Setting Minimum Booking Lead Time

Minimum booking lead time controls how much notice customers must give before they can book an appointment. If you set a 2-hour lead time, customers cannot book any slot starting within the next 2 hours. This gives you time to prepare and prevents last-minute bookings.

Lead time controls how soon customers can book. To control how far ahead they can book, see Setting the Online Booking Window.

How Lead Time Works

Lead time filters out booking slots that start too soon from the current moment. When a customer views your availability, any slots closer than your configured lead time are hidden.

For example, with a 2-hour lead time at 10:00 AM:

• A customer trying to book for 11:30 AM cannot see or select that slot

• The same customer can book for 12:30 PM or later

Lead time applies to the slot's start time, not when the customer initiates the booking. A customer can start the booking process at any time, but they can only complete it for slots that meet your lead time requirement.

Salon Default vs Worker Override

Lead time can be set at two levels:

• Salon default — Applies to all workers unless overridden. Set in Admin Settings.

• Worker override — Each worker can set their own minimum lead time in My Preferences. This takes precedence over the salon default.

If a worker does not set a personal override, the salon default applies automatically.

Preset Values

Lead time must be selected from preset options:

• No minimum

• 30 minutes

• 1 hour

• 2 hours (default)

• 3 hours

• 4 hours

• 6 hours

• 8 hours

• 12 hours

• 24 hours

The salon default starts at 2 hours. Workers can choose "No minimum" to allow instant bookings, or any other preset value that suits their schedule.

Set the Salon Default

1. Go to Settings from the sidebar

2. Find Minimum booking lead time

3. Select your preferred preset value

The help text reads: "How far in advance customers must book. Bookings closer than this to the current time will be rejected."

Set a Worker Override

Each team member can customize their own lead time:

1. Go to My Preferences from the sidebar

2. Find Minimum booking lead time

3. Choose from:

   • Use salon default — Follows the salon-wide setting, showing the current default duration

   • No minimum — Allows customers to book immediately

   • A specific duration — Overrides the salon default for this worker only

When to Use Lead Time

Adjust your lead time based on how much preparation you need:

• No minimum — Best for on-call availability or workers who can accommodate walk-ins

• 30 minutes to 2 hours — Good for most salon services where you need a short buffer for preparation or travel

• 4+ hours — Useful for specialized services, mobile workers, or when you need significant advance notice

Lead time works alongside your availability blocks. Customers can only book during your available hours, and only for slots that meet your lead time requirement. See Setting Up Your Availability to configure when you accept bookings.

Common Questions