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Schedule & Availability Management

10 min read Beginner Updated: 1/10/2026

Configure your working hours, breaks, and days off to control when customers can book

Your schedule controls when customers can book appointments. Properly configured schedules ensure you’re never double-booked and customers only see realistic availability.

Understanding Schedules

BarberSlot uses two types of schedules:

Weekly Schedule (Regular Hours)

Your recurring weekly pattern - the hours you work every week:

  • Monday: 9 AM - 6 PM
  • Tuesday: 9 AM - 6 PM
  • Wednesday: OFF
  • Thursday: 9 AM - 8 PM
  • Friday: 9 AM - 8 PM
  • Saturday: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Sunday: OFF

This is your baseline availability.

Days Off (Exceptions)

Specific dates when you deviate from your weekly schedule:

  • Vacation: July 15-22, 2026
  • Holiday: December 25, 2026
  • Sick day: March 10, 2026
  • Conference: May 5-7, 2026

These override your weekly schedule.

Setting Your Weekly Schedule

Accessing Schedule Settings

  1. Go to Schedules menu
  2. Click “Weekly Schedule”
  3. You’ll see a 7-day grid

Configuring Each Day

For each day, you can:

  • Mark as working day (ON/OFF toggle)
  • Set start time (when you start taking appointments)
  • Set end time (last appointment start time)
  • Add break(s) (lunch, rest periods)
  • Set slot duration (how often bookings can start)

Example: Tuesday Setup

  • Working: ✅ ON
  • Hours: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
  • Lunch break: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
  • Slot duration: 30 minutes

Result: Customers can book every 30 minutes between 9 AM - 1 PM and 2 PM - 6 PM

Slot Duration Explained

Slot duration = How often a new booking can start

Example with 30-minute slots:

  • 9:00 AM ✓ (available)
  • 9:30 AM ✓ (available)
  • 10:00 AM ✓ (available)
  • 10:30 AM ✓ (available)
  • … and so on

Best practice: Set slot duration equal to your shortest service

If your shortest haircut is 30 minutes, use 30-minute slots. If it’s 45 minutes, use 15 or 30-minute slots (15 gives more flexibility).

Adding Breaks

Breaks block out time when you’re not available:

To add a break:

  1. Click day in weekly schedule
  2. Click “Add Break”
  3. Enter start time (e.g., 1:00 PM)
  4. Enter end time (e.g., 2:00 PM)
  5. Name break (e.g., “Lunch”)
  6. Save

Common breaks:

  • Lunch: 1-2 PM (1 hour)
  • Coffee: 3:30-3:45 PM (15 minutes)
  • End-of-day cleanup: Last 15 minutes

What happens: These slots won’t appear as available to customers

Copy Schedule to Multiple Days

Quick setup for consistent schedule:

  1. Configure Monday fully
  2. Click “Copy to…”
  3. Select days to copy to (e.g., Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
  4. Click “Apply”

Saves time! Configure once, apply everywhere.

Schedule Templates

Don’t start from scratch - use templates:

Standard Barbershop

  • Mon-Fri: 9 AM - 6 PM
  • Sat: 8 AM - 5 PM
  • Sun: OFF
  • Lunch: 1-2 PM daily
  • Slot duration: 30 min

Evening Hours

  • Tue-Thu: 11 AM - 8 PM
  • Fri-Sat: 9 AM - 6 PM
  • Sun-Mon: OFF
  • No lunch (stagger breaks)
  • Slot duration: 30 min

Boutique Salon

  • Tue-Sat: 10 AM - 7 PM
  • Sun-Mon: OFF
  • Lunch: 2-3 PM
  • Slot duration: 60 min (longer services)

Weekend Warrior

  • Sat-Sun: 8 AM - 6 PM
  • Mon-Fri: OFF (or by appointment)
  • No breaks (full days only)
  • Slot duration: 45 min

Managing Days Off

Days off are specific dates when you’re not available, overriding your weekly schedule.

