Book WhatsApp consultations and sync contacts with Airtable and Google Calendar

Description

WhatsApp Booking Flow | Consultation Scheduling

This n8n template automates appointment booking via WhatsApp Flows with real-time calendar availability, AI-powered intent classification, and CRM synchronization. It transforms manual booking conversations into a seamless self-service experience directly within WhatsApp.

Who is this for?

Service businesses wanting WhatsApp-based appointment booking
Consultants and agencies offering scheduled calls or consultations
Teams using Airtable for CRM and Google Calendar for scheduling
Businesses looking to reduce booking friction with conversational commerce

What problem does this workflow solve?

Appointment booking typically involves back-and-forth messaging to find available times, collect customer details, and confirm bookings. This workflow eliminates that friction by providing an interactive booking flow within WhatsApp that checks real-time calendar availability, collects customer information, and automatically syncs bookings to your CRM and calendar.

How it works

Webhook Entry Point: A single webhook handles both GET (Meta verification) and POST (messages/flows) requests - required due to Meta's single-webhook-per-app restriction.

Message Routing: Incoming requests are classified as either regular WhatsApp messages or encrypted Flow requests, then routed accordingly.

WhatsApp Flow Handling: Flow requests are decrypted using RSA/AES-GCM encryption. The workflow handles multiple Flow actions:
INIT: Returns consultation types and date constraints
SERVICE_SELECTION: Processes service and customer details
DATE_TIME_SELECTION: Queries calendar availability for selected date
CONFIRMATION: Displays booking summary
COMPLETE_BOOKING: Finalizes the booking

AI Agent: For regular text messages, an OpenAI-powered agent classifies user intent. When booking intent is detected, it triggers the consultation template with the WhatsApp Flow.

Booking Process: On completion, the workflow:
Creates or updates customer in Airtable
Creates booking record with event details
Creates Google Calendar event
Sends WhatsApp confirmation message

Good to Know

Verify Token: The WHATSAPP_VERIFY_TOKEN environment variable is required for Meta webhook verification. Set this to any secure string and use the same value in Meta Developer Portal.

Cloud vs Self-hosted: Cloud n8n instances are easier to configure as they have public URLs. Self-hosted instances require additional setup for public accessibility.

Hostinger/Docker Setup: For self-hosted instances, configure public webhook access in your docker-compose.yml or reverse proxy configuration.

Meta Prerequisites: You'll need:
Facebook Account
Meta Developer App
WhatsApp Business Account (linked to Developer App)
WhatsApp Business Phone Number

Health Checks: Meta sends periodic ping requests to verify webhook availability. The workflow handles these automatically with a 200 response.

Single Webhook Restriction: Meta only allows one webhook URL per WhatsApp app, which is why all message types flow through a single endpoint with routing logic.

Encryption: WhatsApp Flows use end-to-end encryption. The workflow handles RSA decryption (for AES key exchange) and AES-128-GCM encryption/decryption for Flow data.

Requirements

Meta Business Account with WhatsApp Business API access
WhatsApp Business App in Meta Developer Portal
n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted with public URL)
OpenAI API key (for intent classification with GPT-4o)
Airtable account with base containing: Customers, Services, Bookings tables
Google Calendar with OAuth credentials

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description |
|----------|-------------|
| WHATSAPP_VERIFY_TOKEN | Webhook verification token (match in Meta Developer Portal) |
| WHATSAPP_PRIVATE_KEY | RSA private key for Flow encryption (PEM format) |
| WHATSAPP_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSPHRASE | Passphrase for the RSA private key |
| GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID | Calendar ID for availability checks and event creation |

Setup

Meta Business Setup
Create a Meta Developer App at developers.facebook.com
Add WhatsApp product to your app
Set up a WhatsApp Business Account
Generate a permanent access token

Import Workflow
Import personal-booking-whatsapp-flow.json into n8n
Replace placeholder credential IDs with your actual credentials

Configure Credentials
WhatsApp: HTTP Bearer Auth with your access token
OpenAI: API key for GPT-4o
Airtable: OAuth2 authentication
Google Calendar: OAuth2 authentication

Set Environment Variables
Configure all variables listed above in n8n settings

Configure Webhook in Meta
Navigate to WhatsApp > Configuration in Developer Portal
Set webhook URL to your n8n webhook endpoint
Enter your verify token
Subscribe to messages webhook field

Create WhatsApp Flow
In WhatsApp Manager, create a new Flow
Use the JSON from whatsapp-flow.json as your Flow definition
Publish the Flow and note the Flow ID

Create Message Template
Create a template with a Flow button component
Link it to your published Flow
Submit for approval

Airtable Schema

Customers Table:
customer_name (text)
customer_email (email)
phone_number (text)
created_at (date)

Services Table:
service_name (text)
service_key (text) - e.g., "30_min", "60_min"
duration_minutes (number)

Bookings Table:
customer_email (text)
service_type (linked to Services)
event_date (date)
event_time (text)
booking_status (select: Pending, Confirmed, Cancelled)
calendar_event_id (text)
created_at (date)

Customizing this workflow

Consultation Types: Modify the INIT handler code node to add/change consultation options and durations.

Business Hours: Adjust the calendar availability logic in the date refresh handler to match your working hours.

AI Agent Prompts: Customize the system prompt in the AI Agent node to match your business context and available services.

Messaging Templates: Create additional WhatsApp templates for different services (quotes, information requests) and add corresponding tools to the AI agent.

CRM Fields: Extend the Airtable schema and update the booking creation nodes to capture additional customer data.

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