Booking requests and approval

What it is

With booking approval on, a booking a client makes online, on your booking page, website widget or through the booking API, is held as a request until you accept or decline it. The client is told it is requested, and the time is held for them. You choose every online booking or only new clients, and a client's move of a confirmed booking can wait for your yes too. Bookings your team makes are never held. The one exception is a visit of several services booked through the dashboard assistant, which follows the same rule as an online booking.

Why it helps

You decide who books before a time is confirmed, with no back and forth. Nothing waits forever: a request nobody answers is declined for you after the hours you choose, the time is freed and the client is told. Your team is reminded once, half way.

How to use it

1. 1Open Settings, then Booking approval, and turn on Approve online bookings before they are confirmed. Under Which online bookings, choose Every online booking or Only new clients. A new client has no visit and no confirmed booking with you yet.
2. 2Turn on Client moves need approval too if a client moving a confirmed booking from their booking link should wait for your answer. The booking keeps its time until you accept the new one.
3. 3Under Decline unanswered requests after, set how many hours a request may wait, from 1 to 336 (48 to start). A request also lapses at its own start time. Tap Save booking approval.
4. 4Open Booking requests to see what is waiting, oldest first, each with when it has to be answered by. Tap Accept to confirm it, or Decline, with a note for the client if you like. The client is emailed either way.
5. 5A deposit is taken when the request is made and refunded if you decline. A request whose deposit is still being paid can be answered once the payment has gone through.
6. 6Only a role that may edit the calendar can answer, and someone who sees only their own calendar sees only their own requests. You can also ask the assistant to accept one, for example "Accept the request from Olivia for Saturday": it shows the request on a card for you to confirm. Declining is done here, because it can refund a deposit.