Clio Integration via Zapier and My AI Front Desk -triggering live calendaring event

I really need help with the following:

The Oakes Firm's (My AI Front Desk) MAIFD integration with Zapier with CLIO Grow. Our goal is to enable the AI receptionist to schedule Clio calendar meetings in real time during calls.

Is this possible?

I have multiple solutions between Clio and My AI Front desk, which I will share here, but I am not certain whether in fact they will work.  Can I get some help, please.

this is info that I have received via ChatGPT with the steps.  Not certain if it works or if it is the correct information.  Can it be reviewed, please.

Thank you very much for your help,

Tom

✅ Goal

When a caller requests an appointment, MAIFD will:

1. Trigger a Zap in Zapier.

2. Use Zapier to pull available time slots from Clio Scheduler.

3. Offer those times via voice during the call.

4. Receive the caller’s spoken choice.

5. Book the appointment in Clio.

6. Trigger confirmation emails/SMS via Clio.

7. Notify The Oakes Firm via internal alert (email or SMS).

🔧 Prerequisites

🧩 PART 1: SET UP THE ZAPIER CONNECTION IN MAIFD

Step 1: Get Your Zapier Webhook URL

1. In Zapier, go to your Dashboard and click “Create Zap”.

2. For the Trigger, select Webhooks by Zapier.

3. Choose "Catch Hook" and click Continue.

4. Copy the custom Webhook URL Zapier gives you.

Step 2: Add Zapier Webhook to MAIFD

1. Log into My AI Front Desk.

2. Go to Settings > Integrations > Webhooks.

3. Click "Add New Webhook".

4. Name it: Zapier - Appointment Trigger.

5. Paste the Zapier Webhook URL.

6. Set Trigger Condition: "Caller requests an appointment" or equivalent phrasing like 'schedule a call' or 'book a consultation'.

7. Save and activate the webhook.

🔄 PART 2: BUILD THE ZAP

🎯 Zap Trigger

App: Webhooks by Zapier
Trigger Event: Catch Hook
→ This will catch the webhook when MAIFD sends it during the live call.

⚙️ Step 1: Parse the Incoming Caller Info (Optional but Recommended)

Use Formatter by Zapier > Text to parse:

• Caller name

• Phone number

• Reason for call (if available)

📅 Step 2: Get Available Time Slots from Clio

App: Clio
Action: Find Available Times or Search Appointments
(You may need to use Webhooks → Custom Request if Clio's “Find Available Times” is not exposed in Zapier)

If using Webhook to Clio API:

1. Action: Webhooks by Zapier → Custom Request

2. Method: GET

3. URL: https://app.clio.com/api/v4/appointments/available_times

4. Headers:

   • Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CLIO_API_TOKEN

   • Content-Type: application/json

5. Params:

   json

   CopyEdit

   { "user_id": "[YOUR ATTORNEY'S CLIO USER ID]", "duration": 30, "start_time": "now", "interval": 15 }

✅ This returns available times you can feed back to MAIFD.

🗣️ Step 3: Send Times Back to MAIFD for AI Agent to Speak

1. Use Webhooks → POST to send back available time slots to MAIFD.

2. If MAIFD cannot receive real-time POSTs, set up a fallback response like:

   “We have availability at 10 AM, 1 PM, and 3 PM. Which time works best for you?”

3. Caller speaks a time → MAIFD captures response and sends another webhook with selected time.

🗓️ Step 4: Book Appointment in Clio

App: Clio
Action: Create Appointment

• Contact Name: from MAIFD

• Contact Email/Phone: from MAIFD

• Appointment Type: select

• Time Slot: use caller's selected time

• Duration: 30 mins

• Location: Virtual/Phone or in-office

• Notes: “Scheduled by MAIFD during live call”

✅ This blocks the time slot in Clio and logs the event.

📤 Step 5: Send Confirmation to Client (via Clio)

Clio Scheduler will automatically:

• Send email confirmation to the client

• Send SMS confirmation (if enabled in Clio’s notification settings)

✅ No need for a separate Zapier step unless you want custom messages.

📩 Step 6: Notify The Oakes Firm Internally

Option A – Email Notification

• App: Gmail or Outlook

• Action: Send Email

• To: assistant@theoakesfirm.com or attorney's email

• Subject: "New Appointment Scheduled via MAIFD"

• Body:

  vbnet

  CopyEdit

  Client: [Name] Date/Time: [Booked Time] Phone: [Phone Number] Notes: Scheduled by MAIFD AI Agent

Option B – SMS Notification

• App: Twilio (or similar)

• Action: Send SMS

• To: [Attorney’s phone]

• Message: “New consultation booked at 2PM with John Doe. Check Clio calendar for details.”

🧪 PART 3: TESTING THE INTEGRATION

✅ Test Case

1. Make a test call to MAIFD.

2. Say: “I want to schedule an appointment.”

3. Ensure MAIFD triggers the Zap webhook.

4. Confirm Zapier retrieves Clio times.

5. MAIFD offers times to you.

6. Respond with a selection.

7. Zapier books the appointment in Clio.

8. Check:

   • Appointment appears in Clio.

   • Confirmation is received via email/text.

   • Notification is received by The Oakes Firm.