AI Scheduling Features

Deep dive into all the AI-powered scheduling capabilities and how to use them effectively.

Last updated this week

Sentuent's AI scheduling assistant, powered by Claude, brings conversational intelligence to session booking. This guide covers all AI scheduling features and how to use them.

Core Scheduling Features

Natural Language Understanding

The AI understands how humans naturally talk about time:

Relative dates:

  • "tomorrow" - Next day
  • "this Friday" - Upcoming Friday
  • "next week Tuesday" - Tuesday of next week
  • "in 3 days" - Three days from now

Flexible times:

  • "afternoon" - Interprets as 1-5 PM
  • "morning" - Interprets as 8 AM-12 PM
  • "evening" - Interprets as 5-9 PM
  • "3-ish" - Understands approximate times

Handles variations:

  • "Can we do Tuesday at 4?" ✓
  • "Let's meet Tuesday @ 4pm" ✓
  • "How about Tuesday 4:00?" ✓
  • "Tuesday afternoon around 4" ✓

All interpreted the same way.

Intent Detection

AI recognizes different scheduling intents:

Booking:

  • "Can we schedule a session?"
  • "I need help with calculus this week"
  • "Are you free Thursday?"

Rescheduling:

  • "Can we move our Monday session?"
  • "I need to change Tuesday's time"
  • "Can we reschedule?"

Canceling:

  • "I need to cancel Wednesday's session"
  • "Can't make it tomorrow"
  • "Please cancel my Friday appointment"

Checking availability:

  • "When are you free?"
  • "What times do you have open?"
  • "Do you have any morning slots?"

Calendar Integration

AI has access to:

  • Your Sentuent calendar
  • Your tutor's/student's Sentuent calendar
  • Synced Google Calendar events (if enabled)
  • Existing session bookings
  • Blocked time/busy periods

AI automatically:

  • Checks for conflicts on both sides
  • Respects minimum notice requirements
  • Avoids double-booking
  • Considers timezone differences
  • Honors availability preferences

Advanced Scheduling

Recurring Sessions

Schedule regular weekly sessions with one request:

Student: "Can we meet every Wednesday at 4pm for the next 8 weeks?"

AI:

  • Checks all 8 Wednesdays for conflicts
  • Confirms availability
  • Creates all 8 sessions at once
  • Sets up recurring calendar events

Variations supported:

  • "Every Monday and Thursday at 5pm"
  • "Twice a week for a month"
  • "Weekly sessions until my exam on March 15"
  • "Every other Friday at 3pm"

Multi-Session Planning

Book multiple sessions at different times:

Student: "I have an exam in 2 weeks. Can we do 4 sessions before then?"

AI:

  • Calculates days until exam
  • Finds 4 available slots
  • Suggests optimally-spaced sessions
  • Example: Mon, Wed, Fri, Mon at similar times

AI considers:

  • Spacing sessions for effective learning
  • Both calendars' availability
  • Your typical session times
  • Exam date as hard deadline

Conditional Scheduling

Give the AI alternatives:

"Can we meet Tuesday at 3? If not, Wednesday or Thursday works too"

AI process:

  1. Checks Tuesday at 3 - Conflict found
  2. Checks Wednesday at 3 - Conflict found
  3. Checks Thursday at 3 - Available!
  4. Books Thursday automatically

Session Duration Flexibility

Specify different session lengths:

Standard requests:

  • "30-minute intro session"
  • "2-hour intensive session for exam prep"
  • "Can we do 90 minutes this time?"
  • "Quick 15-minute check-in"

AI handles:

  • Custom durations
  • Different lengths for different sessions
  • Adjusting calendar blocks appropriately

Smart Suggestions

Time Recommendations

AI learns your patterns:

After a few sessions, AI notices:

  • You usually book Tuesdays and Thursdays
  • Sessions typically at 4:00 PM
  • You prefer 1-hour sessions

Next time you ask: "When can we meet next week?"

AI suggests: "Based on your usual schedule, how about Tuesday, Dec 12 at 4:00 PM or Thursday, Dec 14 at 4:00 PM?"

Pattern learning includes:

  • Preferred days of week
  • Typical times
  • Usual session length
  • Booking frequency
  • Advanced notice preferences

Optimal Time Finding

AI optimizes for:

  • Minimal conflicts - Avoids tight scheduling
  • Consistent timing - Keeps sessions at similar times
  • Learning effectiveness - Spaces sessions appropriately
  • Both parties' preferences - Win-win times

Both parties' overlapping free time:

  • Tutor free: M/W 2-6pm, Th 4-8pm
  • Student free: M/W 3-7pm, Th/F 3-6pm

AI suggests: Monday or Wednesday 3-6pm (max overlap) Not suggested: Thursday 4-6pm (less overlap)

Conflict Resolution

When your requested time doesn't work:

Student: "Can we meet Wednesday at 3?"

AI: "Your tutor has a conflict Wednesday at 3pm. Here are nearby available times:

  • Wednesday at 4:00 PM
  • Wednesday at 5:00 PM
  • Thursday at 3:00 PM

Which works for you?"

AI prioritizes suggestions:

  1. Same day, different time
  2. Different day, same time
  3. Nearby days and times
  4. Both parties' preferred times

Exam Preparation Mode

Special AI mode for test prep:

Student: "I have a final exam on January 15. Can you help me prepare?"

AI suggests: "You have 3 weeks until your exam. I recommend 6 review sessions:

Week 1: Foundation Review

  • Session 1: Chapters 1-3 review
  • Session 2: Chapters 4-6 review

Week 2: Practice & Application

  • Session 3: Practice problems
  • Session 4: Advanced topics

Week 3: Final Review

  • Session 5: Comprehensive review
  • Session 6: Practice exam (2 hours)

Would you like me to schedule all 6 sessions?"

