Booking rules

Find them in Settings → Booking rules (Owner and Manager).

How rules stack up

The basics apply to everyone. An exception sets a different value for one service, one team member or one client. When more than one applies, the most specific one wins:

1. The client’s exception
2. The team member’s exception
3. The service’s exception
4. The service’s own settings (its prep/clean-up time, deposit, and “the assistant can book this”)
5. Your basics

Example: your basics say 24-hour free cancellation. The Colour service has an exception of 48 hours. Maria, a regular, has a client exception of 2 hours. Maria booking Colour gets 2 hours; anyone else booking Colour gets 48; everything else is 24.

Clients vs. your team

Minimum notice, how far ahead, approvals, the assistant’s booking limit and “the assistant can book this” apply only to bookings made by clients and the assistant. Your team can book anything that fits the calendar. The only rule your team follows is Take walk-ins.

The rules, one by one

Minimum notice

How soon a client can book. Default 1 hour. Options: no minimum, 30 minutes, 1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 hours, 1 or 2 days. Exceptions: per service or team member.

Example: it’s 14:00 and notice is 1 hour. 14:45 is refused (“too soon to book online”); 15:00 is fine.

Book up to … days ahead

How far ahead a client can book. Default 60 days, from 1 to 365. Exceptions: per service or team member.

Example: with 60 days, a client can’t book 9 weeks out — the assistant says it’s too far ahead and offers your team.

Offer start times every

The grid for start times: 5, 10, 15 (default), 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes.

Prep and clean-up time (buffers)

Set on each service, and as exceptions per team member or client (0 to 60 minutes in the app). The time is blocked on the calendar but not shown to clients.

Example: a 30-minute cut at 10:00 with 10 minutes clean-up keeps the chair busy until 10:40, so on a 15-minute grid the next start is 10:45.

Free cancellation until

Your cancellation window. Default 24 hours before; options: any time, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours. Exceptions: per service, team member or client.

• Cancelling inside the window is allowed but counts as a late cancel — see Cancellations & no-shows.
• Moving inside the window isn’t possible by message: the assistant says it’s too close to the appointment and offers your team.

Example: 24-hour window. At 18:00 a client cancels their 10:00 appointment tomorrow — 16 hours ahead — so it’s a late cancel.

Clients can cancel / reschedule by message

Both on by default. Turn one off and the assistant tells clients to contact your team for that change. Exceptions: per service or client.

Times a client can move one appointment

Default no limit. Options: not at all (only your team), once, 2, 3, 5 or 10 times. Only moves made by the client or the assistant count — your team’s don’t. Exceptions: per service or client.

Example: set to once. A client moves Tuesday to Thursday by message. Asking again, they’re told it has already been moved the most times allowed.

Keep the deposit when someone cancels late

On by default. Off means a paid deposit is refunded even on a late cancel. Exceptions: per service or client.

Late-cancellation fee and no-show fee

None by default, or a fixed amount, or a percentage of the price. Exceptions: per service or client.

Deposit to book

Off by default. Set a fixed deposit on each service, or a fixed or percentage deposit as an exception per service, team member or client. See Deposits.

Ask for a deposit after … no-shows

Default: after 2 no-shows, a client pays $10 (“Their deposit”) to book services that don’t already need one. Options: never, or 1 to 5 no-shows. You can also tick Always ask for a deposit on one client’s profile.

Booking requests need your approval

Default never. New clients: a first-time client’s booking waits for your team. Everyone: every client or assistant booking waits. Exceptions: per service, team member or client.

• “New client” means no completed visit yet — someone with only an upcoming first appointment still counts as new.
• While waiting, the time is kept for them. If nobody answers, it’s released after 24 hours by default (1 hour to 7 days), or at the appointment time if that comes first.
• The assistant never says “booked” for a request — it says your team will confirm.

Take walk-ins

On by default. Off stops your team adding walk-ins for that service or person. Exceptions: per service or team member.

Upcoming appointments one client can book through the assistant

Default 3. Past this, the assistant hands the request to your team instead of booking. Exceptions: per client.

Booking through the assistant

Each service has The assistant can book this. You can also turn assistant booking off for one team member or one client. Clients are then asked to book with your team.

Holding times (advanced)

Exceptions

Use Add exception at the bottom of Booking rules: choose a service, a team member or a client, then the rule. Exceptions for individual clients are only seen by your team and never published.

What clients and your assistant are told

Booking rules shows a live preview of your policy, written from your rules — so what clients are told always matches what’s enforced. With the defaults and payments connected, it reads:

• Book at least 1 hour ahead, up to 60 days ahead.
• Free cancellation up to 1 day before your appointment.
• Cancelling later than that: the deposit is kept.
• Changes within 1 day of the appointment go through the team.
• After 2 missed appointments, a $10 deposit is needed to book.
• Walk-ins are welcome when someone is free.

The preview can be shown in each language you offer. It includes deposits per service and services that always need approval, but never client exceptions.