services only on certain days

[hhh7029]

Hello! I own a jewelry business, and we offer in person appointments for two different services. They cannot be booked at the same time, but they are both available on Thursday and Fridays and just one of them is available on Saturday and Sunday. There is only one staff member, so when one service is booked the other one cannot be double booked. Additionally, only one service is available on weekends. Is there a work around for this?

[Summer2024 · Accepted solution]

Hi, @hhh7029 !

First, looking at your Settings > Calendar & Booking, is "Allow multiple services to be booked online" toggled on? If so, that would allow your clients to double book services. By default, this setting should be turned off.

I'm going to try to break this down and create a solution that prevents double-booking while maintaining different service availability for weekdays vs. weekends.

Current Situation (Let me know if I have this wrong):

1. Two different services
2. One staff member
3. Both services available Thursday-Friday
4. Only one service available Saturday-Sunday
5. No double booking allowed

Solution Options:

1. Primary Setup Method:

   • Go to Square Dashboard > Appointments > Settings
   • Configure staff availability first:
     1. Set general availability for Thu-Sun
     2. Create specific service availability
   • Set up services:
     1. Service A (Available Thu-Sun)
     2. Service B (Available Thu-Fri only)

2. Detailed Configuration Steps:

   A. Staff Availability:

   • Set base schedule for Thu-Sun
   • Enable "Prevent Double-Booking"

   B. Service Settings:

   • First Service:
     • Set availability for Thu-Sun
     • Define duration
     • Enable online booking
   • Second Service:
     • Set availability for Thu-Fri only
     • Define duration
     • Enable online booking
     • Set buffer time if needed

3. Additional Settings to Implement:

   A. Booking Rules:

   • Enable "Prevent Double-Booking"
   • Set appropriate buffer times
   • Configure preparation time if needed

   B. Service Availability:

   • Create specific schedules for each service
   • Set day-specific rules
   • Configure blackout dates if needed

Step-by-Step Implementation:

1. Configure Staff Member:

   • Go to Team Settings
   • Set base availability:
     • Thursday: [Your Hours]
     • Friday: [Your Hours]
     • Saturday: [Your Hours]
     • Sunday: [Your Hours]

2. Set Up Services:

   • Go to Services
   • For Service A:
     • Enable all days (Thu-Sun)
     • Set duration
     • Enable online booking
   • For Service B:
     • Enable weekdays only (Thu-Fri)
     • Set duration
     • Enable online booking

3. Create Booking Rules:

   • Enable conflict prevention
   • Set buffer times between appointments
   • Configure maximum booking window

Additional Tips:

1. Testing Your Setup:

   • Create test bookings
   • Verify weekend restrictions
   • Check double-booking prevention
   • Test from customer perspective

2. Maintenance:

   • Regularly verify settings
   • Update availability as needed
   • Monitor for booking conflicts

Common Issues to Watch For:

1. Buffer times creating unwanted gaps
2. Incorrect day restrictions
3. Accidental double bookings
4. Calendar sync issues

I hope this helps!

[albertom]

To be able to do this, which kind of appointment subscription do you need? I can't seem to find the place to setup service availability on different days.