Creating Manual Appointments

Book appointments manually when customers call, walk in, or when you need to block time on your calendar. This guide covers the complete process.

When to Create Manual Appointments

Customer scenarios:

Customer calls to book
Walk-in customer wants to schedule ahead
Customer prefers phone booking over messaging

Business scenarios:

Block time for lunch break
Schedule personal appointments
Reserve time for administrative tasks
Hold slots for VIP customers

💡 Important: Manual appointments you create do NOT count toward your AI booking limits. Only AI-created bookings count.

How to Create an Appointment

Method 1: From Calendar

Go to Calendar in sidebar
Click New Appointment button (top right)
Fill in the appointment form
Click Create Appointment

Method 2: From Dashboard

Dashboard → Quick Actions section
Click New Appointment card
Form opens automatically

Method 3: From Calendar View (Time Slot)

Switch to Week or Day view
Click on a time slot in the calendar
Form opens with that date/time pre-filled
Fill in remaining details
Save

💡 Tip: Method 3 is fastest when you know the exact time you want to book.

The Appointment Form

Step-by-step guide to each field.

Customer (Required)

What to enter: Customer name or select existing customer

Options:

New Customer:

Start typing name
If not found, form shows "Create new customer"
Enter name and continue

Existing Customer:

Start typing name
Dropdown shows matching customers
Select the correct customer
Their email and phone auto-fill if saved

Why this matters:

Links appointment to customer history
Enables customer insights and tracking
Auto-fills contact information

ℹ️ Note: Customer name is searchable. Use consistent naming (e.g., always "John Smith" not sometimes "Smith, John")

Service (Required)

What to select: The service being booked

How it works:

Click Service dropdown
See all your active services
Select one service

Service displays:

Service name
Duration (e.g., "45 min")
Price (e.g., "€50")

Duration auto-calculation:

Selected service duration determines appointment length
End time automatically calculated from start time

Multi-service bookings: See dedicated section below

Date & Time (Required)

Date:

Click date field
Calendar picker opens
Select date

Start Time:

Click time field
Select from dropdown or type time
Format: 12-hour with AM/PM (e.g., "2:00 PM")

End Time:

Automatically calculated based on service duration
If you booked 45-min service at 2:00 PM, end time is 2:45 PM
Cannot manually edit end time (it follows service duration)

💡 Tip: The form respects your location's business hours but doesn't enforce them. You can book outside business hours if needed.

Location (Required if multiple locations)

Shows if: You have multiple locations set up

What to select: Where the appointment takes place

Important:

Only services available at selected location will show
Timezone for appointment uses location's timezone
Staff assignment respects location

Single location: This field is hidden (auto-selected)

Staff Member (Optional)

Available on: Growth and Business plans (with team members)

What to select: Which team member performs the service

Options:

Assign specific staff:

Select team member from dropdown
Only shows staff assigned to:
- Selected location
- Selected service

"Any Available" (default):

System automatically assigns available staff
Staff must be able to perform the service
Staff must be working at that location
Staff must be available at that time

💡 Tip: Use "Any Available" for flexibility. System will assign the first available staff member.

Customer Email (Optional)

What to enter: Customer's email address

Why provide it:

Send confirmation emails (if enabled)
Send reminder emails
Contact customer if needed
Build customer database

Auto-fill: If you selected existing customer, this may auto-fill

Customer Phone (Optional)

What to enter: Customer's phone number

Format: International format with country code (e.g., +30 698 123 4567)

Why provide it:

Send SMS confirmations (if enabled)
Send SMS reminders
Contact for last-minute changes
Link to messaging conversations

Auto-detection: System detects country code if you start typing

Notes (Optional)

What to enter: Any relevant information about the appointment

Examples:

"Customer prefers Maria as stylist"
"First-time customer, needs extra guidance"
"Birthday booking - make it special!"
"Allergic to certain products"
"Running late, called ahead"

Character limit: 500 characters

Privacy: Notes are internal only. Customer cannot see them.

Multi-Service Bookings

Book multiple services for one customer in a single appointment.

What Are Multi-Service Bookings?

