexopus to Dashbaord > Settings > Integrations > Google Calendar as an administrator. If you do not see the setting, contact us: support@flexopus.com
Click on the Connect button. Make sure you are an admin of your Google Workspace.
An authorization page will open at Google with the requested, permissions to read data via the Google Calendar API:
Once you accepted the rights, you will be redirected back to Flexopus. You can see and manage the rights shared with Flexopus in your Google Admin Console, if you navigate to Security > Access and data Control > API controls > Manage Third Party App Access.
Here you can see the list of rights associated with the Flexopus calendar integration.
STEP 2 - Connect mailboxes with Flexopus
Once the integration is active, you need to connect the meeting rooms one by one. Go to the Google admin console and copy the Google resource email address.
To link an object, go to the Flexopus location editor. Select the meeting room, and paste Google Resource email address to the External connection email address field.
After saving, Flexopus will try to connect the meeting room to the resource calendar. Wait about 10 seconds and then refresh the page. If the email address is valid, a verified tick should be visible directly below the email address. If the validation is successful, then Fleoxpus will synchronize the reservation. This may take a few seconds.
Extension. Do not confuse it with the Notify email address field. After connecting the object, you can see the changes in the integration overview:
After the connection is established, you don't need to click on the manual synchronization button, the process will be trigger automatically. Still, you can request a reservation synchronization for all connected objects manually at any time.
External users
Users outside your Google Workspace directory can book the meeting rooms through Flexopus or through the meeting room signage displays as well, if they have access in Flexopus to the room booking.
Book as external user
By default, users of your Google Workspace Directory can book the meeting room resources in their personal Google Calendar or via the Flexopus application. Most probably they manage the meeting room bookings in their Google Calendar. This is also the preferred way, if applicable.
In case a user initiates a booking through Flexopus the following process will happen:
- The application sends a booking request to Google via the Google Calendar API.
- Google checks, if the user is a valid user in the Workspace Directory
- The room availability will be checked.
- Then booking will be created in the user's personal calendar.
- Then the booking will be created in the resource calendar, linked with the event that is created in the personal calendar.
To execute this booking flow, Flexopus need access to the personal calendar of the user and the resource calendar of the meeting room.
However, if the user is not existing in the Google Workspace directly of your organization, then the user will not be found in the booking flow, neither the personal calendar of the user. In this case, Flexopus get notified about the non-existing user status and the booking will be initiated only to book the resource calendar of the meeting room. In this case, the room is booked, but there is no event entry in the non-existing personal calendar.
This will happen, if you give outsiders booking access rights in Flexopus to a connected room. This way the externals can book the room calendars and create parallel the event invitation in their personal calendar.
Book on a display
The meeting room displays for digital signage can be used as well for booking a meeting room resource ad-hoc on site.
In this case, the users are able to book a meeting room ad-hoc onsite without authenticating into the application. Doing so, Flexopus will use a system user to book the resource calendar of the meeting room at Google. The meeting can be deleted and edited only using the digital signage display or as an administrator in the Flexopus admin dashboard, since the meeting is not associated with an auth user.
Allow resource booking declination
Since the externals can not access the resource booking in their personal calendar, they need to be able to create and delete reservations. By default, the deletion of the bookings is disabled. Optionally, you can allow owners of a booking and administrators to delete bookings of objects that are linked to Google Calendar. Deleting a booking in Flexopus will only reject the booking in the resource calendar and will not change the organizer's appointment. The booking will be deleted from Flexopus.
To activate it, navigate in Flexopus as an administrator to Dashboard > Settings > Integrations > Google Calendar and allow the resource booking declination option.
How can I deactivate the interface?
Click on the Disconnect button. Flexopus will no longer receive updates from Google. All externally managed bookings will be deleted from Flexopus. You can also go to your Google admin console and block the shared permission with the Flexopus integration.