Blackbaud User Guide

Introduction
PickAtime is an award-winning, Blackbaud-approved partner providing online scheduling solutions for schools and organizations across the United States, Canada, and globally. Our products help schools easily schedule parent-teacher conferences, school tours, admissions evenings, interviews, counseling appointments, school fairs, and more. 
 
 Our Blackbaud Integration 
 The integration has two components: 
 
 Single Sign-On for parents — Parents can access the pickAtime Online Scheduler directly from the Blackbaud Resource Board , via a pickAtime tile. 
 Automated data transfer — School data (students, parents, teachers, classes, and enrollment) transfers automatically from Blackbaud into your pickAtime account. When parents click the conference scheduling link in your school portal, they'll immediately see their students' teachers and that group's live availability. 
 
 
 
 Pricing note: In addition to pickAtime's standard per-teacher rates, there's a $350 annual Blackbaud integration fee — billed directly by pickAtime, since this is a fee Blackbaud charges us.

Admin UI
When you first log in to your pickAtime account, you will automatically land on the Administrative User Interface, with the Event Reports displayed by default. 
 Profile & Sidebar Navigation 
 
 
 Profile Settings : In the top-left corner, your name is displayed. Click the back arrow (<) to edit your profile, change your password, or log out. 
 
 
 Minimize Sidebar : Click the "X" in the green ribbon to collapse the sidebar and expand your workspace. 
 
 
 
 
 Multi-Account Users : Use the Vendor drop-down menu to toggle between different accounts. 
 
 Left-Hand Navigation Menu 
 
 
 Reports : View both account-wide and event-specific data. 
 
 Account Reports : Select this button to view billing and global data. 
 
 Event Reports : Select this button to view data for specific events. Use the Event drop-down to switch between events, and the Report drop-down to switch between specific report types. (See the Reports section for more details). 
 
 

 
 Events Preview : Create, view, and manage your scheduled events. 
 
 
 Appointments List : View all upcoming appointments globally, or filter them by date/event. From this page, you can delete appointments and send one-off emails to participants. 
 
 
 Contacts : Manage all users linked to your account (Administrators, Teachers, Parents, and Students). 
 
 
 Students: View their enrolled classes. 
 
 
 Parents: View scheduled appointments, history logs (bookings, cancellations, emails sent), or manually reset parent passwords. 
 
 
 Teachers: View and adjust administrative access levels. 
 
 

 
 Importer : Upload your roster and data files. 
 
 
 Global Setup: Manage your sitewide configurations across two tabs: 
 
 
 Business : Update your school’s name, address, and core account settings. 
 
 
 Contacts : Create custom prompts and forms for parents to complete when they first register on your scheduling site. 
 
 

 
 Calendar Sync : Authorize administrators to sync their Google and/or Outlook calendars with the platform. 
 
 
 Online Scheduler : A quick-access link to the live booking page (also known as the Customer User Interface or CUI). 
 
 
 Add New Account : Opens a new window to set up a brand-new business or sub-account. 
 
 
 User Manual : Opens the comprehensive Online User Manual in a separate window. 
 
 
 Tour This Page : Launches an interactive, step-by-step guided walkthrough with helpful on-screen popups.

Information for Previous Users
Setting up a new event 
 If you've used pickAtime before, you  don't need to create a new account  — simply create a new event under your existing account (e.g., "Parent Teacher Conferences 2026"). 
 Recommended order: 
 
 Create the new event  first . 
 Delete the old event  afterward , if you're not reusing its data. 
 
 
 Creating the new event before deleting the old one preserves your settings —  UI Setup ,  Notification Setup , and  CUI Messages  — by carrying them over. 
 
 ⚠️ Don't simply rename your old event. Importing new data into a renamed event will  merge  with the old data, rather than replacing it. 
 ⚠️ Deleting an event deletes its class and enrollment data.  Don't delete an old event if you plan to reuse that data. 
 To reuse previous class/enrollment data:  Use the  Duplicate PTA  option on the Events page. This is intended specifically for a second set of conferences using the  exact same  class/enrollment data as the first. 
 
 If this option isn't available on your account, email  support@pickatime.com  to have it enabled. 
 
 
 Contact Information 
 What happens to contact data between events 
 Contact information — including parent, teachers and student records — is  retained across events  and is  not deleted  when you delete an event. This is especially useful for schools running  multiple conferences per year . 
 
