Estimated Arrival Time Window for Appointments

[kailin]

Something that would really benefit the service industry (vs. retail) would be the ability to be able to have an arrival window instead of a particular time. For example, instead of setting an appointment for 9 AM, it would be 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM. 

I am mobile dog groomer (there are a LOT of us that use Square) and our arrival time for  appointments vary due to traffic, the length of the time it takes to groom the dog, ect. Some people may only need a 15 minute window, others like myself need 45 minutes to an hour. 

[NShape]

I’ve been wanting this. We need this too.

[RosieRose]

This would be so great!

[Pawspaw]

Yes our mobile business NEEDS this 🐶

[TrueBlueLeak]

Yes please!

[sayra]

Hello, @kailin. - Thank you so much for submitting this Feature Request!

The ability to provide a gap of time rather than a set time would be great for a business like yours. We can understand how useful this would be. I've updated this request to the "Open" status. This step in the Feature Request process will be a time in which other sellers like the ones below can add their use cases. 

If you don’t mind and when time allows it, can you please add more details to how this feature will benefit your business @NShape @RosieRose @TrueBlueLeak @Pawspaw. We would like to make your request stronger and demonstrate further how much it is needed.

Thank you. 

[kailin]

Any business that uses a motor vehicle to perform their job duties would benefit from an estimated arrival time feature. 

As a mobile dog groomer, when I schedule my clients I give myself an hour arrival window (Example, ETA 9 AM - 10 AM) to make sure that I give myself enough time to arrive without having to rush through hazards or instances that prevent me from arriving at one set time (Example, 9 AM). It is almost impossible to arrive ON TIME for a scheduled appointment on the road. 

Square does not currently support this feature, so when I book my clients appointment their message states that our appointment time is for "9 am" when really it would be more beneficial to have the message say "arrival time of 9 AM - 10 AM".

For example, I can be set back 15 minutes ALL DAY if a client arrives late, I can be set back another 20 minutes if there is a traffic jam, and if I am working with a difficult dog it may take me an extra 15-20 minutes to properly complete it's grooming session without rushing. This is about an hour of obstacles that can occur that would affect my ability to arrive for a 9 AM appointment.

However, if I was able to send my client an estimated arrival time of 9 AM - 10 AM, I would still be "on time" as I would have arrived within my allotted window (We should have the option to choose our window; 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, ect.)

There are other companies that have done this for years...think about your plumber, electrician, cable company (Comcast). They give windows of sometimes 2-4 hours because they can be impacted by the same complications. These complications 100% impact arrival time, and this is why it is so important.

There are so many mobile groomers that use Square and love it, and this would be a feature that would be used by many. 

@sayra @TrueBlueLeak  @Pawspaw @RosieRose  @NShape 

[TrueBlueLeak]

Heck yeah.

We typically are always on time for our first appointment, but first appointments vary with how long the appointment might make.

Giving a window will not only give our customers a better idea of when we will be there, but it will also give them a better expectation of our service. 

also if customers expect us within a window instead of an exact time, we can more easily manage their expectations thus creating a better customer experience.

[NShape]

Both of these comments explained exactly what would be beneficial to our business. I have nothing else to add because it has all been said here. Looking forward to this feature!

[ShyNon]

Yes please, Need this badly!

[kailin]

@sayra Any update on the status of this??? I sooooooo need this for my clients.