Overview
Three settings decide which appointment times clients see: the Precision Scheduling slider, fixed appointment start times, and Group booking options. Use them on their own or together. You’ll find them in Manage Location › Booking. The slider is the first setting on the page, fixed start times are under Appointments, and group booking options are under Online booking.
New here? Start with the Booking Settings Guide.
Precision Scheduling Slider
Precision Scheduling always shows clients its Optimal times, the ones that best protect your calendar. It also shows extra filler times so clients have more to choose from. The slider controls how many filler times appear.
The slider runs from More client choice on the left, through Balanced in the middle, to High calendar efficiency on the right.
Slider stop | What clients see | Filler times appear about every |
1 · More client choice | The most times | 15 minutes |
2 | More times | 30 minutes |
3 · Balanced (default) | A steady mix | 60 minutes |
4 | Fewer times, more optimized | 120 minutes |
5 · High calendar efficiency | The fewest, best times | 240 minutes |
Match it to your services. Filler times work best when they line up with your most common services and how long they take.
What happens when you move it
Toward More client choice: clients see more times, and Precision Scheduling has less room to protect your calendar. Go far left, and you may see times like 10:25.
Toward High calendar efficiency: clients see fewer, better times. Your calendar fills in a more predictable pattern, and it can look like you're in demand.
Example
A one-hour, $100 haircut. The provider works 9 AM to 6 PM with nothing booked. The Optimal times are 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, because they leave one big open block that can be filled many ways.
Slider | Times clients see |
Balanced | 9:00 (Optimal), then filler every 60 minutes: 10:00, 11:00, 12:00... and 5:00 (Optimal) |
More client choice | 9:00 (Optimal), then filler every 15 minutes: 9:15, 9:30, 9:45, 10:00... and 5:00 (Optimal) |
High calendar efficiency | 9:00 (Optimal), 1:00 PM, and 5:00 (Optimal) |
Try it if
Clients tell you they can't find a time, or your services are short. Move toward More client choice.
Your services are long, or you'd rather show fewer, better times. Move toward High calendar efficiency.
Think twice if
You're not seeing a problem. Balanced is the recommended starting point.
You want to go far left. Pair it with Fixed appointment start times (below) so start times stay tidy.
Fixed appointment start times
Turn this on to limit start times to a regular rhythm, like every 15 minutes. Clients see a tidy pattern instead of times like 10:25.
Toggle | What happens | Example |
Off (default) | Start times follow your calendar and Precision Scheduling. | Clients can see 10:25 if that's when a gap opens. |
On | Appointments can only start at the interval you choose. | Every 30 minutes: 10:30, 11:00, 11:30. |
When it's on, you set two things:
How often: how often a start time can appear, like every 15 minutes.
Counting from: where the count starts. Choose the start of availability (recommended). It counts from the start of a shift, or right after an existing appointment or time block. You may also see specific clock times, like 12:00 AM. Those are kept for older setups, so we suggest the start of availability.
Example: every 15 minutes, from the start of availability
A shift starts at 9:00, so times are offered at 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, and so on. If an appointment on the calendar ends at 11:05, the count restarts there: 11:05, 11:20, 11:35.
Ways to use it
Tidy up your times. Pick 15 or 30 minutes so clients see a clean pattern.
Align times with common service durations. Say you mainly offer services that are increments of 15 minutes. Setting the interval to 15 minutes ensures available times line up with that increment. This also works well when you only offer one 90-minute service and every provider takes the same time. Set the interval to 90 minutes. Times then line up right after a shift starts or after each appointment.
Think twice if
You also have the slider set toward High calendar efficiency, or a very large interval. Together they can leave clients with very few times.
You're mixing this up with Calendar settings time intervals. Those change how your calendar looks. They don't change when appointments can start.
Group booking options
When a client books for a group, these options decide how everyone’s appointments line up in time. You’ll find the dropdown under Enable group booking in the Online booking section.
Times that don’t fit your option are hidden, so a stricter option shows fewer times.
Booked at the same time or back-to-back (default for new locations)
Clients can be booked at the same time or one after another. This is the most flexible option, so groups see the most times.
Example: A has a 60-minute haircut, and B has a 30-minute haircut. B can go during A’s appointment, or right before or after it.
Booked at the same time only
Every client’s service has to happen during the longest appointment in the group. Start and end times can differ.
Example: A is 10:00 to 11:00. B can be 10:15 to 10:45, but not 10:45 to 11:15.
Booked at the same time only, starting at the same time
Same as above, and every client also starts at the same time.
Example: A is 10:00 to 11:00. B is 10:00 to 10:30.
What counts as “same time, starting at the same time”?
It follows the same rules as “same time,” with one difference: every booking has to start at the exact same time and finish within the same overall window.
What if guests need different providers?
That works, as long as the booking fits your option and the wait between services isn’t too long. By default, Boulevard allows up to a 15-minute wait between provider changes.
With either “same time” option, guests must usually be assigned to different providers.
Why don’t my groups see any times?
Stricter options show fewer times. Usually the reason a group isn’t bookable is that the booking would require more providers or resources (e.g., rooms) than are available at the same time.
Try it if
Guests should be served together, like friends getting services side by side. Choose Booked at the same time only.
Everyone should start together. Choose Booked at the same time only, starting at the same time.
Think twice if
You have a small team. The stricter options need more providers free at once, so groups may see few or no times.
Suggested setups
Change one setting at a time and give it a few weeks to settle in.
If this sounds like you | Try this |
You're just getting started | Slider on Balanced. Fixed start times off. |
Short services, and clients say there are no times | Slider toward More client choice, with fixed start times on at 15 or 30 minutes. |
One main long service, like 90 minutes | Fixed start times on, with the interval set to the service length. |
You'd rather show fewer, better times | Slider toward High calendar efficiency. |