 How to remove all previous contact information 
 
 Go to  Global Setup / Contacts . 
 Click  Show Advanced Options . 
 Click  Remove All Customers . 
 Select the access level to delete from the pull-down. 
 
 Access levels (from broadest to narrowest): 
 
 
 
 
 Level 
 Who it includes 
 
 
 
 
 Customer access 
 Parents and students 
 
 
 Appointment Viewer 
 Teachers 
 
 
 Appointment Maker 
 Admins with Appointment Maker access 
 
 
 Resource Administrator 
 Admins with access to a select group of teachers 
 
 
 Event Administrator 
 Admins with access to one or more events 
 
 
 
 
 
 Important:  Deleting a given level also deletes every level  below  it on this list. For example, deleting  Resource Administrator  also deletes  Appointment Maker ,  Appointment Viewer , and  Customer access  (parents). 
 
 To remove stored student data specifically:  Click  Remove All Students . 
 
 Exceptions — what won't be deleted 
 
 Contacts who have  logged in within the last 2 months 
 Contacts who have  booked an appointment within the last 2 months 
 Students currently  enrolled in any event  on your account 
 
 
 ⚠️ When you should remove old contact data 
 You'll want to clear previous contact/student data if either of the following applies: 
 
 Teacher IDs are being reused  — e.g., a new teacher will use a departing teacher's TeacherID 
 Student IDs have changed  for your students 
 
 In either case, leaving old records in place can cause conflicts with the new data. 
 Preventing Duplicate Contacts When Enabling Blackbaud Integration 
 When this applies: If your school previously used pickAtime without integration — importing data files manually — and is now switching to the Blackbaud integration , you may end up with duplicate contact records . This happens because the new integration uses different contact IDs (TeacherID, StudentID, ParentID) than your old manual imports. 
 Recommendation: Clear out old data before running your first integration import. 
 
 Steps to Remove Old Data 
 
 Create a new event , using a past event as a template to preserve your settings, notifications, and appointment fields. 
 (Optional) Export reports from your past events on the Reports page, in case you need that historical data later. 
 Delete all past events , except the new one you just created. 
 Go to Global Setup / Contacts / Advanced Options , then click Delete All Contacts .
 
 In the pop-up, select Admin Level – Event Administrator as the level to delete. 
 This removes all contacts at that level and below — including all parents and students (Customer access level). 
 
 
 Run your new integration import. 
 
 
 This ensures clean, duplicate-free data syncing going forward. 
 
 Need help with this process? Email support@pickatime.com .

Setup Steps

Blackbaud Checklist
To set up your Parent-Teacher Conference event using the PTA scheduler with Blackbaud integration, follow these steps: 
 
 Integrate with SKY API, Set Up Your Account, and Set Up Event Create your conference event and give it a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Fall 2026 Conferences"). Adjust your account settings for Blackbaud SSO. 
 Export Your Data: Export your students, teachers, classes, and enrollment data from Blackbaud. Once exported, verify the data imported correctly in the Admin UI. 
 Create Slots for the Event After verifying your data, create your time slots — including dates, times, and appointment durations. 
 Create the SSO - Blackbaud uses SSO for parent access from the Resource Board. 
 Configure Settings 
 
 Appointment Settings — Adjust various settings specific to your event. 
 Configure Email (optional) — Customize the default email confirmations and reminder notices, if needed. 
 
 
 Turn It On and Test the Scheduler Once your data is complete and time slots are created, activate the scheduler and test the booking experience.

Setup Account
Integrating with Blackbaud SKY API 
 Before connecting to pickAtime in the SKY API, confirm you have a pickAtime account for your school. If not, create one here . 
 Also confirm your school meets Blackbaud's SKY API prerequisites . 
 Pricing note: A $350 annual integration fee applies. 
 Connecting the pickAtime App 
 
 In Blackbaud.com, go to Marketplace . 
 Search for pickAtime . 
 Select pickAtime from the results. 
 Click Connect . 
 Click Go To Application Website . 
 
 Next Steps 
 Once your pickAtime account exists and is connected to the SKY API, you'll need to: 
 
 Update your Account Settings (below). 
 Begin Setting Up Your SSO . 
 
 Account Settings 
 
 Log in to pickAtime with your email and password. 
 Go to Global Setup / Business . 
 Locate the Single Sign On section (under Advanced Options) and confirm SSO Provider is set to Blackbaud . 
 
