Research recruitment
What to do when a booked research participant hasn’t joined
Check the appointment and joining link, use the available missed-call options on Instant Expert, and leave room to honor every booking.
Check the booked time and your own joining link first. An empty call room can mean a timing or connection problem; it does not tell you why someone is absent. Keep the booked slot available while you check.
If nobody has accepted your invitation yet, start with unanswered research outreach. The steps below are for a call that already has an appointment.
Check the appointment you both booked
On Instant Expert, open the booked request in Your requests. Compare its date and start time with your calendar. The request page uses your browser’s local time; check your calendar’s time-zone setting if the times seem different.
Use Enter call or the link in your own booking invitation. If that invitation includes a backup link, try it when the main link fails. Each participant should use their own invitation link, so do not send your buyer link to the expert.
If the booking is crossed out and marked cancelled, that time has been cancelled. Reply to the calendar invitation for help arranging another time. You can also use that reply route if you know you need to reschedule; sending a reply does not itself change the appointment.
After a missed call, check the request again
Reopen the request after the slot. Attendance processing can take time, so the recovery choices may appear later. Use the options actually shown:
- Pick a new time lets you rebook an eligible missed call. The original payment carries over and an updated invitation is sent to both people. Check that the other person can make the new appointment; choosing a time is not their confirmation.
- Refund me now starts an eligible refund. It does not mean the money will reach your bank immediately.
- We actually spoke confirms that the conversation really happened and authorizes full payment. Use it only when you did speak.
If the call is marked Under review, follow the instructions on the request. If file a dispute is offered and the call did not happen or had a real problem, use it within the period displayed. Keep a note of what happened, including any joining error, for the team’s follow-up.
Calls are charged when booked; the later attendance and review process can adjust that payment. The research interview budget guide explains the payment rules in more detail.
Leave room for the next person
Give every confirmed booking a usable appointment. Do not put two people into one slot because you expect one to miss it. If someone arrives late, agree what you can cover in the remaining time rather than making the next person wait.
Leave gaps to prepare, take notes and deal with a joining problem. GOV.UK’s remote research guidance recommends time between sessions, clear joining instructions and testing your equipment. Its research planning guide also sets aside time for breaks and analysis.
Before your next booked call, find your invitation, check the time and test your connection and headset. Plan around the appointments people have actually made, rather than an assumed no-show rate.