Types of Days Off

Full Day Off

  • Entire day blocked
  • No bookings possible
  • Used for: vacation, holidays, sick days

Partial Day Off

  • Only part of the day blocked
  • Example: “Available only 9 AM - 12 PM”
  • Used for: half-days, appointments, errands

Recurring Days Off

  • Repeats annually
  • Example: Birthday, holidays
  • Set once, applies every year

Creating a Day Off

Method 1: From Schedules Menu

  1. Go to Schedules → Days Off
  2. Click “Add Day Off”
  3. Select date (or date range for multi-day)
  4. Choose type (Full day / Partial day)
  5. Add optional note (e.g., “Vacation in Bali”)
  6. Save

Method 2: From Calendar

  1. Go to Calendar
  2. Click on date you want to block
  3. Click “Block this day”
  4. Confirm

Method 3: Batch Add (Vacations)

  1. Go to Schedules → Days Off
  2. Click “Add Vacation”
  3. Select start date
  4. Select end date
  5. System creates day off for each date in range

Partial Day Off Example

Scenario: You have a dentist appointment 2-4 PM on March 15

Setup:

  1. Add day off for March 15
  2. Select “Partial Day”
  3. Block hours: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  4. Note: “Dentist appointment”

Result:

  • Customers can still book 9 AM - 2 PM
  • Customers can still book 4 PM - 6 PM
  • 2-4 PM is blocked

Recurring Holidays

Set once, applies every year:

Example: Christmas

  1. Add day off for December 25, 2026
  2. Check “Repeat annually”
  3. Save

Result: December 25 is automatically blocked every year going forward

Common recurring days:

  • New Year’s Day (January 1)
  • Christmas (December 25)
  • Your birthday
  • National holidays in your country

Editing/Deleting Days Off

To edit:

  1. Go to Schedules → Days Off
  2. Find the day off
  3. Click “Edit”
  4. Modify details
  5. Save

To delete:

  1. Find the day off
  2. Click “Delete”
  3. Confirm

⚠️ Warning: If bookings exist on that day, you’ll be asked what to do with them (cancel or move)

Availability Logic

How BarberSlot determines available slots:

Slot Availability Calculation

graph TD
  A[Customer requests slot] --> B{Within weekly hours?}
  B -->|No| C[Slot unavailable ❌]
  B -->|Yes| D{During break?}
  D -->|Yes| C
  D -->|No| E{Day off exists?}
  E -->|Yes| C
  E -->|No| F{Booking conflict?}
  F -->|Yes| C
  F -->|No| G{Service fits before next booking?}
  G -->|No| C
  G -->|Yes| H[Slot available ✅]

Booking Buffer Example

Your schedule:

  • 2:00 PM: Haircut (30 min) → ends 2:30 PM
  • 3:00 PM: Beard trim (15 min) → ends 3:15 PM

Available slots shown to customers:

  • 2:30 PM ✅ (30 min gap before next booking)
  • 2:45 PM ❌ (only 15 min before next booking, haircut needs 30)

System is smart: Only shows slots where the full service duration fits

Timezone Handling

Critical for multi-location shops or customers in different timezones.

Setting Your Timezone

  1. Go to Settings → Shop
  2. Find “Timezone” dropdown
  3. Select your local timezone (e.g., “Europe/Rome”)
  4. Save

Important: All appointment times display in your configured timezone

Timezone Examples

Scenario: You’re in New York (EST), customer in California (PST)

Your schedule: 9 AM - 5 PM EST Customer sees: 6 AM - 2 PM PST (converted automatically)

Booking at 10 AM EST:

  • Shows as 10 AM in your calendar
  • Shows as 7 AM in customer’s booking confirmation

Best practice: Set timezone to your physical shop location

Advanced Schedule Features

Buffer Time Between Bookings

Add automatic buffer between appointments:

  1. Go to Settings → Booking Rules
  2. Find “Buffer time between bookings”
  3. Enter minutes (e.g., 10 minutes)
  4. Save

Example with 10-min buffer:

  • Booking 1: 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
  • Buffer: 2:30 PM - 2:40 PM (unavailable)
  • Booking 2: 2:40 PM onwards

Use for: Cleanup time, customer conversations, running late buffer

Maximum Advance Booking

Control how far ahead customers can book:

  1. Go to Settings → Booking Rules
  2. Find “Maximum advance booking days”
  3. Enter number of days (e.g., 30 days)
  4. Save

Example: With 30-day limit, customers can only book appointments within the next 30 days

Use for: Preventing distant bookings when schedule is uncertain

Minimum Notice Period

Require advance notice for bookings:

  1. Go to Settings → Booking Rules
  2. Find “Minimum notice hours”
  3. Enter hours (e.g., 2 hours)
  4. Save

Example: With 2-hour notice, customers can’t book for slots starting within the next 2 hours

Use for: Preparation time, avoiding last-minute no-shows

Same-Day Booking Cutoff

Set a daily cutoff for same-day bookings:

  1. Settings → Booking Rules
  2. “Same-day booking cutoff time”
  3. Enter time (e.g., 2:00 PM)

Example: After 2 PM, customers can’t book for today (only tomorrow onwards)

Multi-Barber Schedules

In shops with multiple barbers, each has independent schedules.

Per-Barber Configuration

Each barber configures:

  • Their own weekly schedule
  • Their own days off
  • Their own slot duration
  • Their own breaks

Benefit: Different barbers can have different hours

Example:

  • Marco: Tue-Sat, 9 AM - 6 PM
  • Luca: Mon-Fri, 11 AM - 8 PM
  • Giovanni: Wed-Sun, 8 AM - 4 PM

Shop-Wide Days Off

Shop owner can set days the entire shop is closed:

  1. Shop owner goes to Shop Settings
  2. Add “Shop Closed Date”
  3. All barbers automatically blocked

Example: Shop renovation, national holiday affecting everyone

Common Schedule Patterns

Pattern 1: Consistent Full-Time

Monday:    9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Tuesday:   9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Wednesday: 9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Thursday:  9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Friday:    9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Saturday:  9 AM - 5 PM (No lunch)
Sunday:    OFF

Best for: Traditional barbershop, regular clientele

Pattern 2: Evening-Focused

Monday:    OFF
Tuesday:   12 PM - 9 PM (Dinner 5-6)
Wednesday: 12 PM - 9 PM (Dinner 5-6)
Thursday:  12 PM - 9 PM (Dinner 5-6)
Friday:    10 AM - 7 PM (Lunch 2-3)
Saturday:  9 AM - 6 PM (Lunch 1-2)
Sunday:    OFF

Best for: Targeting working professionals who book after work

Pattern 3: Weekend-Only

Monday-Friday: OFF (or by appointment)
Saturday:      8 AM - 6 PM
Sunday:        8 AM - 6 PM

Best for: Side business, mobile barbers, popup shops

Troubleshooting

Problem: “Customers can’t book any slots”

  • Verify weekly schedule is enabled for desired days
  • Check you haven’t accidentally created day off for entire month
  • Ensure slot duration is reasonable (not longer than your hours)
  • Verify timezone is correct

Problem: “Slots showing up during lunch break”

  • Check break is saved correctly
  • Verify break times don’t have AM/PM mixup
  • Ensure weekly schedule includes the break

Problem: “Too many/too few available slots”

  • Adjust slot duration (smaller = more slots, larger = fewer)
  • Typical: 15, 30, or 45 minutes
  • Match to your shortest service duration

Problem: “Can’t delete day off with existing bookings”

  • Cancel or reschedule the bookings first
  • Or force delete (will auto-cancel bookings)

Tips for Optimal Scheduling

Do’s ✅

  1. Be realistic with your hours (don’t overcommit)
  2. Include buffer time (10-15 min between bookings)
  3. Block lunch (you need to eat!)
  4. Update days off promptly (as soon as you know)
  5. Use templates for consistency
  6. Review weekly for accuracy

Don’ts ❌

  1. Don’t skip breaks (burnout prevention)
  2. Don’t overbook (quality over quantity)
  3. Don’t forget to block holidays
  4. Don’t change schedule last-minute (confuses customers)

Next Steps

Now that your schedule is configured:

  1. Add your services: Services Management
  2. Start taking bookings: Calendar Guide
  3. Configure booking rules: Settings Guide

Need help? Contact support@barberslot.com

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