 
 
 
 
 Field 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 SSO Login URL 
 Redirects participants to a login page after their session expires, so they can re-access the system. Should point to your portal or website. 
 
 
 SSO Secret Key 
 Provided by Blackbaud during SSO setup for your school's account 
 
 
 SKY API Importer 
 Enable this if you intend to use it 
 
 
 
 
 ⚠️ Important: Enabling Blackbaud SSO removes your Account URL. Once connected, parents and students access your account exclusively through the Blackbaud Resource Board tile — not a direct pickAtime link. 
 Create Your Event 
 When you first log into pickAtime, you'll land in the Admin tool on the Event Reports page. 
 Steps to Create a New Event 
 
 Select Events/Preview from the sidebar. 
 Click Add . 
 Enter a name for your event — e.g., Fall 2026 Conferences . 
 Select the event type: PTA . 
 (If you've used pickAtime before) Select a Template from the pull-down, based on a previous event. This carries over your starting settings from UI Setup , CUI Messages , and Notifications Setup . 
 Select your event's time zone . 
 (Optional) Add a Date and Location . 
 
 Once saved, your event will appear as a new row in the Events list. 
 About the Date and Location Fields 
 These fields are optional and primarily used to distinguish between multiple events when more than one is listed. 
 
 The Date field is just a label — if your conference spans multiple dates, you can list them all here, or leave it blank. 
 You do not need to create a separate event for each date — a single event can include any number of dates. 
 
 Adding Event Details 
 Use the Event Details box to add event-specific information you'd like to display on the scheduler or include in emails. 
 Anything entered here becomes available as a macro: $(E_DESCRIPTION) 
 You can insert this macro into your CUI Messages or Notifications Setup templates to automatically pull in this text. 
 Removing a Previous Event 
 If you've used pickAtime before and are importing new data, you can delete your previous event(s) once the new one is created. 
 
 Create your new event first (see steps above). 
 Click Delete on the old event. 
 
 Creating the new event before deleting the old one lets you use the previous event as a template. Be sure to confirm your new event is set to type PTA .

Creating your SSO
Create the SSO 
 PickAtime can link directly from the  Blackbaud Resource Board  to your Parent-Teacher Conference event via Single Sign-On.  (For help building a Resource Board, see Blackbaud's  Resource Board help file .) 
 Choose your path: 
 
 New schools   (no existing pickAtime/Blackbaud integration)  — follow  Part 1  and  Part 2A  below. 
 Current schools   (already integrated, updating your SSO link)  — follow  Part 1  and  Part 2B  below. 
 
 
 Part 1: Establish the SSO Connection Between Blackbaud and pickAtime 
 (This part is identical whether you're setting up SSO for the first time or updating an existing connection.) 
 This requires copying a  Redirect URL  from pickAtime into Blackbaud, then copying a  Secret Key  from Blackbaud back into pickAtime. You'll need to be logged into both accounts to copy/paste between them. 
 
 Log into pickAtime, go to  Global Setup / Business / Show Advanced Options , and under  Single Sign On Options , select  Blackbaud  as your SSO Provider. 
 Copy the  Redirect URL  shown — you'll need it in step 4. 
 In Blackbaud (as a Platform Manager), go to  Core / Security / Authentication Settings / SSO Settings . 
 Click  Add New . 
 Enter a  Name  for your SSO — saving will auto-generate a  Slug  based on this name. 
 Paste your  Redirect URL  (from step 2) into the appropriate field. 
 Be sure to include the  {token}  placeholder,  with the curly braces . 
 Check  Allow Impersonation . 
 Click  Save . 
 Edit the item you just created, then select and copy the  Secret Key . 
 Return to pickAtime, go to  Global Setup / Business / Show Advanced Options , and paste the Secret Key into the  SSO Secret Key  field. 
 
