Configuring Business Hours and Availability

Setting Up Business Hours

Properly configured business hours ensure customers can only book appointments when you're available to serve them.

Accessing Business Hours Settings

1. Log in to your Omcean Booking dashboard
2. Navigate to Settings > Business Hours
3. You'll see a weekly calendar where you can set hours for each day

Setting Daily Hours

For each day of the week, you can:

• Mark as closed: Toggle off days when you're not available
• Set opening hours: Define when you start accepting appointments
• Set closing hours: Define when you stop accepting appointments
• Add breaks: Block out lunch breaks or other unavailable periods

Advanced Availability Options

Multiple Time Blocks

If you have split hours (e.g., morning and evening sessions), you can add multiple time blocks for the same day:

1. Click "Add Time Block" for the relevant day
2. Set the start and end times for each block
3. Ensure there's adequate break time between blocks

Seasonal Hours

For businesses with seasonal variations:

• Use the "Holiday Schedule" feature to set special hours
• Create recurring holiday schedules for annual events
• Set temporary closures for vacations or maintenance

Buffer Times and Preparation

Configure buffer times to ensure smooth operations:

• Preparation Time: Time needed before each appointment
• Cleanup Time: Time needed after each appointment
• Travel Time: For mobile services, time between locations

Service-Specific Availability

Different services may have different availability:

1. Go to Services > [Select Service] > Availability
2. Override default business hours for specific services
3. Set minimum advance booking time
4. Set maximum advance booking time

Staff Schedules

If you have multiple staff members:

• Each staff member can have individual schedules
• Set different availability for different services
• Handle time-off requests and schedule changes
• View combined availability across all staff

Time Zone Considerations

Ensure your time zone is correctly set:

1. Go to Settings > General > Time Zone
2. Select your local time zone
3. Consider your customers' time zones for online bookings
4. Display times clearly to avoid confusion

Testing Your Availability

Always test your availability settings:

• Try booking appointments as a customer would
• Check that unavailable times are properly blocked
• Verify that buffer times are working correctly
• Test different scenarios (holidays, breaks, etc.)

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Not accounting for preparation time between appointments
• Forgetting to update hours for holidays or special events
• Setting availability too far in advance without considering staff changes
• Not testing the customer booking experience

Need help with complex scheduling scenarios? Contact our support team for personalized assistance!