How to set days off and breaks in your calendar

Mark days off and breaks in “Availability” and they disappear from the times clients can book.

Calendar and availability

Days off, public holidays and daily breaks are set in the “Availability” section of each provider. Once marked, those times are no longer offered on the public booking page.

For a day off or a closure, add a block or an exception for that provider and date. You can do this for a single day, a few days in a row, or a longer period such as the summer holidays. During that time the public page offers no times for that provider.

Public holidays aren’t loaded automatically from a national calendar. Add the dates you’re closed by hand, for the whole team or provider by provider, and do it for the year ahead so you don’t forget.

A daily break is easiest to set by splitting the day into two availability ranges, for example 9:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, so the gap isn’t offered. Each provider has their own schedule, so a colleague’s leave doesn’t affect anyone else’s calendar.

Blocking time doesn’t touch bookings that already exist. Before you close for a period, look at the calendar or the bookings list for those dates, then contact those clients and move or cancel their bookings yourself, because no message goes to clients automatically.

What to remember

  • ✓Blocks and exceptions remove times from the public page at once
  • ✓A break is set by leaving a gap between two availability ranges
  • ✓Holidays are added by hand; existing bookings aren’t cancelled by a new block

Common questions

Can I let existing clients know if I close temporarily?+

Not through the tool. Open the bookings list for those dates, export it as CSV or PDF if useful, and contact the clients by phone or text.

How do I handle a day that’s only partly off, such as a free morning and an open afternoon?+

Set the availability for that day to cover only the hours you’re open, or block the hours you’re not. Clients will see only the times that remain.

More guides to read

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