 💡  Tip:  The Secret Key is 88 characters — longer than the visible field. Triple-click the text field to select the entire string. 
 You've now connected Blackbaud and pickAtime. Next, you'll need a  Blackbaud Resource Board tile  that points to pickAtime — see Part 2 below. 
 Part 2A: Add the SSO Link to a Resource Board  (New Schools) 
 📺 Watch our video:  Setting Up Your School's Single Sign-On 
 
 From  SSO Settings , copy the URL next to the SSO item you just created. 
 As a Platform Manager or Content Editor, go to  Core / Content / Additional Content Types / Links . 
 Click  Add New Category , and name it. 
 Click  Save & Add Link . 
 Enter a  Title . 
 In the  URL  field, combine your school's app URL with the SSO segment from step 1, replacing the slug:  https://SCHOOLNAME.myschoolapp.com/app/sso/auth/SLUG 
 Click  Save . 
 Go to  Core / Content / Resource Boards . 
 Next to  View Boards , choose the relevant role/security group (e.g.,  Parent ). 
 Click  Add Post . 
 Enter a  Title ,  Description , and  Cover Photo . 
 For  Post Cover , select  Direct Link . 
 Select the  Category  you created earlier. 
 Select your  Link  (the SSO link from step 6). 
 Click  Save . 
 
 Part 2B: Update Your Resource Board  (Current Schools) 
 📺 Watch our video:  Setting Up Your School's Single Sign-On 
 
 From  SSO Settings , copy the URL next to the SSO item you just created. 
 As a Platform Manager or Content Editor, go to  Core / Content / Additional Content Types / Links . 
 Locate and click your existing pickAtime link. 
 Click the  edit icon , locate the link destination, and click  Change . 
 Select  Link / URL . 
 In the  URL  field, combine your school's app URL with the SSO segment from step 1, replacing the slug:  https://SCHOOLNAME.myschoolapp.com/app/sso/auth/SLUG 
 Click  Save . 
 
 Testing Your SSO 
 
 Go to  Security / Authentication Settings / SSO Settings , and edit your SSO link to confirm  Allow Impersonation  is enabled. 
 Under your profile menu, select  Impersonate User . 
 Find a user to impersonate.  (Make sure this user also exists in pickAtime — Blackbaud User IDs determine the user's role in pickAtime.) 
 While impersonating, go to that user's  Resource Board . 
 Click the pickAtime link to confirm it opens the event correctly. 
 
 Notes 
 
 
 
 The relevant board(s) must be selected for the SSO link post to appear under the  Resources  tab. 
 When manually adding users to pickAtime, you'll need their  First/Last Name ,  Email , and their  Teacher ID  or  Parent ID . 
 For more on Blackbaud SSO, see Blackbaud's  SSO Tutorial .

Export your Data
In the Admin UI, select  Importer from the sidebar. 
 Step 1: Authenticate with Blackbaud 
 
 Click Sign in to Blackbaud . 
 Click Authorize . 
 
 ⚠️ Requirements: At least one admin must be authenticated with a Blackbaud ID, hold one of the following roles — Academic Group Manager , Schedule Manager , or Platform Manager — and have the SKY API Data Sync role. Importing Advisory data additionally requires the Advisory Group Manager role. 
 Step 2: Run the Import 
 Select your Import Type , Event , and Term , then click Import . 
 There are 3 import types , depending on what data you need: 
 Option A: Academic Import (Parent-Teacher Conferences) 
 Use this to import class and enrollment data for standard PTA conferences. 
 
 Select Import Type: PTA Event . 
 Select the specific event to import data into. 
 Select Academics as the Offering Type. 
 Select the specific Term ID . 
 
 ⚠️ Important: If you remove teacher/class/student data manually in pickAtime, it will be re-added on your next Blackbaud data sync. Instead of deleting unwanted classes, set their slot type to "Hidden" — hidden classes are skipped during future imports/auto-syncs. 
 Option B: Advisory Import (Advisory-Only Conferences) 
 Use this to import data for advisory-only conferences. Requires the Advisory Group Manager role (see authentication requirements above). 
 Option C: Admissions Import (Admission Events) 
 Use this to import parent data for admissions events. 
 
 Includes a Parent Type selector — choose Parent of Incoming , Parent of Candidate , or both. 
 Imported contacts will have the role Parent of Candidate or Parent of Incoming Student . 
 
 Note: Contacts imported via Admissions import do not have access to the Resource Board. 
 If Your School Doesn't Use Blackbaud Academic Data 
 If your school doesn't track Academic data in Blackbaud, you'll need to import your Teacher , Class , and Enrollment files manually instead: 
 
 Go to Global Setup / Business / Single Sign On . 
 Uncheck "Use SKY API, Importer." 
 Create and import your data files as you normally would. 
 
 Viewing Your Imported Data 
 
 From Events Preview , select your event and click Go To Event . 
 Select Class Editor to see your teacher list. Select a teacher to see their classes; select a class to see enrolled students. 
 
