An AI scheduling assistant for Google Calendar
An AI scheduling assistant for Google Calendar finds a time that suits everyone and prepares the invite, so you stop trading messages about who is free on Thursday. FrugalPod’s Interview scheduler does this for hiring. Custom agents can handle booking reminders. The connection is read-only by default, and by default no invite goes out until a person approves it.
- FrugalPod’s HR pod uses Google Calendar through the Interview scheduler, which finds a time and sends the invites.
- Custom agents can use Google Calendar for jobs you describe, such as booking reminders.
- The connection is read-only by default, so looking at calendars and changing them are separate permissions.
- Invites and other messages wait for your approval by default.
- Every agent action is logged, and you can revoke the connection at any time.
What FrugalPod agents do in Google Calendar
| Task | Agent | Waits for your approval |
|---|---|---|
| Look at the calendars of the people who need to meet and propose times that work for all of them | Interview scheduler | Offering any time to a candidate |
| Prepare the calendar invite for an interview, with the right people on it | Interview scheduler | Sending the invite |
| Find a new slot when a candidate or interviewer cannot make the first one | Interview scheduler | Moving or re-sending any invite |
| Draft a reminder for a booked appointment, such as a site visit, a fitting or a delivery slot | Custom agent | Sending each reminder |
| Check upcoming events against a rule you set, such as a booking with no confirmation yet, and list the ones that need a person | Custom agent | Any message to the customer or any change to the event |
| Prepare a weekly list of next week’s appointments for a manager to review | Custom agent | Sharing the list with anyone |
Pods that work in Google Calendar: HR, custom agents.
How access to Google Calendar works
Connecting Google Calendar starts read-only, with the narrowest permissions each agent needs. Reading a calendar to find a free time is a different permission from creating or changing events, and you decide per agent whether it may do more than read. Invites and messages wait for approval in the FrugalPod app or in Slack, and routine categories only go through on their own if you choose that later. You can revoke the connection at any time, and every action is recorded in the activity log. The security page explains more.
Getting started with Google Calendar
- Create a free FrugalPod account. It starts with 100 free credits and no card is needed.
- Connect Google Calendar and choose which agents may use it. Access is read-only to begin with.
- Write down your scheduling rules in plain words: who sits on which interviews, how long each one runs and which days are off limits.
- Test any custom agent on last month’s appointments before it goes live, and review the Interview scheduler’s first proposed times yourself.
- Approve the invites that are right, correct the ones that are not, and decide later whether any routine reminders may go out without asking.
Often used with
Gmail, Slack, Gusto, BambooHR.
How does FrugalPod schedule with Google Calendar?
Google Calendar already shows who is free. The slow part is the back and forth around it. FrugalPod’s HR pod includes the Interview scheduler, which finds a time and sends the invites for candidates you want to meet. For other jobs, a custom agent is built by describing the job in plain words, connecting your tools, setting the rules and testing it on last month’s work before it goes live. By default, nothing goes out without your approval. You pay for finished work, not seats, so every interviewer can review on any plan.
Related
Common questions
Something missing? Write to admin@frugalpod.com and a person will reply.
Does Google Calendar have its own scheduling features?
Yes. Google Calendar lets you share availability and offer booking pages, and for a single person with a simple week that may be all you need. An agent is more useful when several people’s calendars, a set of rules and a message to the candidate all have to line up.
Will an agent send invites without asking me?
Not by default. Invites, messages and changes to events wait for a person to approve them. Later you can choose to let a routine category go through on its own, but that is a decision you make, category by category.
Can it read every calendar in my business?
Only what you connect. The connection starts read-only with the narrowest permissions each agent needs, and you can revoke it at any time. The activity log records what each agent did, when and why.
Can a custom agent do more than the Interview scheduler?
Yes, for jobs you describe, such as booking reminders. Any job outside the Interview scheduler’s own work is done by a custom agent, which you test on last month’s work before it goes live.
What does it cost?
FrugalPod charges by the work agents do, in credits where 1 credit is 1 cent. You can start free with 100 credits and no card, pay as you go at $1 per 100 credits, or choose Starter at $19 a month or Pro at $49 a month. See pricing.