Booking window, notice and gap settings explained

The Online booking policy section of Settings > Clinic holds six numbers that shape exactly which slots patients can take, and how freely they can move them. Here is what each one does.

The six settings

• Booking window (days ahead). How far into the future patients can book. Beyond this, no dates are offered.
• Minimum notice (hours). Slots starting within this many hours from now disappear, so you cannot be ambushed by a booking minutes before it starts.
• Reschedule notice (days). How close to the appointment a patient can still move it themselves. Inside this window they must contact you instead.
• Cancellation notice (days). The same idea for cancelling.
• Base appointment duration (minutes). The standard appointment length used where a treatment does not dictate its own.
• Minimal gap between appointments (minutes). Breathing room enforced between bookings, for clean-down and notes.

Getting the balance right

Generous notice protects your day but pushes availability further out; the booking page will land patients on the next day that still has slots, so a long minimum notice can make you look booked up. If patients report there being no times available, check minimum notice and your shifts first.

Remember to press Save booking policy after changing anything. If you also charge a late-cancellation fee, keep its window consistent with your cancellation notice so patients get one coherent message.