 See Modifying Teacher or Room Data to add/remove teachers, Moving a Class to reassign a class, and Modifying Enrollment Data to add/remove students from a class. 
 To view data organized by class instead: Check "Show Only Classes" (far right).

Creating Time Slots
Creating Slots 
 To get started, from the Admin UI, go to  Events / Preview and select your event. Click the orange Go To Event button to open your event. You will then see the Appointments tab. From the left-hand calendar, select the date you want to work with. Open the Slots drop-down and choose Create Slots . 
 Step 1: Choose Which Teachers to Create Slots For 
 In the slot generator, choose to create slots for selected teachers or all teachers/resources . To select multiple teachers, hold Ctrl while clicking names in the right-hand panel. 
 Step 2: Set Your Time and Duration 
 
 
 
 
 Field 
 Description 
 
 
 
 
 From 
 Start time of the first slot 
 
 
 To 
 End time of the last slot 
 
 
 Duration 
 Length of each appointment (in minutes) 
 
 
 Travel Break 
 Optional gap between appointments 
 
 
 
 
 Example: 10-minute slots with a 5-minute travel break create slots at 8:00–8:10, 8:15–8:25, 8:30–8:40, and so on. 
 Note: If you need a break that doesn't align with your slot duration (e.g., 20-minute slots but a 40-minute lunch break), create slots in two batches — one before the break, one after. 
 Step 3: Choose Appointment Type 
 
 
 
 
 Type 
 Description 
 Indicator 
 
 
 
 
 In-Person 
 Parents receive room/location info 
 P 
 
 
 Virtual 
 Parents receive a meeting link 
 V 
 
 
 In-Person or Virtual 
 Parents choose their preferred format 
 PV 
 
 
 
 
 Step 4: Set Slot Visibility 
 
 
 
 
 Option 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 Visible for Customer 
 Available for online booking 
 
 
 Hidden from Customer 
 Hidden from parents; visible in Admin UI only 
 
 
 Shown with "Call" Status 
 Visible to parents, but they're prompted to call the school to book 
 
 
 Make Unavailable 
 Visible in Admin UI but not bookable online (use for lunch breaks, meetings, etc.) 
 
 
 
 
 You can optionally add a custom message for unavailable slots. 
 Step 5: Set Maximum Appointments Per Slot  (Optional) 
 Use this for group sessions, open labs, or any scenario where multiple families can book the same time slot. 
 Creating Slots for Multiple Days or Teachers 
 
 
 
 
 Scenario 
 What to do 
 
 
 
 
 Same schedule across multiple days 
 Enable Multiple Dates and select all applicable dates before saving 
 
 
 Different schedule per day 
 Create slots for the first day, switch to the next date, and repeat 
 
 
 Different schedules per teacher 
 Select a teacher (or group), create their slots, then repeat for the next teacher/group 
 
 
 
 
 Tip: If you created identical slots for all teachers at once, individual slots won't display until you click a specific teacher's name in the right-hand panel. 
 Updating Existing Slots 
 Use Update Slots to change existing slot characteristics without deleting and recreating them. 
 To access: Appointments tab → select date/teacher → Slots / Update Slots 
 You can update: 
 
 Appointment type (e.g., switch from in-person to virtual) 
 Maximum appointments per slot 
 Slot visibility (hidden, unavailable, etc.) 
 
 Tip: If you created identical slots for all teachers at once, individual slots won't display until you click a specific teacher's name in the right-hand panel. 
 "Keep existing slot type on slots being updated" — useful when teachers have already blocked parts of their schedule, since it lets you change appointment type without affecting slot type. 
 Blocking Slots 
 Blocking is the preferred way to temporarily remove availability without permanently deleting a slot. 
 
 Go to the Appointments page and click the X in the corner of the slot. 
 The slot turns red and displays "Blocked." You can enter a custom message (e.g., "Lunch Break" or "Staff Meeting"). 
 To unblock, click the X again to restore availability. 
 
