Bookings
Creating a Booking
Creating a Booking
Book an appointment for a customer by selecting services, choosing a staff member and time slot, and adding the client's details.
Overview
Creating a booking lets you:
- Select one or more services and optional add-ons for the appointment
- Assign a specific staff member or let the system find any available team member
- Pick a date and time from available slots
- Search for an existing client or enter a walk-in name
- Add internal notes visible only to your team
- Set up a recurring series for repeat appointments
- Send an automatic confirmation to the customer via SMS or email
Opening the Booking Form
On Web
There are several ways to start a new booking:
- Press the N key on your keyboard
- Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows)
- Click the "New Booking" button on the calendar page
- Click an empty time slot on the calendar (pre-fills the date and time)
The booking form opens as a panel on the right side of the screen.
On Mobile
- Tap the floating action button (bottom-right) and select "New booking"
- Tap a recent client avatar on the Today or Schedule screen (pre-fills the client)
The booking form opens as a full-screen view.
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Select Services
Choose the services for this appointment.
- Under Service, browse the list grouped by category
- Tap or click a service to select it — you can select multiple services
- The total duration and price update automatically as you add services
On mobile, if your venue has 6 or more services, a search field appears with the placeholder "Search services..." to help you find services quickly.
Each service shows its name, duration, and price. Selected services display a running total (e.g., "2 selected · 1h 30min · A$150.00").
Step 2: Add Add-Ons (Optional)
If any of your selected services have linked add-ons, an "Enhance Your Appointment" section appears below the services.
- Select any add-ons to include
- Each add-on shows its additional price and duration (e.g., "+$25.00 · +15 min")
Add-ons are added to the total duration and price of the booking.
Step 3: Choose a Staff Member
Select who will perform the service.
On web:
- Click a specific staff member's name, or select "Any" to let the system assign an available team member
On mobile:
- Tap the staff chip at the top of the screen (defaults to "Any staff")
- Select a specific team member or leave it as "Any staff"
Only staff members who are assigned to the selected services and available on the chosen date appear as options.
Tip
If you are logged in as a staff member, the form automatically pre-selects you as the assigned staff.
Step 4: Pick a Date
On web:
- A horizontal date strip shows the next 90 days
- Dates with available slots show an availability indicator
- Click a date to select it, or use the scroll arrows to navigate
On mobile:
- The current date appears in the context bar at the top (e.g., "Today" or "Mon, 22 Mar")
- Tap the date to open a calendar picker, or use the left and right arrows to step through days
Step 5: Choose a Time Slot
Available time slots appear in a grid after you select a date.
- Time slots are shown in 15-minute intervals during business hours
- Click or tap a slot to select it — the selected slot is highlighted
- Booked slots appear greyed out and cannot be selected
On web, you can toggle "Show all times" to see slots outside business hours.
If no slots are available on the selected date, you see "No available slots on this date." On mobile, tap "Find next available day" to jump forward.
Step 6: Add the Client
Enter the customer for this booking.
Searching for an existing client:
- Start typing a name, email, or phone number in the client field
- Matching clients appear in a dropdown
- Select the client to populate their details
Walk-in or new client:
- Type the client's name
- If no match is found, the form offers "Use '[name]' as walk-in" (web) or uses the name directly (mobile)
- Optionally expand "Add phone or email" to enter contact details
A phone number or email address is needed for OpenChair to send the customer a booking confirmation. If neither is provided, no confirmation is sent.
If you enter a phone number or email that matches an existing client, a duplicate warning appears with the option to "Use existing client" (web) or "Use existing" (mobile) to link the booking to their profile.
Step 7: Add Notes (Optional)
Expand the Notes section and enter any internal notes for the appointment (e.g., "Prefers quiet area" or "Allergic to latex"). Notes are visible only to your team, not to the customer.
On web, the notes section is inside the collapsible "Notes, duration override & recurrence" area.
On mobile, tap Notes (labelled "Optional") to expand the text field.
