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Online booking

Let customers book a service and an open time themselves. Approve each booking first, or let it go straight onto your schedule.

Online booking is for work you're happy to schedule without a quote first, like a tune-up or a service call. Customers pick a service, see only the times your team is actually free, and book in a minute.

Set it up

  1. Go to Settings → Online booking.
  2. Under Services customers can book, click Add service. Enter a name (like "Garage door tune-up"), a short description, the Length in minutes and a Price. Leave the price blank to show "Priced on site". Untick On to hide a service without deleting it.
  3. Under When customers can book, tick the days you work and set the hours for each.
  4. Set Start times every (15, 30 or 60 min), Minimum notice in hours, how far ahead people can Book up to, and the Gap between visits for travel.
  5. Under Who can be booked, pick team members, or leave it empty for everyone.
  6. Optionally add a Message on the booking page, like "For new installs, request a free quote instead."
  7. Switch on Accept online bookings at the top and click Save (top right).
Services customers can book
Services customers can book
When customers can book
When customers can book

You need at least one service before you can turn booking on. Only people whose role includes Business settings (Owners, for example) can change these settings.

Days and times are in your business's time zone, set in Settings → Branding. Customers see times in that zone too, wherever they're booking from.

Your link appears under Accept online bookings. Copy it and put it on your website, Google Business Profile and social pages. Click Open to try it yourself.

Heads up: The link uses your website address. If you don't see a link, set up your website on the Website page first. See Publish your website.

What your customer sees

  1. What do you need? They pick a service, with its length and price.
  2. Pick a day and time. Only open times show.
  3. Your details. Name, email, phone, service address and anything you should know.
  4. They tap Confirm booking. With Require my approval before confirming on, they see Thanks! We got your request and "We'll confirm shortly". With it off, they see You're booked.
Your booking page, step 1
Your booking page, step 1

A time is open when at least one bookable team member has nothing else scheduled then, allowing for your gap between visits. If two people try for the same slot, only the first gets it.

Approve bookings first

Require my approval before confirming (in Settings → Online booking) is on for new businesses. Each booking then becomes a request you answer:

  1. The time is held on your schedule as a dashed Requested visit, so nobody else can book it. It isn't a job yet: it's not on the day's route, gets no day-before reminder and can't get "On my way".
  2. Your customer gets a Request received email saying you'll confirm shortly. If your business has Inbox, they get your own automatic reply instead (set it in Settings → Inbox), and the request starts a conversation in Inbox where you can answer it.
  3. Everyone whose role includes Business settings gets an email and a push notification. The request shows at the top of Requests under Online booking requests waiting, and on your Dashboard.
  4. Answer it from Requests (or open the visit on the Schedule):
  • Approve: the job is created, the visit is scheduled and the customer gets You're booked.
  • Suggest another time: pick up to three open times. The time they asked for is released, and they get an email with a link to pick one. Picking a time books it (if it's still open). The link works for 3 days.
  • Decline: the visit is removed, the time is free again, and they get a polite email, with your reason if you add one, and a link to pick another time. Already talked to them, or it's spam? Untick Tell them by email to close it without an email; what you type is kept as a note for your team.

If nobody answers

Everyone whose role includes Business settings gets a reminder (email and push notification). Each one goes once per request, and the time stays held:

  • Still waiting: after 24 hours. If the time they asked for is within the next 2 days, after 2 hours instead. These go between 7am and 9pm.
  • Last call: 3 hours before the time they asked for. For an early-morning time, it comes at 9pm the evening before.
  • Missed: if the time passes without an answer, the hold is released, the customer gets a short apology from you with a link to pick another time, and you're told it was missed.

Requests don't expire just because time passes: they wait until you answer or the time goes by. For event days, see Answer an event request.

Heads up: Businesses that were already taking online bookings before this setting existed keep instant booking until they switch it on.

What happens when someone books (instant booking)

With Require my approval before confirming off:

  • A job is created with a visit at that time, assigned to the free team member. If the service has a price, the job gets that line item.
  • The customer is added to your customer list, or matched to an existing customer with the same email.
  • The booking also shows in Requests with source Online booking, already marked Converted.
  • Your customer gets a confirmation email. Everyone whose role includes Business settings (Owners, for example) gets an email, and they and the assigned person get a push notification.

To change or cancel a booking, open the job on your schedule. See Schedule visits and assign crews.

Tip: Customers who need to change their time can reply to the confirmation email.