Question 1

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 2

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 3

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 4

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 5

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 6

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 7

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 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

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 14

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

Accepted Answer

Yes! Press Simulate on any pet profile to 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 15

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 16

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 17

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 18

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 19

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 20

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.

Question 21

How does proactive conflict detection work?

Accepted Answer

When creating or modifying appointments, Petboost automatically checks for conflicts with existing bookings. If an overlap is detected, you see a clear message explaining the conflict with options to resolve it. This includes checking for recurring series conflicts and team member availability clashes.

Question 22

Can I convert a single appointment to a recurring series?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Open any single appointment and use the "Convert to Recurring" option. Set the frequency (weekly, fortnightly, etc.) and Petboost creates the recurring series from that appointment forward. This is useful when a customer decides they want regular bookings after a one-off visit.

Question 23

Can I generate a PDF of upcoming appointments?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Generate a printable PDF of upcoming appointments for any date range. This is perfect for daily run sheets, team handover notes, or keeping an offline reference. Access it from the Appointments page toolbar.

Question 24

Can I ask for a preferred start time when I check availability?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn on Prefer a specific start time and pick the time, or limit the search to a window with a From and a To. Availability is then checked around what you asked for rather than the whole day.

Question 25

Can a recurring series take a different time on the same day?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn on Allow different times on the same day. If a later date is busy at the same time, the series uses another free slot that day. It never moves to a different day. There is a matching toggle to allow a different team member for each occurrence.

Question 26

Do I have to retype the notes every visit?

Accepted Answer

No. The appointment carries a Previous visit notes & photos tab, and the previous notes copy across in one action rather than being retyped.

Question 27

How do I make sure I don't go over capacity?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's resource capacity system sets limits per grooming station, kennel, play area, or vehicle. Online bookings automatically stop when capacity is reached, your team is warned before booking past a limit, and Mission Control shows how full each space is. Set capacity limits per resource (grooming stations, kennels, vehicles, play areas). Online bookings automatically stop when capacity is reached. Visual indicators show capacity status at a glance in Mission Control. Override capability for emergency bookings when you need flexibility. Team working hours automatically sync with booking availability.

Question 28

What if customers try to book a time slot that's already full?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's capacity system stops online bookings when you're full, so customers simply won't see unavailable times, and your team is warned before booking past a limit. Set capacity limits per resource (grooming tables, kennels, vehicles). Online booking automatically hides fully-booked time slots. Real-time availability updates as appointments are made or cancelled. Customers only see times that are genuinely available. Override capability when you need to squeeze in an emergency.

Question 29

How do I prevent double-booking my grooming tables?

Accepted Answer

Petboost lets you set up each grooming station as a resource with a capacity of one. Online bookings never overlap on a table, and your team is warned before booking one that is taken. Create each grooming table as a separate resource. Set capacity to 1 per grooming station. Online bookings stop when all tables are occupied. Visual capacity indicators show table availability at a glance. Assign specific services to specific tables if needed.

Question 30

Can I limit how many dogs I walk at once?

Accepted Answer

Petboost lets you set capacity limits on vehicles and walking routes, so online bookings stop when you reach your safe limit, and your team is warned before booking past it. Create vehicles as resources with specific capacity (e.g., 4 dogs per van). Assign walking services to vehicle resources. Online bookings stop at capacity; your team is warned first. Different capacity limits for different vehicles or routes. Customers see availability based on remaining vehicle space.

Question 31

What happens if I overbook by accident?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's Mission Control dashboard surfaces attention items and potential conflicts, helping you catch issues before they become problems. Mission Control highlights appointments needing attention. Visual capacity indicators show when you are approaching limits. Override capability exists for emergency bookings. System warns when manual bookings exceed capacity. Review and resolve conflicts before appointment day.

Question 32

How do I set different capacities for different services?

