Applies to: Admins, Managers
This guide will help you understand how Endear's appointment availability system works and how the different availability settings interact with each other.
Overview
Endear allows you to set up multiple availability hours to give you highly customizable control over when appointments can be booked. This ensures that customers are only presented with appointments during acceptable time slots.
With Endear Appointments, you can set availability at 3 different layers:
Calendar Hours - Broadest availability for the entire calendar
Service Hours - Availability for specific appointment types
Booking Link Hours - Availability for individual booking pages
Each layer becomes more specific and can override the broader settings above it.
Calendar Hours
Calendar hours set the overall availability for your entire calendar. You can either set specific hours or allow services and booking links to determine availability.
To configure calendar hours:
Navigate to Settings, then select Appointments
Select Calendars, then select your desired calendar
Set calendar specific available hours or select the setting to use service and booking link defaults
Best practices for calendar hours:
Match your store's operating hours for simplicity
Use calendar hours to block time off or store closings
Consider leaving calendar hours broad and using service/booking link hours for specificity
You can find and set the hours for a store calendar by navigating to Settings > Appointments > Calendars.
Service Hours
Service hours allow you to control when specific types of appointments can be scheduled.
To configure service hours:
Navigate to Settings, then select Appointments
Select Calendars, then select your desired service
Set service specific hours
Best practices for service hours:
Consider if you would like each service appointment limited to a specific time frame or on a specific date. For example, perhaps you want to schedule styling appointments on Mondays when in-store foot traffic tends to be low.
Service availability hours can be overwritten by booking links.
You can find and set the hours for a service by navigating to Settings > Appointments > Services.
Booking Link Hours
Booking link hours provide the most granular control and can override both calendar and service hours.
To configure booking link hours:
Navigate to Settings, then select Appointments
Select Booking links, then select the applicable booking link
Set service booking link hours or use the defaults from the service.
Best practices for booking link hours:
Use when you need highly customized availability
Perfect when each location has highly variable availability for
Can be left to default settings to inherit from service hours
You can find and set the hours for a booking link by navigating to Settings > Appointments > Booking Links.
Recommended Configuration Strategies
Service Hours Driven Approach
Best for: Brands wanting service types to control availability
Calendar Hours: Set to "Use service and booking link defaults" or match general operating hours
Service Hours: Configure specific hours for each service type
Booking Link Hours: Leave as default to inherit service hours
Example Scenario: Let's say you want to offer personal styling appointments only on Tuesdays and Thursdays at every store location. Set your calendar hours to use defaults, configure your personal styling service for Tuesday and Thursday, and then set your booking links to automatically inherit these service-specific hours.
Booking Link Hours Driven Approach
Best for: Brands needing highly customized availability per booking link
Calendar Hours: Set to "Use service and booking link defaults" or match general operating hours
Service Hours: Set broad availability windows
Booking Link Hours: Configure specific hours for each booking link
Example Scenario: Let's say you have a seamstress who provides tailoring at a different store each weekday. Set your calendar hours to use defaults, set the tailoring service hours for Mon - Fri, then customize the booking links so each store only shows tailoring appointments on the correct day.
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