Step 8: Override Duration (Optional, Web Only)
If the appointment will take longer or shorter than the default service duration, enter a custom value in the "Duration override (minutes)" field inside the collapsible section. This overrides the calculated total without changing your service settings.
Step 9: Create the Booking
Review the summary line at the bottom of the form, which shows the selected services, time, and client name.
- If all required fields are complete, click or tap "Create Booking"
- If creating a recurring series, the button reads "Create Series"
- While submitting, the button shows "Creating..."
If a required field is missing, the button shows what is needed (e.g., "Select a service", "Choose a time", or "Add a client"). On mobile, tapping the disabled button scrolls to the missing field.
Setting Up a Recurring Series
To schedule a series of repeat appointments:
- Complete steps 1–6 above (select a service, staff, time, and client)
- Toggle "Recurring appointment" on
- Choose how often the appointment repeats:
- Preset intervals: Weekly, Fortnightly, Every 3 weeks, Every 4 weeks, Every 6 weeks, Every 8 weeks, Every 12 weeks
- Or select Custom and enter a number of weeks (1–52)
- Choose when the series ends:
- After N appointments — set the number (2–52)
- By date — pick an end date (up to 52 weeks out)
- The preview text shows how many appointments will be created and when the next one falls
On mobile, the interval options appear as horizontal scroll buttons: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and Custom.
If the customer has previous booking history and your venue has a PRO subscription, the system may suggest an interval based on their visit pattern (e.g., "History suggests fortnightly" on web, or "Suggested based on visit history" on mobile).
Recurring series support a single service. If you have selected multiple services, only the first is used for the series.
After creating a series, if any appointments in the series have a time conflict with existing bookings, a warning appears with the number of flagged appointments. Review these on the calendar and reassign if needed.
What Happens After Creating a Booking
After you tap or click "Create Booking" or "Create Series":
- A confirmation toast appears: "Booking created — [services] for [client name]" (single booking) or "Recurring series created ([N] appointments)" (series)
- The booking appears on the calendar immediately
- If the customer has an email address or phone number, a confirmation SMS or email is sent automatically
- A notification is created for the venue: "New Booking" with the client name and services
Web vs Mobile
| Feature | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Open booking form | N key, Cmd+K, "New Booking" button, click calendar slot | Floating action button, recent client tap |
| Service search | Available when many services | Shown when 6+ services |
| Staff selection | Inline in form ("Any" option) | Context bar chip at top |
| Date selection | Horizontal date strip (90 days) | Date navigator with arrows + calendar picker |
| Time display | Grid with "Show all times" toggle | Grid of tappable slots |
| Duration override | Yes (collapsible section) | Not available |
| Recurrence intervals | Dropdown menu | Horizontal scroll buttons |
| Portfolio pre-auth | Checkbox in form | Toggle switch |
| Offline queueing | Not available | Bookings queued if offline, synced when reconnected |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| No time slots showing for the selected date | The staff member may be fully booked, off-roster, or outside operating hours. Try selecting a different date or choosing "Any" / "Any staff" to see all available team members. |
| A service is not appearing in the list | Check that the service is active in your service menu and assigned to at least one staff member. Go to Services in the sidebar to verify. |
| "Time overlaps with existing booking" warning | The selected time slot conflicts with another booking for that staff member. Choose a different time or a different staff member. |
| Cannot tap "Create Booking" — button says "Select a service" | You must select at least one service before creating a booking. Scroll up to the Service section and tap a service. |
| Customer not receiving confirmation SMS or email | The customer must have a phone number or email address saved on the booking. Walk-in bookings with only a name do not receive confirmations. Edit the booking to add contact details. |
| "Failed to create booking" error | Check your internet connection and try again. If the error persists, refresh the page or restart the app. |
Related Articles
- Using the Calendar
- Recurring Bookings (Series)
- Booking Inspector & Quick Actions
- Calendar Views
- Deposits
- Managing Services
Last updated: March 2026