Appointments
Booking rules
Control how soon and how far ahead customers can book, and how time slots are offered at each branch.
Overview
Use booking rules to stop customers booking too close to an appointment time or too far into the future, and to decide how available time slots are shown to them. You find them in settings → bookings. Rules apply to all appointments at the selected branch, so if you have more than one branch, set them for each one.
The example on this page: a customer, Aisyah, opens your booking page at 10am on 1 January.
Control how soon and how far ahead customers can book
- Go to settings → bookings.
- If you manage more than one branch, switch to the right branch using the banner at the top.
- Expand Advanced settings.
- In Minimum booking lead time, set how long before a slot customers must book.
- In Maximum advance booking, set how far ahead customers can book.
- Click Save.
With a Minimum booking lead time of 2 hours, Aisyah can only book slots from 12pm onwards. With a Maximum advance booking of 30 days, she can book up to 31 January. The form shows a similar example as you type, so you can check the effect before saving.
Choose how time slots are offered
- Go to settings → bookings.
- Choose a slot type: Smart slot creates slots automatically from your availability, and Custom slot lets you define your own time slots.
- Set No of branch slots to the maximum number of appointments your branch can take at the same time.
- For smart slots, expand Advanced settings and set Time slot precision, the interval between slots, such as 15 or 30 minutes.
- Still for smart slots, choose Optimised or Consistent slot evaluation.
- Click Save.
Optimised shows as many slots as possible, so Aisyah may see different start times depending on when she books. Consistent always shows slots at fixed intervals, for example every 30 minutes.
Set when confirmations and reminders go out
- Go to settings → bookings.
- In Booking confirmation message, choose when the confirmation is sent after a booking is made.
- In Default reminder period, set when automatic appointment reminders are sent.
- Click Save.
FAQs
Can I set different booking rules for different services?
No. These rules apply to all appointments at the selected branch.
What happens if I change the minimum lead time?
The change takes effect straight away. Slots that do not meet the new lead time no longer appear to customers. If you raise it from 2 to 3 hours, Aisyah at 10am would only see slots from 1pm.
Do reminder changes apply to appointments already booked?
No. The new Default reminder period applies to appointments made after you save. Existing appointments keep their original reminder settings.
Why can't I see the custom slot settings?
They only appear when you choose Custom slot. Switch the slot type from Smart slot to Custom slot to set up your own time slots.
Why don't my changes show at my other branch?
Booking rules are saved per branch. Switch to the other branch using the banner at the top of the page and set the rules there too.
Last updated 1 October 2026