Request for Enhanced Customizable Service Durations and Gap Management in Square Appointments

[HavenHolistic]

Hello Square Team,

I’m reaching out to request an enhancement to the booking functionality within Square Appointments that would greatly benefit service providers like myself.

Currently, I am using the "according to service duration" option for booking. However, this setting creates significant issues when booking longer appointments. Since my services typically last 2.5 hours or more, the 60-minute increment duration setting is not ideal.

For example, if I have an 8-hour workday and a client wants to book a 4-hour and 15-minute service, the system will only show one available time (9am), even though a later time (12:45pm) would also fit perfectly into my schedule. This restricts my clients’ options, creates inefficiencies in my day, and can result in unused time slots that would otherwise be bookable.

I would like to request that Square consider the following enhancements:

1. Customizable Service Durations: Allow service providers to set service durations in any increment they choose (e.g., 2.5 hours), rather than being limited to 60-minute increments.

2. Advanced Gap Management: Improve the booking logic to offer multiple available time slots for longer services. Currently, only one time is shown, but it would be more beneficial to have options similar to other booking platforms like Acuity, which allow scheduling around existing appointments or at the start/end of the day.

These changes would enable service providers to better manage their schedules, maximize availability, and enhance the booking experience for clients. Square is a powerful tool for small businesses, and improving this functionality would significantly enhance its usability for service-based industries.

Thank you for considering this request. I truly appreciate the continued improvements you make to the platform and look forward to seeing Square evolve to better meet the diverse needs of its users.

[MayaP]

Hey @HavenHolistic ,

Thank you for taking the time to share your valuable feedback and suggestions for enhancing Square Appointments. I understand how important flexible scheduling is for service providers, especially when it comes to managing longer appointments efficiently.

I truly appreciate your support and feedback. While I don’t have a timeline for when these specific enhancements might be implemented, we’re constantly striving to improve our services to better meet the needs of businesses like yours. Please stay tuned for future updates!

Thank you again for the suggestion!

[c2onpoint]

I also could really use this feature. I pay for childcare and prefer to have my day squashed into one chunk. Not having this feature costs me money and time in contacting clients directly to move them. It minimizes the times that show up when clients book. Please please add this feature. I’m considering switching on this alone 

[staffs]

we need a minimise gap feature it affects bookings so much

[c2onpoint]

Yes!! I am looking for another software that has this feature specifically and a couple others that are important to me. It will be the reason I leave Square, sadly.