Introduction to Time Slots
In this article
A Booking Option tells your customer which dates they can choose. A Time Slot tells them which time windows are open inside that day. This article explains when you need slots, when you can skip them, what they connect to, and the order to set things up in.
Contents
Contents
Before You Start
If you want customers to pick a time window, set up your [Booking Options] first, since every time slot is attached to one. If you want different time windows for different areas, set up [Custom Zones] first too.
What a Time Slot Is
A Time Slot is one row of "available time" inside a date that a Booking Option already opened. For example, if your Booking Option opens Standard Home Delivery on Mon to Sat, a Time Slot like 13:30 to 16:30 is what the customer actually taps at checkout.
Without slots, customers only see dates. With slots, they see dates and the time windows you can serve.
When You Need Time Slots
| Booking type | Do you need a Time Slot? |
|---|---|
| Home Pickup | Yes |
| Home Delivery | Yes |
| Onsite Service | Yes |
| Store Pickup | No. The customer walks in, so no window is shown |
If every Booking Option you run is Store Pickup, you can skip Time Slots entirely.
How Time Slots Fit Together
For a customer to see a slot at checkout, every check below has to pass. If even one fails, the slot stays hidden.
| Check | The slot shows only when... |
|---|---|
| Booking Option | A Booking Option is open on that date |
| Slot assigned | A Time Slot is attached to that Booking Option |
| Weekday Limit | The slot's Weekday Limit includes that weekday |
| Available area | The customer's address is inside the slot's area, or no zones are set |
| Sales Channel | The slot is set to show on the channel the customer is using |
| Daily limit | The Daily booking limit for that date is not full yet |
Blocking Rules sit on top of all this. Even when every check passes, a Blocking Rule can still close the slot on a specific date.
Connected Features
Time Slots touch a lot of other settings. Use these as the reference map:
- Booking Options: the slot is attached to one or more booking options
- Custom Zones: the zones you can use under Available area and Limit per zone
- Service Areas: decides whether the customer's address is allowed at all
- Assignment Rules: runs after the customer picks a slot. It does not change availability
- Blocking Rules: overrides slots on specific dates
Your customer's online booking widget, the POS booking screen, and the rescheduling flow all read from the same Time Slot rules.
FAQs
Do I need Time Slots before going live?
Yes, if you offer Pickup, Delivery, or Onsite Service. Without at least one slot, customers can only pick a date, not a time. For Store Pickup only, you can skip this whole category.
Can I create a Time Slot before creating a Booking Option?
No. A slot must be assigned to at least one Booking Option, so the Booking Option has to exist first.
Do I need to set up Zones before Time Slots?
No. Zones are only needed if you want the slot to be available in some areas but not others, or if you want to cap bookings per zone. You can always add zone limits to a slot later.
Can I have more than one slot on the same date?
Yes, that is the usual setup. A typical shop has a morning slot, an afternoon slot, and maybe a weekend-only slot, each with their own rules.
What is the difference between a Booking Option and a Time Slot?
A Booking Option controls which days a service runs, and the lead time before it can be booked. A Time Slot controls which time windows are open on those days, plus caps and area or channel limits.
What's Next
Now that you know what slots are and what they connect to, continue to [Setting Up Time Slots] to build your first one.
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Setting Up Time SlotsBuild the exact time windows customers can pick at checkout, with optional caps by day, zone, and sales channel.
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