 Blocked slots appear on reports when Show All Slots is enabled. 
 Deleting Slots 
 Use Delete Time Slots to permanently remove slots. 
 To access: Appointments tab → select date/teacher → Slots / Delete Time Slots 
 If appointments already exist on those slots, you'll be prompted to choose: 
 
 Move appointments to the red Appointments List (a holding area for manual rebooking or cancellation) 
 Cancel appointments without sending a notification 
 Cancel appointments and send a cancellation email 
 
 Tip: Consider whether parents need a cancellation notification before confirming any deletion. 
 Moving Slots 
 Use Move Slots to transfer an entire day's slots — and any existing appointments — to a new date. Useful for school closures, rescheduled conference days, or teacher availability changes. 
 To access: Appointments tab → select date/teacher → Slots / Move Slots 
 In the dialog, select the destination date, choose whether to move slots for all teachers or selected teachers, and confirm. 
 Existing appointments transfer with all parent information intact, and appointment times remain the same . 
 Important: Calendar notification emails are not sent automatically — advise parents to update any calendar entries they've saved. You can send a custom notification email explaining the change. 
 Copying Slots 
 Use Copy Slots to duplicate a day's slot structure to another date or teacher — without copying existing appointments. 
 To access: Appointments tab → select date/teacher → Slots / Copy Slots 
 Select the destination date and/or teacher(s) and confirm. Slot visibility, appointment type, and availability settings are all preserved. 
 If you also need appointments to transfer, use Move Slots instead. 
 Changing Slot Duration or Times 
 Slot start times, end times, and duration cannot be edited in place . To change any of these: 
 
 Delete the slots you want to change (or all slots for that day). 
 Recreate them with the correct settings. 
 
 Example: If you have 10-minute slots from 8:00 AM–2:00 PM but want 9:00 AM–1:00 PM instead, delete the 8:00–9:00 AM and 1:00–2:00 PM slots (or delete all and start fresh), then create the new schedule. 
 Quick Reference: Which Tool to Use? 
 
 
 
 
 Situation 
 Use 
 
 
 
 
 Temporarily remove availability 
 Block Slots 
 
 
 Permanently remove slots 
 Delete Time Slots 
 
 
 Change appointment type or visibility 
 Update Slots 
 
 
 Reschedule an entire day 
 Move Slots 
 
 
 Duplicate a schedule to another day or teacher 
 Copy Slots 
 
 
 Change slot duration or times 
 Delete + Recreate 
 
 
 
 
 Slot Color Guide 
 
 
 
 
 Color 
 Meaning 
 
 
 
 
 🔵 Blue 
 Available 
 
 
 🔴 Red 
 Blocked 
 
 
 ⚪ Grey 
 Teacher is booked elsewhere (team meeting or personal appointment) 
 
 
 
 Yellow 
 
 Time has passed

Configure Settings
Event Settings (UI Setup) 
 The UI Setup page lets you adjust settings specific to a single event. 
 To get there: 
 
 From the Admin UI, go to Events / Preview and select your event. 
 Click Go To Event to open Event Management. 
 Select Settings / UI Setup . 
 
 Work through the sections from top to bottom, as outlined below. 
 Scheduler Availability 
 
 
 
 
 Setting 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 Open scheduler to customers 
 Date/time the scheduler opens for parents 
 
 
 Close scheduler to customers 
 Date/time the scheduler closes for parents 
 
 
 Allow Admins access to the CUI at all times 
 Lets admins access the parent scheduling page even when it's closed to parents.  
 
 
 
 
 Appointment Number Limits 
 
 
 
 
 Setting 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 Maximum Appointments per Event 
 Caps total appointments allowed for the entire event 
 
 
 Maximum Appointments Per Resource per Day 
 Caps appointments per teacher/resource, per day — e.g., you can create 15 slots but cap bookings at 10; once the 10th is booked, no more can be made that day 
 
 
 Maximum Appointments Per Child 
 Caps how many appointments a parent can book per child 
 
 
 One appointment per teacher per student 
 If checked, a parent can only book once with a given teacher per student, even if the student has multiple classes with that teacher 
 
 
 One appointment per class 
 If checked, a parent can only book once per class, even with multiple students enrolled in it 
 
 
 Allow back-to-back 
 If unchecked, parents can't book two appointments back-to-back unless they're with the same teacher (to allow travel time between teachers). Back-to-back is always allowed with the same teacher, or when travel breaks have been configured. 
 
 
 
 
 Appointment Cancellations 
 Customer cannot cancel their appointment closer than XX hours/days/weeks. Restricts how close to the appointment time a parent can cancel. 
 
 Set to 0 to allow cancellation up to the last minute. 
 Set to a large value to effectively prevent cancellations. 
 
