Question 1

What is Magic Availability Check?

Accepted Answer

Magic Availability Check is Petboost's intelligent booking engine. It automatically finds available time slots based on team availability, resource capacity (kennels, grooming stations, play areas), and service requirements. One click shows all available options. No manual checking required.

Question 2

What is Quick Create booking?

Accepted Answer

Quick Create skips availability checks and lets you drop appointments straight into the diary. Use it when you want direct control over scheduling: walk-ins, special arrangements, or any situation where you know what works for your business. Many businesses prefer this mode for all staff-created bookings.

Question 3

How does Petboost automation work?

Accepted Answer

Petboost lets you automate as much or as little of the appointment lifecycle as you want. From self-service booking 24/7 and automated reminders, through to payment pre-authorisation, invoicing, and automatic card charging. You choose what to automate per service. With 50%+ of appointments self-service and 70%+ booked after hours, it's like having a 24/7 receptionist trained on your rules.

Question 4

Can I use different automation levels for different services?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Automation is configurable per service. Dog trainers often want auto-confirmation but manual completion (to add progress notes). Daycare might want pre-hold funds but manual check-out (safety verification). Pet concierge can use full automation for predictable home visits.

Question 5

Can customers book appointments themselves?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Your customer portal works 24/7. Customers can book appointments, purchase packages, update pet information, and view their booking history, all while you sleep. Magic Availability Check automatically finds available times based on your team, resources, and business rules.

Question 6

How does resource capacity management work?

Accepted Answer

Set precise capacity for each resource: Small Dog Play Area (3-6 dogs), Large Dog Play Area (4-8 dogs), Grooming Station 1 (1 pet), Van A (6 dogs). Petboost shows real-time utilisation with colour-coded timelines (green/yellow/red) and automatically prevents overbooking.

Question 7

Can I prevent overbooking grooming stations?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Set capacity for each grooming station (typically 1 pet per station). When booking via Magic Availability Check, Petboost automatically checks station availability and shows only times when a station is free. No more double-booking disasters.

Question 8

How do I manage team member availability?

Accepted Answer

Each team member has working hours, leave periods, and service assignments. Magic Availability Check only offers times when appropriately skilled team members are available. Override days handle public holidays and special schedules.

Question 9

What happens when a customer reschedules?

Accepted Answer

Customers can reschedule via the portal (if enabled) within your policy windows. The system automatically checks availability, applies any cancellation/rescheduling policies, and sends updated confirmations. For Quick Create bookings, staff handle reschedules manually.

Question 10

How do automated reminders work?

Accepted Answer

Petboost sends appointment reminders via email and SMS at a configurable lead time you set per service. Reminders include appointment details, address, and any special instructions. A separate Friday lookahead email gives customers an overview of the week ahead.

Question 11

Can I handle walk-ins and emergency bookings?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Quick Create mode is designed exactly for this. Bypass availability rules, book any time slot, and add notes explaining the override. Perfect for loyal customers who need a last-minute appointment or genuine emergencies.

Question 12

How do recurring appointments work?

Accepted Answer

Set up recurring bookings (weekly, fortnightly, monthly) with Magic Availability Check. The system finds consistent times across your specified recurrence pattern. Customers receive confirmations for the entire series, with individual reminders before each appointment.

Question 13

Can I add multiple pets to one appointment?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Petboost supports unified multi-pet appointments. Add multiple pets from the same family to one appointment card, with independent timing for each pet. Benefits: one calendar entry, one invoice, one payment, and automatic multi-pet discounts. Each pet can have different services, team members, and start/end times.

Question 14

What happens if a customer books when they already have an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Petboost automatically detects existing bookings for the same customer on the same date. You can choose to add the new pet to the existing appointment (creating a unified booking with one invoice and payment) or create a separate appointment. The system guides you through both options.

Question 15

How do sibling pet appointments work?

Accepted Answer

When booking multiple pets from the same family, you can configure timing: concurrent (same time, different team members), sequential (back-to-back), or with a custom gap between services. Each pet gets individual service tracking while sharing one appointment card, invoice, and payment.

Question 16

Can I see exactly what a specific customer sees when they try to book?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Simulation Mode lets you open any pet profile and step through the exact booking and profile completion experience that customer sees. You will see which services they are eligible for, what availability looks like for them, and whether their profile is missing any required information like payment methods or vaccination certificates. It is the fastest way to troubleshoot when a customer has questions about the booking system.

Question 17

Why can't my customer book even though they have an account?

Accepted Answer

Several factors can prevent booking: (1) Account or pet is in 'Draft' status: change to 'Active' in the profile. (2) Missing/expired vaccinations: if the service requires them. (3) Service eligibility: pet might not meet weight, age, or breed requirements. Check Services → [Service Name] → Eligibility. (4) Service is 'Staff-Only': configured for internal booking only. (5) Booking window restrictions: outside allowed advance notice or maximum booking window. (6) No availability: check calendar and resource capacity. Use the Availability Troubleshooter to diagnose specific issues.

Question 18

How does overnight stay pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Overnight stays are priced per night. When setting up a 'Stay' type service, you define the nightly rate. The system automatically calculates the total based on check-in and check-out dates. For example, a 3-night stay checking in Friday and checking out Monday is charged for 3 nights. You can configure add-ons (extra walks, special meals, medication administration) that apply per day or per stay.

Question 19

Why does archiving a service still show it in bookings?

Accepted Answer

Archiving a service prevents new bookings but does not remove existing future appointments. This preserves historical data and upcoming schedule integrity. To cancel future appointments for an archived service, do so manually from the calendar or customer profiles. Archived services won't appear in the customer portal or for new staff bookings.

Question 20

Can I un-cancel an appointment that was cancelled by mistake?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Petboost has an 'Un-cancel' feature that lets you rebook a cancelled appointment with all the original details pre-filled (customer, pet, services, date/time, team member, notes). Open the cancelled appointment and click 'Un-cancel Appointment'. Review the pre-filled form, adjust any details if needed, and save. This creates a new appointment while preserving the original cancellation record for your audit history.

Question 21

What's the difference between cancelling and archiving an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Cancel: Changes status to 'Cancelled', notifies the customer, can process refunds, and keeps the record visible in cancelled filters. The customer knows about it. Archive: Hides the appointment from calendar views without notifying anyone. Data is fully retained and can be unarchived later. Use Archive to clean up old completed appointments or reduce calendar clutter. Use Cancel when the customer needs to know about the cancellation.

Question 22

Can I permanently delete an appointment?

Accepted Answer

Yes, Petboost offers 'Hard Delete' for appointments in deletion-safe statuses (Pending, Confirmed, Declined, Cancelled, Invoice Amount Void). This permanently removes the appointment and cannot be undone. Use it for GDPR requests, test data cleanup, or duplicate removal. For normal operations, Archive is recommended as it preserves records while hiding them from view.

Bookings & Scheduling