§ Help & FAQ

Common

questions.
1

Create your account

Sign up at slotbook.ca/business-signup. Choose a short URL slug for your booking page — this becomes your permanent public address (e.g. slotbook.ca/your-business). Pick something simple and memorable.

2

Set your timezone

Go to Settings → Business profile and set your timezone. This is important — all availability windows, booking times, and notification emails are based on it.

3

Add your resources

In Resources, add the people, rooms, or equipment that perform your bookings — a stylist, a treatment room, a chair, a massage table, anything that can only do one thing at a time. Each resource gets its own weekly schedule and time-off list, so a salon with two stylists or a clinic with three rooms is now a single tick-box problem.

4

Set each resource's hours

Click a resource name in the Resources table to open its detail page. Set its weekly opening hours, add recurring breaks (e.g. "lunch every Mon/Wed/Fri 12–1"), and block out time off (single days or date ranges like a vacation). Slots only generate inside a resource's hours and outside its blocks.

5

Add your services

In Services, add everything customers can book. For each service, set a name, duration, price, optional buffer, and tick which resources can perform it. A service can be performed by one resource (only Anna does colour) or by many (any stylist does a haircut) — the engine offers a slot whenever any qualifying resource is free.

6

Share your booking page

Your public booking page is live immediately at slotbook.ca/your-slug. Share it on your website, social media, or in your email signature. Customers can browse your services and book 24/7 without calling you.

— Resources
What is a resource and why do I need one?

A resource is anything that can only do one thing at a time — a stylist, a treatment room, a chair, a piece of equipment. Every booking consumes exactly one resource for its duration. Customers don't see resources directly; they see services. Behind the scenes, the engine picks the first available resource that can perform the chosen service.

Even if you're a solo operator, you have at least one resource (usually called "Main") that holds your weekly schedule.

How do I let two bookings happen at the same time?

Add a second resource in Resources, then tick it under "Performed by" on the relevant service(s). The booking grid will now offer two concurrent bookings at any time both resources are free. Add a third resource and you get three, and so on.

This replaces the older "shared capacity" setting — concurrency is now governed by how many resources can perform a service, not by a single number.

Can my staff or rooms have different hours from each other?

Yes — that's the whole point of resources. Click any resource name on the Resources page to set its weekly hours independently. Anna can work Mon–Wed 9–5, Ben can work Thu–Sat noon–8, and the slot grid combines them automatically.

How do I block off vacation, lunch breaks, or a single afternoon?

On a resource's detail page (click its name in Resources) there are two block lists:

  • Recurring blocks for repeating breaks — e.g. "lunch 12:00–13:00 every Mon/Wed/Fri." Tick the days, set the times, save.
  • Time off (one-off) for vacations and individual days. Use a single date like 2026-06-15 or a range like 2026-06-15 to 2026-06-22. Leave the time fields blank for a full-day block.

Slots that fall inside any block won't be offered for that resource. A slot is still offered if any other resource for the service is free at that time.

The older business-wide Blocked Times page still exists but is being phased out — use per-resource blocks for anything new.

What happens when a customer books — which resource gets it?

The engine picks the first available resource (sorted by sort order, then ID) and locks the booking to it. You'll see which resource each booking is assigned to on the Bookings page under the "Resource" column. Customers don't pick the resource themselves in this version.

What if I delete a resource that still has bookings?

You can't — the system blocks the deletion and tells you to cancel or complete the upcoming bookings first. If you just want to take a resource out of rotation temporarily, untick its Active checkbox on the Resources page; it'll stop being offered for new slots but existing bookings stay intact.

— Bookings & Availability
What is the booking buffer?

A buffer adds breathing room between appointments. For example, a 10-minute buffer after a 60-minute service means the next booking can't start until 70 minutes after the previous one began. Set a global buffer in Settings → Services, or override it per service in the service edit form.

How does the waitlist work?

When a slot is full, customers can join the waitlist. You choose how you want to handle openings in Settings → Waitlist:

  • First-come, first-served: Automatically emails the next person in line when a cancellation happens.
  • Broadcast: Emails everyone on the waitlist at once — first to book gets the spot.
  • Manual: You see the list in your Waitlist dashboard and decide who to offer the slot to.
— Notifications & Emails
What emails do customers automatically receive?
  • Booking confirmation when they book
  • Appointment reminder before their booking (if you enable it in Settings)
  • Modification notice if they change their booking
  • Waitlist confirmation if they join a waitlist
  • Spot-available notice if a waitlist slot opens for them
How do I get notified of new bookings?

You receive an email alert at your business email address every time a new booking is made. Make sure the email in Settings → Business profile is correct.

Can I set reminder emails for customers?

Yes. Go to Settings → Reminder emails, toggle reminders on, and choose how far in advance they're sent — from 1 hour up to 1 week before the appointment.

— Account & Settings
Can I change my booking page URL (slug)?

No — your slug is permanent once chosen at signup. It becomes the URL you share with customers, so changing it would break any existing links. Choose carefully when signing up.

How do I customise how my business looks on SlotBook?

Go to Settings → Business branding. You can set your brand colour, card background and text colours, and accent colour. These apply to both your public booking page and your directory listing card.

How do I view my analytics?

Go to Analytics in your dashboard. You'll see total bookings, revenue, busiest days and times, repeat customer rate, and top services — all filterable by date range.

1

Find a business

Browse businesses at slotbook.ca/browse, or go directly to a business's booking page if you have their link (e.g. slotbook.ca/their-slug).

2

Pick a service and time

Select the service you want, choose a date, and pick an available time slot. Available dates show automatically based on the business's schedule.

3

Enter your details and confirm

Provide your name, email, and optionally a phone number or notes for the business. Hit Confirm Booking — you'll get a confirmation email right away.

4

Manage your bookings

Your dashboard shows all upcoming and past appointments. You can modify or cancel bookings, leave reviews, and save favourite businesses — all from one place.

— Bookings
How do I cancel or change my booking?

If you have a SlotBook account, sign in and go to My Bookings. You can cancel or modify any upcoming booking from there.

If you booked as a guest, contact the business directly using the contact details in your confirmation email.

I didn't receive a confirmation email. What should I do?

Check your spam or junk folder first. If it's not there, the booking may still have gone through — contact the business directly to confirm. Make sure the email address you entered at booking was correct.

What does "Full — Join waitlist" mean?

That time slot is currently at capacity. You can join the waitlist and if a cancellation happens, you'll be notified by email — either automatically or by the business, depending on how they've set things up. Spots are not guaranteed.

— Account
How do I save favourite businesses?

Sign in to your customer account and click the heart icon on any business card. Saved businesses appear in their own "Saved" section on your dashboard for quick access.

How do I leave a review?

After a past appointment, go to My Bookings and click Leave a review next to any completed booking. You can rate the business and leave an optional written review.

How do I update my profile or change my password?

Go to Profile in your dashboard. You can update your name, contact info, address, and emergency contact, and change your email or password from there.

Still have questions? Get in touch and we'll help you out.

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