๐๏ธ 3.6a How Appointment Availability Works
When a client books an appointment with one of your service providers, Sweatpals works out which times are open in a few steps. This article explains each one, so you know where to set what.
Layer 1: Appointment type hours (the default)
These are the default hours an appointment can be booked, like when your studio or gym offers that service. You set them when you create or edit an appointment type (for example, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM).
- They're set per appointment type. There isn't one "business hours" setting for the whole community.
- They apply to any provider who hasn't set their own hours for that appointment type (Layer 2).
- Who can edit: Admins and Leaders. Service providers can't change them.
Layer 2: A provider's hours for an appointment type
These are the hours a specific provider offers a specific appointment type. For example, Maria offers massages only in the morning and waxing only in the evening.
- They replace Layer 1 for that provider only. This means a provider can offer early morning or late night sessions without changing the appointment type's hours for everyone.
- They replace the whole week, not single days. If a provider's hours for an appointment type leave out a day, they have no slots for it that day, even if the appointment type is open.
- They're still limited by the provider's working hours (Layer 3).
- Who can edit: the provider, or Admins and Leaders.
Layer 3: A provider's working hours
These are the hours a provider works overall. They apply to every appointment type the provider is assigned to, and they limit the hours set in Layers 1 and 2.
- If a provider has no working hours set, this layer doesn't limit anything.
- Once a provider sets working hours, any weekday without hours is fully closed for every appointment type.
- Working hours can only narrow availability, never expand it. If they're as wide as the appointment hours or wider, the bookable times won't change.
- Who can edit: the provider (their own), or Admins and Leaders (anyone's).
Date overrides
Date overrides are exceptions for specific dates, like a vacation, a sick day or custom hours for a date range. They're set per provider, inside their working hours.
- On those dates, the override wins over everything else, including working hours.
- You can mark a date as unavailable all day (time off) or set custom hours for it, and add an optional note.
- They apply to every appointment type the provider offers, and they can open hours beyond all three layers or close the day completely.
Google Calendar integration
Last, Sweatpals removes any time that's already taken: existing bookings, and busy times on the provider's connected Google Calendar. Connecting Google Calendar is optional, but it keeps availability accurate in real time.
How the layers work together
To find the times clients can book you, Sweatpals checks these in order:
- Your hours for this appointment. If you haven't set any, the general appointment hours set by your admin are used instead.
- Your working hours. Only times inside your working hours stay open.
- Your date overrides. Any changes you've made for specific dates are applied, like a day off or extra hours.
- Your existing commitments. Times you're already booked, or busy on your connected Google Calendar, are removed.
What's left is what clients can book with that provider.
Step | Example |
|---|---|
Massage appointment type hours | Mon to Fri, 9 AM to 5 PM |
Maria's own general hours for massages | Mon to Fri, 7 AM to 12 PM (replaces the default for her only) |
Maria's working hours | Mon to Wed, 7 AM to 3 PM |
Maria's date override | Off on Wednesday, Oct 21 |
What massage clients can book with Maria | Massages Mon to Wed, 7 AM to 12 PM, except Oct 21, minus anything already booked |
Notice that Maria can take massages at 7 AM even though the appointment type opens at 9 AM. Her own hours replace the default for her only.
Keep in mind that the availability screens show the hours you saved in each layer, not the final result. To see the times clients can actually book, check the booking page.
Step-by-step: Setting your availability as a service provider
- Go to the Appointments tab.
- Click the โขโขโข menu next to the appointment type and select Edit.
- Scroll down and select Availability.
- Set your hours for this appointment type (Layer 2). Remember that your working hours still limit them.
- Select Your working hours to edit your personal schedule (Layer 3). It applies to every appointment you offer.
- To add time off or custom hours, switch to Date overrides and select +Add.
- Choose a date or a range of dates. Toggle Mark as unavailable all day for time off, and add a note if you'd like.
- Select Save. Your working hours now show on this appointment type and on every other one you offer.
- Optionally, connect your Google Calendar so busy times are blocked automatically.
- When you're ready, select Update.
For Admins and Leaders
You can set working hours for anyone on your team from Team: select the provider, click the three dots (โฎ) and choose Set Working Hours. Service providers don't see the Team tab, so they set their own hours from the appointment type (see the steps above) or with Edit my availability on the Schedule page.
For more on creating appointment types, see 3.6 1:1 Appointments. For adding team members and roles, see 8.5 Team Management.