 Note: Closing the scheduler does not automatically prevent cancellations — this setting is separate. 
 Close Appointment Booking 
 Controls when slots become unavailable for new bookings , ahead of the appointment time. Choose one of three methods: 
 
 Close booking at a specific time of day , XX days before the appointment date. 
 Close booking XX hours/days/weeks/months before the appointment time. 
 Close booking XX hours before the first appointment of the day . 
 
 Scheduler Settings 
 Scheduling Link 
 Your event's Scheduling Link is the URL you share with parents (on your website or via email) to access the booking page (CUI). You can customise it with an event-specific suffix — for example: https://pickatime.com/HowardSchool/LS or https://pickatime.com/HowardSchool/US 
 Important: Even with a custom event link, parents will see a toggle to switch to any other open events on your account. To restrict parents to a single event with no toggle option, use the Category link instead, which scopes the scheduler to only the event(s) in that category. 
 Scheduler Display 
 View mode: 
 
 
 
 
 Mode 
 Best for 
 
 
 
 
 Condensed 
 Compact layout with variable time steps — good for smaller screens or quickly browsing availability 
 
 
 Expanded 
 Fixed time intervals in a traditional layout — easier for comparing exact appointment lengths/gaps 
 
 
 
 
 Parents can toggle between views anytime using the button in the top-left corner of the scheduler. 
 Date display mode: 
 
 
 
 
 Mode 
 Behavior 
 
 
 
 
 Paginator 
 Shows multiple dates on one page 
 
 
 Calendar 
 Shows one day at a time, with a mini calendar to jump to other dates 
 
 
 
 
 Scheduler Display Limits 
 Display X weeks of slots: Sets how many days/weeks of slots are shown at once in the CUI. (Only applies when Paginator is selected.) 
 Teacher Display 
 
 
 
 
 Setting 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 Display resource description 
 Shows the teacher's description (via the info icon next to their name) 
 
 
 Display rooms 
 Shows room numbers on the parent scheduler 
 
 
 Separate legend for each child (Regular PTA only) 
 Adds a separate color legend per child 
 
 
 Display class names 
 Shows class names (via the info icon) if class names have been added on the Appointments page 
 
 
 
 
 Teacher's Group Name 
 Lets you organise teachers into groups (e.g., "Lower School," "Upper School"). 
 
 Enter your desired group names in this section. 
 Go to the Appointments page — each teacher row has a Group Name column where you can assign them to a group from the drop-down. 
 
 Advanced Settings 
 Online Meeting Provider 
 Use 'X' for online meetings: Select your preferred online meeting provider for this event from the drop-down. 
 Multiple Appointment Booking 
 Allow a parent to make conflicting appointments for themselves: If checked, a parent can book overlapping appointments at the same time. 
 Appointment Changes 
 
 
 
 
 Setting 
 What it does 
 
 
 
 
 Allow customers to see and cancel past appointments 
 Lets parents view/cancel appointments that have already passed 
 
 
 Don't allow customers to change appointment time 
 Prevents parents from rescheduling once booked 
 
 
 
 
 Notification Setup 
 The Notifications tab lets you configure: Confirmation Email , Cancellation Email , Reminder Email , Custom Email , Follow-up Email , Resource Notification Email , and Calendar Event Notification . 
 Confirmation Email 
 
 
 
 
 Field 
 What it controls 
 
 
 
 
 Subject 
 Email subject line 
 
 
 Header 
 Text shown above the email body 
 
 
 Body 
 Main email text 
 
 
 Send Confirmation and Cancellation Emails 
 Sends a confirmation after booking (typically left unchecked for schools) 
 
 
 Support Email 
 Address that receives replies to confirmation/reminder/cancellation emails. If left blank, replies get an automated response directing them to contact your organization. 
 
 
 Replace the Email Body with the Printable Schedule 
 Recommended. Sends one consolidated email with a table of all booked appointments, instead of one email per appointment. 
 
