Some things aren't booked at set times. A massage, a private lesson or a photo shoot happens whenever a guest and one of your staff are both free. For these, guests pick any free time, and TicketPa books one person who runs it.
Create an activity booked by appointment
- Go to Activities in the sidebar and select Create activity.
- Under How do guests book?, choose At a free time with your staff.
- Fill in the Name, How long it lasts (up to 24 hours) and the Location. The location is needed, because its opening hours say when guests can book.
- Select Create activity.
You can't change how guests book an activity later. Instead of a Schedule tab, it has a Times tab.
Set when appointments start
- Open the activity and select the Times tab.
- Under Start times, choose how often an appointment can start, from every 5 minutes to every hour. With every 30 minutes, guests can start at 09:00, 09:30, 10:00 and so on.
- Under Time kept free, enter the minutes to keep free Before each appointment and After each appointment, for setting up, cleaning up or travelling. Nobody can book the staff member then, and guests don't see it.
- Select Save.
The whole appointment has to fit inside someone's hours. The time kept free before and after can run past them.
Choose who guests book with
Each appointment books one person who runs the activity and is free at that time.
- Who runs it is set on the Staff page. See Set up your staff.
- On the activity's Staff tab, switch on Guests choose who they book with to let guests pick a person by name, or Anyone available. Leave it off, and guests only pick a time while TicketPa books someone who is free then. The switch shows once two or more people run it.
When guests can book
Guests can book a time when someone who runs the activity:
- works then, during their own hours or the opening hours of the location. See Set opening hours, staff hours and time off.
- isn't on time off, and the dates aren't closed.
- isn't running a time slot or another appointment then, including the time kept free around it.
The Policies tab still sets how close to the start and how far ahead guests can book, and how many guests one booking can have. If the activity uses equipment or a room, add it on the Equipment and spaces tab, per guest or per booking.
How guests book it
On your booking page, guests pick a date and then a free start time. When Guests choose who they book with is on, they first pick a person or Anyone available under Who would you like?, and the dates and times follow that person's hours.
With Anyone available, TicketPa books the free person with the least booked that day, so the work is shared. Their ticket and emails say With and the person's name only when the guest chose who.
Two guests can never book the same person at the same time: if someone books a time first, the other is asked to pick another time. If a guest's payment arrives after their hold ran out, TicketPa books the same person again, or anyone free when they chose Anyone available, and refunds the payment when nobody is.
On the day
Appointments show in the Calendar next to your time slots, and in the By staff view in each person's column. Today's appointments are on the Dashboard, and your staff see their own under Mine. Check guests in by scanning their ticket. To move an appointment or give it to someone else, open its booking. See Move a booking.
Publish it
Like any activity, it needs a price guests can choose. It also needs at least one person who runs it, and hours: the opening hours of its location, or someone's own hours. Until then, the activity lists what is missing under Before you can publish. See Publish an activity.