When you need it
- You want different rules for different services, such as paid consultations and a free advice clinic.
- You want to confirm each booking yourself before it is final.
- You run a drop-in or clinic where several people can book the same time.
Before you start
- Add at least one service first: until then the tab says Add a service first. See Add a service.
Step by step
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Open CaliDiary → Appointments and choose the Booking set-ups tab.
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Press Add booking set-up.
[Screenshot to come] It will show: The Booking set-ups tab with its “What booking set-ups are” box and the Add booking set-up button, and the “Consultations” card.The Booking set-ups tab with the Add booking set-up button (Appointments → Booking set-ups) -
Give it a Name that visitors see as the heading, such as “Consultations” or “Free advice clinic”.
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Under Services in this set-up, tick the services it offers. Each service is in one set-up only, so ticking one that is in another set-up moves it here.
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Set the rules:
- People who can book the same time: 1 for one-to-one, more for a clinic or drop-in (then Places one visitor can take appears);
- Minimum notice and Book up to (days ahead);
- Start times every, Free time before and Free time after, for a gap between appointments.
[Screenshot to come] It will show: The Add booking set-up window scrolled to Services in this set-up (Free 15-minute call ticked), People who can book the same time 4, Minimum notice, Book up to (days ahead) and Start times every.The booking set-up window with its services and rules for a free advice clinic (Appointments → Booking set-ups → Add booking set-up) -
Choose how bookings are handled:
- I’ll confirm each booking myself, if you want to accept each request;
- Customers must choose a person, if they should pick who they see (otherwise anyone available is booked);
- Customers can move their booking, and until when.
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Under When customers pay, choose On the day, Before the appointment (bank transfer or payment link) or Nothing to pay. See Tell customers how to pay you.
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Press Add booking set-up. Its card shows its rules, its services and its shortcode.
[Screenshot to come] It will show: The new “Free advice clinic” card: its rule chips (such as “4 people per time”, “2 hours notice”, “Up to 60 days ahead”, “Nothing to pay”), its services, the Edit, Duplicate and Delete buttons and the shortcode row.A booking set-up card showing its rules, services and shortcode (Appointments → Booking set-ups)
Tips
- Duplicate copies a set-up's rules into a new one called “… (copy)”, with no services ticked. Tick its services in Edit.
- With more than one location, Limit to one location makes a set-up for one office only, so visitors skip the “Where” step.
- Short name for the shortcode (optional) gives a readable shortcode, such as
[calidiary setup="consultations"]. - On Solo and Pro a set-up can also take deposits or online payments, offer several services in one appointment, run a waiting list, send its own reminders, add a video meeting and accept passes and memberships. On Free these show as previews.
Common problems
The card says “No services ticked yet: it can’t be booked until you tick one in Edit.”
Press Edit and tick at least one service under Services in this set-up.
“Use lower-case letters, numbers and hyphens only, such as first-visit.”
The short name can't have capitals, spaces or other signs. Leave it empty and CaliDiary makes one from the name.
There is no Add booking set-up button
The button appears once you have a service. Press Go to Services and add one first.
Deleting a set-up: what happens to its services and bookings?
Its services are kept, in no booking set-up, until you tick them in another one. Bookings already made are kept.