 
 
 
 Reminder Emails 
 Send Reminder Emails: Click Add and enter the number of hours before an appointment that a reminder should go out. You can add multiple reminder times — duplicates are automatically removed. 
 How reminders are grouped depends on your Printable Schedule setting: 
 
 If "Replace the Email Body with the Printable Schedule" is ON: All appointments are grouped into a single reminder email per day, sent the configured number of hours before that day's first appointment. With reminders set at both 24 and 12 hours, you'll receive two emails — one at each interval before your first appointment of the day. 
 If it's OFF: Appointments booked within the same hour are grouped into one reminder email. For example, 9:00, 9:15, and 9:30 AM appointments would be combined into one email, while a separate 10:15/10:30 AM email would be sent independently. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Field 
 What it controls 
 
 
 
 
 Footer 
 Text shown below the email body 
 
 
 Subject for combined email 
 Subject line used when a combined email is sent (e.g., a cancel + immediate reschedule) 
 
 
 
 
 Recommended: Use the Printable Schedule as the Email Body 
 For both Confirmation and Reminder emails, you can replace the email body with a Printable Schedule — a table summarizing all of a parent's booked appointments (identical to what they'd see clicking "Printable Schedule" on the scheduler page). 
 To enable this: Check "Replace the Email Body with the Printable Schedule of Appointments." 
 When enabled, the email will contain: 
 
 Your Header text 
 The printable schedule table 
 Your Footer text 
 
 The table's content/format is controlled separately under Settings → CUI Messages → Print Schedule . 
 With this option on, parents receive one email containing their full schedule — not one email per appointment. 
 Configure CUI (Customer User Interface) 
 You can customise most of the text and labels parents see when booking appointments. 
 To edit CUI messages: 
 
 From the Admin UI, go to Events / Preview , select your event, and click Go To Event . 
 Select Settings / CUI Messages . 
 On the left, choose a label to edit — the corresponding text appears on the right for editing. 
 
 Common customisations: 
 
 Login page title: Edit under Sign In Page / Welcome Message . 
 Logo: Go to Global Setup / Business , under Account Level Settings / Account Logo , and click the Upload icon. 
 HTML editing: Click the HTML icon ( <> ) in the toolbar to view/edit raw HTML for a given message.

Turn it On and Test the Scheduler
1. Open the scheduler 
 
 From the Admin UI, go to Events / Preview , select your event, and click  Go To Event. 
 Select  Settings / UI Setup / Event Settings / Scheduler Availability . 
 Set  "Open scheduler to customers on"  and  "Close scheduler to customers on"  to define the window during which parents can book appointments. 
 
 To access the scheduler yourself while it's closed to parents, check  "Allow Admins access to the CUI at all times." 
 2. View the scheduler 
 
 First , make sure that your SSO   is set up and permits impersonation. 
 Log in to Blackbaud and under your profile menu select the Impersonate User  option.  Blackbaud will allow you to find a user to impersonate. Ensure that this user is in pickAtime as well (note that the User IDs in Blackbaud tell pickAtime what role that User has). 
 Once you are impersonating a user, go to the Resource Board. 
 Click the pickAtime Resource Tile to access the event. 
 
 3. Test the booking process 
 Ensure that you have a student attached to your test account to confirm that appointments can be booked correctly. To review your Parent-Student Relationship or if you need to manually add a student, follow the instructions here . 
 
 Confirm the student's name appears in the drop-down list. 
 Select the student's name and continue through the scheduling process. 
 You'll see a list of all available appointment slots for that student's teachers. 
 Select a teacher and time to book and complete the process. 
 
 Recommended Testing Checklist 
 
 Teachers imported correctly 
 Classes imported correctly 
 Student relationships are imported correctly 
 Room assignments verified 
 Appointment slots displayed correctly 
 Parent scheduling tested 
 Confirmation emails verified 
 Virtual meeting links tested (if applicable) 
 Reports reviewed 
 Test appointments removed 
 
 Troubleshooting 
 Students' teachers aren't showing up 
 This usually means one of the following: 
 
 The student's enrollment data is incomplete or missing 
 No slots have been created yet for that student's teachers at this event 
 
 What does "the integration with pickatime is not set up correctly" mean? 
 This appears when you have added your vendor id # to the end of the secret key (located in  Global Setup / Business, Show Advanced Options, Single Sign On Options, Blackbaud ). The secret key should be empty after the ==. 
 What does "There was an error: Blackbaud user not found" mean? 
 This appears when pickAtime is not able to locate a user with a Blackbaud email within our Database. Users must exist in both pickAtime and Blackbaud with a matching  User ID (parentID or teacherID).  Check and confirm that the user exists in both systems and if they do confirm that their User ID data matches. 
 What does  "Failed to get Blackbaud user" mean? 
 This appears when pickAtime is not able to communicate with BB communication. Please c heck and confirm that the user exists in both systems, and if they do confirm that the User ID data matches, try again. 
 Click here for our full Blackbaud FAQ .