Settings → Booking Rules

Buffer time, slot intervals, advance windows — the timing rules that decide which slots a customer can book.

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Moved in v2.6.0

As of version 2.6.0, the Booking tab no longer exists as a separate tab. These settings now live as a sub-section of the General tab.

New path: Advik Booking → Settings → General → Booking. Jump to the General → Booking section →

Where to find it

Advik Booking → Settings → General → Booking (previously: Settings → Booking).

Settings

SettingDefaultWhat it does
Buffer time (minutes)0Free time inserted before and after every booking. Useful for travel between jobs. Example: 30 min buffer = a 10:00–12:00 booking blocks 9:30–12:30.
Slot interval (minutes)30How finely the day is divided. 30 = 10:00, 10:30, 11:00… 15 = 10:00, 10:15, 10:30…
Max advance days60Customer can't book more than this many days in the future.
Min advance hours24Customer can't book less than this many hours from now. Prevents "I need a haircut in 15 minutes".
Cancellation window (hours)24Customer can't self-cancel a booking starting in less than this many hours. Separate from the per-account cancel window in Customer Accounts.

How it all fits together

When a customer picks a date and a service, the slot picker shows only the times that satisfy:

  1. The chosen staff is working on that day (and not on break / holiday).
  2. The chosen staff has no conflicting booking (with buffer applied).
  3. The slot starts at a multiple of the slot interval.
  4. The slot is at least min advance hours from now.
  5. The slot is at most max advance days from now.
  6. The slot has enough free time to fit base + (fields × per_unit) + addons in minutes.
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Tuning tip

Most service businesses find 30-minute slot intervals and a 15-minute buffer hit the sweet spot. If you offer very short sessions (e.g. 15-min consultations), drop the interval to 15.

Examples

Cleaning company, hourly slots

Slot interval60 min
Buffer15 min
Min advance24 hours
Max advance60 days

Salon, 15-minute appointments

Slot interval15 min
Buffer5 min
Min advance2 hours
Max advance30 days

Restaurant, group-only

Slot interval30 min
Buffer0
Min advance4 hours
Max advance90 days
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If customers see no slots at all

Check this order:
  1. Is there a staff assigned to the chosen service?
  2. Is that staff Active and has working hours on the chosen day?
  3. Is the date within max advance days?
  4. Is the time at least min advance hours from now?
  5. Is the buffer swallowing all the free time? Try 0 temporarily.