Creating Bookings

What is a Booking?

A booking is a scheduled time slot on your calendar. There are two types:

Job Bookings - Work for customers (installs, repairs, quotes)
Tasks - Your own reminders (meetings, admin time, lunch breaks)

Most of the time you'll be creating Job Bookings to schedule customer work.

Two Ways to Create Bookings

Method 1: Click and Drag on the Calendar (Fastest)

1. Find the time slot you want
2. Click and drag down to select a time range
3. The Create Booking modal opens automatically
4. The start and end times are already filled in from your drag
5. Choose the type, job, and staff
6. Click Create

This is the fastest way when you know exactly when you want to schedule something.

Tip: If you drag on a staff column (Grid/Timeline views), that staff member is automatically selected!

Method 2: Click the + Button

1. Click the + Create Booking button (top right of calendar)
2. Modal opens with current time as start
3. Fill in all the details manually
4. Click Create

Use this when you want to create a booking but figure out the time as you go.

Filling Out the Booking Form

1. Type (Required)

First, choose what kind of booking you're creating. Job Booking is for customer work and requires you to select a job from the list - this is what you'll use 95% of the time. Task is for internal stuff that's not customer-related, like team meetings, lunch breaks, or parts runs. Tasks don't need a job, just add a description of what it is.

2. Job (Required for Job Bookings)

If you selected "Job Booking", you need to pick which job this booking is for.

Finding the Job:

• Type to search by job number, customer name, or address
• List shows job number, customer name, and status
• Jobs are sorted by most recent first

Can't find your job?

• Make sure the job exists (check the Jobs page)
• Try searching by job number if you know it
• Try just the customer's first or last name

What if there's no job yet?
If the customer hasn't accepted a quote yet, you might not have a job. You can:

• Create a Task instead (with customer name in notes)
• Wait until quote is accepted and job is created
• Create a job manually first, then add the booking

3. Description/Notes (Required for Tasks)

For Job Bookings: Optional - add any special notes like "Bring scissor lift" or "Customer home after 2pm"

For Tasks: Required - describe what this task is for. Examples:

• "Team meeting - weekly sync"
• "Admin time - invoicing"
• "Travel to supplier"

4. Start Time and Duration

Start Time:

• Shows the time where you dragged (if you dragged)
• Or current time (if you used the + button)
• Change it if needed

Duration:

• Default is your business setting (usually 1-2 hours)
• Change the hours to make it longer or shorter
• End time updates automatically

Tip: Set duration a bit longer than you think. Better to finish early than run over!

5. Assign Staff (Required)

Choose who's doing this work:

Single Staff:

• Just click one person's name
• Most bookings are single staff

Multiple Staff:

• Click multiple names to assign a crew
• Useful for big jobs that need 2+ people
• The booking will show on all their calendars

Who should I assign?

• If you dragged on a staff column, they're already selected
• Assign the person with the right skills for the job
• Check their calendar isn't already full
• For Quote visits, assign your best salesperson

After You Click Create

What happens:

1. Booking appears on the calendar immediately
2. Shows on all assigned staff members' calendars
3. If there's a conflict, you'll see a warning (more on this below)
4. The assigned staff can see it on mobile

Status:

• New bookings start as "Scheduled"
• They'll show a dark blue left border
• When work starts, tap "Start" to change to "In Progress"
• When done, tap "Finish" to mark as "Done"

Handling Booking Conflicts

If the staff member already has a booking at that time, you'll see a conflict warning.

The warning shows you:

• Which staff member is double-booked
• What job they're already booked on
• The overlapping time range

Your choices:

1. Reschedule - Pick a different time or different staff
2. Override - Create it anyway (for emergencies or if they can handle both)

When to override:

• Emergency job (burst pipe, no cooling, etc.)
• Staff member can do a quick job between appointments
• You'll reassign it later but need to create it now
• Staff member is admin/supervisor and can juggle tasks

When NOT to override:

• Regular scheduled work
• Staff is on-site somewhere else
• Would create 3+ overlapping bookings
• Job requires their full attention

Tip: Use the calendar to check availability before creating the booking. Empty time slots = no conflicts!

Creating Multiple Bookings for One Job

Sometimes a job needs multiple visits:

1. Quote visit
2. Install day 1
3. Install day 2
4. Follow-up

To create multiple bookings:

• Create each booking separately
• Choose the same job for all of them
• Assign staff as needed (might be different people)
• All bookings will show under that job

The job page will show all bookings in the Bookings tab.

Job Bookings vs Tasks - When to Use Each

Use Job Booking when:

• It's customer work (installs, quotes, repairs)
• You need to track time for invoicing
• It's connected to a quote or job
• You need job notes and customer info

Use Task when:

• Internal meetings or admin time
• Personal reminders (lunch, break)
• Travel time between jobs
• Supply runs or parts pickup
• Team training

Why does it matter?
Job Bookings connect to customer records and can be invoiced. Tasks don't - they're just calendar placeholders.

Tips for Creating Bookings

Be realistic with time:

• Add travel time between jobs
• Account for traffic/distance
• Better to schedule 3 hours and finish in 2, than vice versa

Check staff availability first:

• Glance at the calendar before dragging
• Look for empty time slots
• Avoid creating conflicts unless urgent

Use the drag method:

• Way faster than typing times
• Visual - you see the time block as you create it
• Auto-selects staff if you drag on their column

Schedule ASAP:

• Check the Unscheduled Bookings sidebar daily
• The longer they sit, the harder to find time
• Customers expect quick scheduling

Add helpful notes:

• "Customer prefers morning"
• "Difficult access - ladder needed"
• "Check with office first"
• Notes show up when staff view the booking

Common Questions

Why can't I find the job in the list? Make sure the job exists on the Jobs page. Completed or Cancelled jobs won't show in search. Try searching by job number if you know it - that's often more reliable than customer names.

Can I create a booking without assigning staff? No - every booking needs at least one staff member. If you're not sure who yet, assign yourself or a supervisor temporarily, then reassign later.

What if I drag the wrong time by mistake? No problem! Just change the start time and duration in the modal before clicking Create, or close the modal and drag again.

Can I create bookings for yesterday or last week? Yes, you can create bookings in the past. Useful if you forgot to schedule something that already happened and need to track the time.

Do I need to create a booking for every job? Not immediately! When a quote is accepted, the job is created but not scheduled yet. You create bookings when you're ready to schedule the actual work.

What happens if staff doesn't show up? You can edit or delete the booking later, or reassign it to someone else.

Related Articles

• Using the Calendar - Master the different views and navigation
• Moving and Editing Bookings - Change times, staff, or details after creating
• Booking Colors and Status - Understanding what the colors mean
• Booking Conflicts - Managing overlapping bookings