Availability groups
An availability group is a set of time windows when customers can book. Add one with Add Group and pick its scope:
Each group has a name, a switch to turn it off without deleting it, and its time slots. Add time slot adds another window. Weekly groups take a day for each slot, so a day with a lunch break has two slots, such as 09:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00.
A new booking page starts with one weekly group, open Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 18:00.
Set up weekly hours
1
Add a weekly group
On the Availability tab, select Add Group and choose Weekly Recurring.
2
Add a slot for each day
Pick the day and its start and end time. Select Add time slot for the next day, or for a second window on the same day.
3
Save
Select Save Changes in the bar at the bottom.
Add extra hours
Date Range and Specific Dates groups add hours on top of the weekly ones:- For a special opening, add a Specific Dates group for a day you’re normally closed, such as a Saturday before a holiday.
- For a season, add a Date Range group instead of changing your weekly hours.
Unavailable dates
Unavailable dates closes whole days on the booking page, even when a group opens them. Use it for holidays, a vacation or a training day.1
Add the dates
Under Unavailable dates, select Add dates and choose Specific Dates or Date Range.
2
Pick the days
Pick one or more dates, or the first and last day of the range. Add a name if you like, such as “Summer holidays”.
3
Save
Select Save Changes. CalGest won’t save until every entry has its dates.
Time off and closures
Time off and closures also remove times from the booking page, without changing its availability groups:- Time off for a team member removes their times. Anyone else who can take the booking and is free keeps the time open, and customers who picked that person don’t see it.
- A closure for the whole business removes every slot inside it, including when nobody on the team takes appointments. A closure can cover part of a day.
- In a business of one, the owner’s time off closes the page for that time.
- A public holiday removes every slot of its day only when Close online booking on holidays is on in Settings > General, or that holiday is set to closed. By default holidays leave the booking page open. See Public holidays.
How slots are worked out
CalGest combines your availability groups and offers a start time every Slot interval (set on the Booking rules tab). Each slot is as long as the booked types together: the type’s default duration, or for a combined booking the durations added up. A type without a default duration counts as one slot interval. The whole slot has to fit inside an opening window. CalGest then keeps a slot only while someone who can take the booking is free: inside their working hours, outside their breaks and time off, and with no other appointment then. See Who clients book with. When nobody on the team takes appointments, existing appointments fill slots according to Slot Mode instead. Slots also follow the booking rules:- Slots in the past are never shown.
- Slots more than Book up to days ahead are hidden.
- Slots sooner than Minimum notice are not offered.