Accepted Answer

Petboost lets you assign different services to different resources, each with their own capacity limits tailored to how that service actually works. Create resources for each area (grooming tables, play areas, kennels). Set appropriate capacity per resource type. Assign services to their required resources. Grooming uses grooming tables (capacity: 1). Daycare uses play areas (capacity: 8).

Question 33

How do I manage multiple resources across different locations?

Accepted Answer

Petboost Enterprise lets you run every location from one HQ dashboard. Each site keeps its own resources, capacity, team, and schedule, with one-click switching between locations and one organisation bill. Separate resources and capacity per location. Assign team members to specific locations. Customers see availability for their chosen location. One-click location switching from the sidebar. Manage the whole organisation from one Enterprise dashboard.

Question 34

What if I need to take on an emergency booking but I'm full?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's business-led booking allows you to override capacity limits when needed, giving you flexibility while still protecting your schedule from customer self-booking. Online booking respects capacity limits automatically. Staff can create bookings that override capacity when necessary. Emergency slots can be added manually with your discretion. Capacity warnings alert you when exceeding limits. You stay in control while automation handles the routine.

Question 35

How do I handle recurring customers who want the same time every week?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's recurring appointments let you set up regular bookings once and have them automatically appear in your schedule. Create recurring patterns: daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. Choose specific days and times that work for the customer. Set end dates or number of occurrences. Assign the same team member every time for consistency. Edit or stop individual occurrences without affecting the series.

Question 36

What if I want customers to request bookings rather than instant confirm?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's manual approval mode, the default on a new account, makes every online booking a request-and-approve workflow, giving you full control over who gets booked. A new account starts on manual approval; switch Instant confirmation on only where you want it. Bookings arrive as "Pending" until you approve. Review customer and pet details before confirming. Decline unsuitable requests. Customer emailed once you approve, while Email the customer: booking updates is on.

Question 37

What if I need to reschedule an entire recurring series?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's recurring appointment system lets you edit the entire series at once, applying time, date, or team member changes to all future appointments in one action. Edit all future appointments in a recurring series at once. Change day, time, or team member assignment. Past appointments remain unchanged. Individual exceptions can still be made. Stop or extend series without recreating.

Question 38

What if customers need to book multiple pets at once?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's multi-pet scheduling lets customers book multiple pets in one go, with options for simultaneous (same time) or sequential (back-to-back) appointments. Book multiple pets in a single booking flow. Choose simultaneous scheduling (all pets at once). Or sequential scheduling (back-to-back appointments). One drop-off, one pick-up for the family. Multi-pet discounts can be applied automatically.

Question 39

Can I let other trainers book on behalf of their clients?

Accepted Answer

Petboost's business-led booking allows your staff to create appointments on behalf of customers, with the same flexibility and options as self-service but with business control. Staff can create bookings for any customer. Full access to all services and time slots. Override capacity when needed for special cases. Create customers and pets on the fly. Same booking confirmation sent to customer.

Question 40

How do I fill last-minute cancellation gaps?

Accepted Answer

When appointments are cancelled in Petboost, the time slot immediately becomes available for other customers to book online. While there's no built-in waitlist notification, real-time availability means gaps can be filled quickly. Cancelled slots immediately available online. Real-time availability updates. Customers checking your booking page see the opening. 24/7 booking means gaps can fill anytime. Consider social media for last-minute availability.

Question 41

How do I plan capacity for busy periods like school holidays?

Accepted Answer

Petboost enforces your capacity limits on every online booking. Set Pets at a Time for each team member and a capacity for each resource. The self-service booking portal stops at your limits automatically. See how full each space is in Mission Control. Set Pets at a Time per team member and a capacity per resource. Self-service booking enforces limits automatically. Mission Control shows capacity utilisation at a glance. Block out days or timeslots for holidays. Adjust limits seasonally (more staff = higher capacity).

Bookings & Scheduling

Read the full feature

Magic Scheduling

Automation

Smart Booking Rules

Bookings & Scheduling

Read the full feature

Magic Scheduling

Automation

Smart Booking Rules