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What you will accomplish

You will understand events on Schedule that look different from normal confirmed visits—often with striped styling or a tentative label—and know what your team is allowed to change. Expected outcome: You stop second-guessing whether a visit is confirmed, avoid editing system-generated plan work the wrong way, and route customers to the right next step.

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When this guide helps

  • A calendar block has diagonal stripes instead of a solid color.
  • A customer asks “Am I confirmed?” and you are not sure from the calendar alone.
  • Future visits appeared on the calendar that no one on staff booked by phone.
  • You try to edit an event and some fields (assignee or status) seem locked.

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Two common reasons an event looks tentative

Online booking needs your approval — A customer requested a time on your website. The event waits in Needs Approval until staff approve, decline, or suggest a new time. Guide: Approve or decline a customer booking request.Service plan generated the visit — Your facility uses vehicle service plans (battery checks, fluid top-offs, seasonal inspections). The app can place future visits on the calendar automatically so nothing is forgotten. Setup: Set up vehicle service plans. Some of those reminders are All day (no clock time). They sit in the ALL DAY row. See Create an all-day event.
Schedule calendar with Needs Approval filter on, showing striped events waiting for staff approval
Striped events often mean the visit is not fully confirmed yet. Turn on Needs Approval at the top of Schedule to focus on portal requests.
Schedule page with the Needs Approval filter active, showing one pending online booking for a Dealer Service visit
When Needs Approval is active (orange highlight with a count), you are viewing only online booking requests. Clear this queue before you tell customers they are confirmed.

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How to tell which type you are looking at

1

Open the event on Schedule

Click the striped block on Schedule.Expected result: A detail panel opens on the right with the event name, time, vehicle, and status.
2

Read the status near the title

Look for words such as Needs Approval, Tentative, or Scheduled.
  • Needs Approval — a customer booked online and staff have not approved yet.
  • Tentative — often a service plan placeholder (maintenance due soon).
  • Scheduled — a normal confirmed visit (solid color on the calendar).
3

Check the Needs Approval filter

At the top of Schedule, look for Needs Approval. If it shows a number badge, click it.Expected result: Only pending portal requests remain visible. If your event appears here, follow the approval guide before you promise the time to a customer.
4

Open the vehicle record when unsure

From the event panel, open the linked car in Cars. Review Service or service-plan sections when you are not sure why the visit exists.Why this matters: Service-plan visits are reminders for your team—they are not always a promise to the customer until your process says they are.
Schedule event detail panel for a pending online booking showing Approve, Decline, and Suggest new time actions
When a customer booked online, the detail panel shows Approve, Decline, or Suggest new time. Use these buttons before you tell the customer they are confirmed.
Event detail panel on Schedule showing a service-related visit with status and vehicle information
The detail panel shows the status in plain language. Service-plan visits remind your team that maintenance is due—they are helpful placeholders, not always a promise to the customer until your process says so.

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How service plan events behave

Service plan visits are helpful placeholders. They remind your team that maintenance is due—they are not always a promise to the customer until your process says so.
  • They often appear ahead of time on the calendar so managers can staff the week.
  • They may look tentative (striped styling) compared with a phone booking you entered yourself.
  • Some fields may be restricted—for example assignee or status—because the plan still owns the schedule logic.
  • Completing the real work still happens through Open Event (photos, checklists) when your team is on the floor.
Why the app generates plan eventsStorage facilities lose money and trust when battery tenders fail or fluids go unchecked. Automatic calendar placeholders turn “we should check that car next month” into visible work on Schedule.

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What staff can usually do

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What to tell customers (plain language)

For a service-plan visit: “We have your battery check on the calendar for next Tuesday—we will confirm the exact time the day before.”For an unapproved portal request: “We received your request and will confirm shortly once our team reviews the schedule.”Never say “you are confirmed” while the event still shows Needs Approval or striped tentative styling.

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What to check before calling a customer

1

Look at the status label

Open the event and read the status near the title (Scheduled, Tentative, Needs Approval, and so on).
2

Check Needs Approval filter

On Schedule, click Needs Approval if the button shows a number badge.Expected result: If the event appears here, follow Approve or decline a customer booking request before you promise the time.
3

Read notes and the vehicle record

Open the linked car in Cars and review Service / plan sections when you are unsure why the visit exists.
4

Use plain language with the customer

For plan visits say: “We have your battery check on the calendar for next Tuesday—we will confirm the exact time the day before.” For unapproved portal requests say: “We received your request and will confirm shortly.”

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Icons that often appear together

Striped tentative styling may sit beside other badges (repeat arrow, dollar sign, damage flag). For a full legend, read Read calendar icons and badges.

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Common mistakes to avoid

Do not delete plan visits without checking the car recordRemoving a calendar block may not turn off future plan work. A manager may need to update the service plan on the vehicle so the same visit is not recreated.
Do not mark complete without doing the workTentative events still need real inspection or service. Use Open Event and finish photos or checklists before Complete.
Do not confuse tentative with cancelledCancelled events are crossed out or faded and should not be treated as upcoming work. Striped tentative events are still on the plan—they just need confirmation or completion.

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Troubleshooting

I cannot edit assignee or statusThe event may still be tied to a service plan or approval workflow. Note the event name and time, then ask a manager or admin to review the plan settings on the car or in Settings > Events & schedule.
The calendar suddenly filled with future visitsA batch of plan-generated events usually means service plans were enabled or updated for many cars. Filter by date range in Find and filter scheduled work and review week by week instead of deleting at random.
I approved a booking but it still looks stripedRefresh Schedule or click away and back to the event. If the status still says Needs Approval, open the event and confirm Approve saved. See Approve or decline a customer booking request.

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What to do next