AI considers:

  • Time until exam
  • Optimal spacing for retention
  • Building from basics to advanced
  • Including practice time
  • Final review before exam

Timezone Intelligence

Handles timezone differences automatically:

Scenario: Student in California (PST), Tutor in New York (EST)

Student: "Can we meet at 3pm my time?"

AI: "Just to confirm - 3:00 PM Pacific = 6:00 PM Eastern for [Tutor Name]. Is that correct?"

Student: "Yes"

AI: "✓ Booked! Session confirmed:

  • Your time: 3:00 PM PST
  • Tutor's time: 6:00 PM EST"

Automatic timezone features:

  • Detects both parties' timezones
  • Converts times automatically
  • Confirms when ambiguous
  • Shows both timezones in confirmations
  • Handles daylight saving changes

Cancellation & Rescheduling Intelligence

Smart Rescheduling

AI helps find alternative times:

Student: "I need to reschedule tomorrow's session"

AI: "You have a session tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4:00 PM. Would you like to:

  1. Reschedule to another time this week
  2. Move to next week
  3. Cancel (full refund - within 24hr policy)

What works best?"

Student: "Another time this week"

AI: "Available this week:

  • Thursday 4:00 PM
  • Friday 3:00 PM
  • Friday 5:00 PM

Pick one or suggest another time."

Policy-Aware Cancellations

AI enforces cancellation policies automatically:

Scenario: Session in 8 hours, policy requires 24-hour notice

Student: "Cancel tomorrow's session"

AI: "⚠️ Your session is in 8 hours. [Tutor]'s cancellation policy requires 24-hour notice for full refund.

With less than 24-hour notice:

  • You'll receive a 50% refund (4 credits back)
  • Or you can reschedule to a different day at no penalty

What would you like to do?"

AI tracks:

  • Time until session
  • Tutor's specific policy
  • Refund amounts
  • Reschedule options

Bulk Operations

Manage multiple sessions at once:

"Cancel all my sessions next week"

  • AI finds all sessions next week (3 found)
  • Checks cancellation policies for each
  • Calculates refunds
  • Confirms before canceling

"Reschedule all December sessions to January"

  • AI identifies December sessions
  • Finds equivalent times in January
  • Confirms each rescheduling
  • Updates all at once

Availability Checking

Tutor Availability Queries

Check what times work:

Student: "When are you available this week?"

AI: "Here's [Tutor]'s availability that also works with your calendar:

Monday: 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Wednesday: 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Friday: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Pick a day and time, or I can suggest specific times."

Advanced queries:

  • "When are you free in the mornings this week?"
  • "Do you have any weekend availability?"
  • "What about after 6pm on weekdays?"

AI filters by:

  • Time of day
  • Day of week
  • Your preferences
  • Overlapping availability

Student Availability Checking

For tutors asking students:

Same AI features work in reverse - tutors can check student availability and suggest times.

Integration with Other Features

Calendar Sync

If Google Calendar is synced:

  • AI sees all your commitments
  • Avoids scheduling during existing events
  • Respects blocked time
  • Syncs new sessions both ways

Session Materials

AI can reference session context:

"Can we schedule a session to review the calculus problems from last time?"

AI:

  • References previous session
  • Notes it was about calculus
  • Suggests appropriate length
  • Books with context noted

AI Limitations

What the AI can't do (yet):

❌ Change your tutor rates ❌ Modify platform policies ❌ Book with a different tutor mid-conversation ❌ Process custom payment arrangements ❌ Override hard cancellation deadlines ❌ Access content outside of scheduling

Coming soon:

  • Automatic session summaries
  • Learning progress tracking
  • Smart study plan generation
  • Predictive availability management

Conversation Best Practices

Be Clear and Specific

Vague: "Can we meet?" Better: "Can we meet this week?" Best: "Can we meet Wednesday or Thursday afternoon?"

Provide Context

Helpful details:

  • Subject if tutor teaches multiple
  • Session purpose (review, new material, exam prep)
  • Any special requirements (longer session, specific topics)

Good request: "Can we schedule a 90-minute calculus session this week to review derivatives before my test?"

Includes: length, subject, timeframe, purpose

Confirm Important Details

AI will show summary before finalizing:

  • Date and time
  • Session length
  • Subject/purpose
  • Cost in credits
  • Meeting link

Always verify before confirming

Troubleshooting AI Scheduling

AI Not Responding

Possible reasons:

  • AI feature disabled in settings
  • You're in a support chat (AI only in tutor/student conversations)
  • Technical issue

Fix: Check Settings > AI Features > Enabled

AI Misunderstood Request

If AI books wrong time:

"That's not right, I meant next Friday, not this Friday"

AI: "My apologies! Canceling the December 8 session and booking for December 15 instead. Confirming Friday, December 15 at 4:00 PM?"

AI accepts corrections and learns

Can't Find Available Times

If AI says no availability:

  1. Manually check calendars (AI might have strict filters)
  2. Try different days/times
  3. Ask tutor to update availability
  4. Sync Google Calendar if not already

Privacy & Data Usage

What AI accesses:

  • Your conversation in current thread
  • Both calendars
  • Session history together
  • Scheduling preferences

What AI doesn't access:

  • Other conversations
  • Payment details
  • Personal information outside scheduling
  • Content of past sessions

Data usage:

  • Improves suggestions over time
  • Never shared with third parties
  • Can opt out of learning (Settings > Privacy)
  • Delete conversation history anytime

Future AI Features

On the roadmap:

  • Voice-based scheduling
  • Automatic session prep suggestions
  • Progress tracking and insights
  • Smart study plan generation
  • Multi-tutor coordination
  • Predictive availability updates

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