Your complete guide to online booking
Practical answers to 35 questions on handling online bookings, written for both clients and businesses.
Booking as a client
How do you book a salon appointment online?
Pick your slot on the salon’s booking page at any hour; the salon confirms the request afterwards.
How do you book an appointment with a doctor online?
Request a consultation on the practice’s booking page whenever suits you; the practice confirms it afterwards.
How do you book a car service online?
Pick the job and a free time on the garage’s booking page; the garage confirms the request afterwards.
How do you cancel an appointment online?
Use the management link from your confirmation screen and you’re done, with no phone call.
How do you reschedule a booking online?
Open your management link, pick a new free time and confirm, in just a few clicks.
Running your business
How can you manage client appointments in an app?
One panel for your bookings, providers and services, with a calendar you can read by day, week or month.
How do you stop appointments from overlapping?
Only free times are offered, and a request holds its time from the moment it’s sent.
How does booking confirmation work?
Each request stays pending until your team confirms it in the panel; letting the client know is up to you.
How do you keep clients informed about appointments?
4appointments sends no messages to clients, so here’s a simple manual routine that works.
How do you manage appointments for several staff members?
Each provider has their own schedule and link, and the team calendar shows everyone together.
Diary and availability
How do you set up time slots for appointments?
Set the weekly schedule, the duration of each service and the notice rules; clients then see only real free times.
How do you set days off and breaks in your calendar?
Mark days off and breaks in “Availability” and they disappear from the times clients can book.
How do you manage staff availability in a booking system?
Each provider has a weekly rota of their own, and the booking page offers only the times when that person is free.
How do you create an online calendar for your clients?
A public booking page showing free times, with a link you can share wherever your clients are.
Payments and deposits
How does payment work for appointments?
Online payment isn’t part of the current plans; payment is arranged between you and your client.
How can you handle a deposit when clients book online?
The tool doesn’t collect deposits, but a pending booking holds the time until you have your payment.
How do you reduce no-shows for appointments?
Confirm each booking yourself, contact clients before the visit and make cancelling easy.
How do you invoice an appointment booked online?
4appointments issues no invoices; you export the booking data and invoice with your own tool.
Fixing common issues
Why am I not receiving appointment notifications?
4appointments doesn’t email or message clients, so the final screen and the business itself are what count.
Why can’t I see my appointments in the calendar?
Check the view and date range, the booking status, calendar visibility and your external ICS calendars.
How do you fix overlapping appointments?
Find where the overlap came from, move one booking and keep every booking in a single place.
How do you deal with clients who don’t show up?
Confirm by hand before the day, review your cancellations and agree clear terms with clients.
How do you remind clients ahead of an appointment?
4appointments sends nothing to clients, so a short daily routine with your own channels does the job.
Guides by type of business
How can a beauty salon take bookings online?
A calendar for every stylist or therapist, services with set durations and one link for your social media bio.
How do you handle patient bookings online?
A calendar for every doctor, consultation types as services and confirmation done by your reception.
How do you set up a booking system for a car service garage?
Job types with set durations, one calendar per mechanic or ramp and confirmation by your own team.
How do you set up an online calendar for consultations?
One personal booking link, session types as services and your other calendar as busy time.
Other questions
How do you build a complete online booking system for your business?
Account, services, providers, public page and a simple daily routine, set up one step at a time.
How do you keep clients informed about their appointments?
The tool sends no emails or texts to clients, so a short routine of your own covers each step.
How do you manage appointments across multiple locations?
One provider per place gives each location its own calendar and link, as a practical workaround.
How do you link your calendar to 4appointments?
There’s no direct Google Calendar or Outlook sync; three ICS options connect your calendars today.
Set-up and integrations
What is the public booking page and how does it work?
A link where clients see free times and ask for a booking by themselves, at any hour.
How do you add the booking system to your own website?
Add a “Book now” link or button that opens your booking page; there’s no embed code or plugin.
Is it possible to send my booking link over WhatsApp?
Yes. Copy the link and paste it into any chat app; you send it, and 4appointments sends nothing itself.
How do you brand the booking page as your own?
Set your business name, logo and primary colour; other elements of the page are fixed for now.
Shall we get you started?
Get your own booking page up and running in 15 minutes.
Give 4appointments a go →