When a customer wants multiple services performed back-to-back:

Example:

Haircut (30 min, €25)
Beard Trim (15 min, €10)
Total: 45 min, €35

How to Create Multi-Service Appointment

Start creating appointment as normal
Select first service
Click + Add Another Service button
Select second service
Repeat for additional services
Review total duration and price
Save

How Services Are Scheduled

Back-to-back: Services are scheduled consecutively

Example:

Start time: 2:00 PM
Haircut: 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Beard Trim: 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
End time: 2:45 PM

No gaps: Services start immediately after previous one ends

ℹ️ Note: If you've set buffer time in Settings → Availability, it's added AFTER all services complete.

Automatic Calculations

Total Duration:

Sum of all selected services
Example: 30 min + 15 min + 20 min = 65 min (1 hour 5 min)

Total Price:

Sum of all service prices
Example: €25 + €10 + €15 = €50

Displayed in form: Real-time as you add/remove services

Staff Assignment for Multi-Service

Same staff for all services (automatic):

If you select a specific staff member, they must be able to perform ALL selected services
If any service cannot be performed by selected staff, you'll see an error

"Any Available" logic:

System finds staff who can perform ALL services
If no single staff member can do all, booking may fail
Solution: Either book separately or assign specific multi-skilled staff

💡 Best practice: Ensure your staff are assigned to all services they can perform. Go to Services → Edit Service → Staff Assignment.

Viewing Multi-Service Appointments

In Calendar:

Shows as single appointment
Title: "Customer Name - X Services"
Time block spans all services

In appointment details:

Lists all services individually
Shows each service's duration and price
Displays total duration and total price

Example display:

John Smith - 2 Services
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM

Services:
• Haircut (30 min) - €25
• Beard Trim (15 min) - €10

Total: 45 min - €35

Conflict Detection

rendevo checks for scheduling conflicts before saving.

What Causes a Conflict?

Time overlap:

Another appointment exists at that time
For the same staff member
At the same location

Example conflict:

Existing: John's haircut with Maria, 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
New: Sarah's haircut with Maria, 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Conflict: Maria is already booked

Conflict Warning

If conflict detected:

Warning dialog appears
Shows: Existing conflicting appointment details
Options:
- Cancel - Go back and choose different time/staff
- Book Anyway - Override conflict and create appointment

When to Override Conflicts

Valid reasons:

Booking for yourself (admin tasks)
Customer is okay waiting
Different services don't actually conflict
Staff can handle overlapping services

Use caution: Overriding creates double-bookings

💡 Tip: If you see frequent conflicts, you might need to:

Hire more staff
Extend business hours
Adjust service durations
Add buffer time between appointments

After Creating an Appointment

What Happens Immediately

✅ Appointment saved to database

✅ Appears in Calendar in the correct time slot

✅ Status set to "Scheduled" by default

✅ Booking group ID assigned (for multi-service appointments)

✅ Customer record updated (or created if new)

Notifications (If Enabled)

To customer:

Email confirmation (if email provided and enabled in Settings)
SMS confirmation (if phone provided and SMS enabled)

To you:

No notification for manual bookings you create yourself
Only AI bookings trigger new booking alerts

What You Should Do Next

Verify appointment appears in Calendar
Contact customer to confirm (if they booked by phone)
Prepare any materials needed for the service
Set reminder if appointment is far in the future

Common Questions

Q: Do manual appointments count toward my booking limits?
A: No! Manual appointments are unlimited. Only AI-created bookings count.

Q: Can I book appointments outside business hours?
A: Yes, the form allows booking anytime. Business hours are recommendations, not restrictions.

Q: What if customer's phone number is from another country?
A: Enter with country code (e.g., +44 for UK). System auto-detects and formats correctly.

Q: Can I edit an appointment after creating it?
A: Yes! Click the appointment in Calendar and select Edit. See Managing Appointments.

Q: What happens if I double-book accidentally?
A: You'll see a conflict warning. You can choose to book anyway or select a different time.

Q: Can customers see my internal notes?
A: No, notes are private and only visible to you and your team.

Q: How do I cancel a manual appointment?
A: Click appointment in Calendar → Change status to Cancelled. See Managing Appointments.

Q: Can I book recurring appointments?
A: Not automatically. You must create each appointment individually.

Using the Calendar - Navigate and view appointments
Managing Appointments - Edit, cancel, complete bookings
Multi-Service Bookings - Detailed guide on grouped services
Setting Up Availability - Configure booking rules

Manual booking gives you full control. Use it alongside AI bookings for complete flexibility! 📝