Online Booking

Web

ZynoSuite's booking system can be configured to let customers browse availability and make reservations online. This page covers the settings that control the customer-facing booking experience.

Enabling Online Booking

Online booking is controlled at two levels:

1. Per Product — Each bookable product has an Available for Online Booking setting. Only products with this enabled will appear in the online booking flow. This lets you offer some services online while keeping others staff-only or walk-in-only.

2. Per Activity — The activity's scheduling and availability settings determine what customers see online. The activity must be active and have a schedule configured for time slots to appear.

What Customers See

When a customer visits your online booking page, they can:

1. Choose an activity — Browse the activities you offer (with names, descriptions, and images).
2. Select a location — If the activity is available at multiple locations, the customer picks where they want to go.
3. Pick a date — A calendar shows available dates within your advance booking window.
4. Select a time slot — Available slots are shown for the selected date. Full slots do not appear (or are shown as unavailable with a waitlist option, if enabled).
5. Choose a product/service — If the activity has multiple online-bookable products, the customer selects which service they want.
6. Choose a duration — For variable-duration activities, the customer picks their preferred session length.
7. Select a resource (optional) — If a resource type is marked as customer-selectable, the customer can choose a specific resource (like their preferred stylist). Otherwise, a resource is assigned automatically.
8. Enter their details — Name, email, phone, and any participant information.
9. Complete required forms — If the product requires waivers or other forms, the customer can complete them as part of the booking process.
10. Pay or place a deposit — If a deposit is required, payment is collected online. Otherwise, the customer may pay at the time of service.

Controlling Online Availability

Several settings work together to shape what is available online:

Advance Booking Window

The activity's Maximum Advance Days setting limits how far into the future customers can book online. If set to 30, only the next 30 days appear on the calendar. This prevents customers from booking too far ahead when your schedule or staffing might change.

Online Booking Cutoff

The Online Booking Cutoff setting prevents last-minute online bookings. For example, if set to 120 minutes, customers cannot book a slot that starts less than 2 hours from now through the online portal. They would need to walk in or have staff create the booking instead.

This is separate from the general Minimum Lead Time setting, which applies to all bookings (including staff-created ones). You might allow staff to create bookings 30 minutes out, but require online bookings at least 2 hours in advance.

Product Visibility

Each bookable product has an Available for Online Booking setting that controls whether it appears in the online booking flow. Products that are not enabled for online booking can still be booked by staff through a sales tab.

Online Cancellation and Rescheduling

Per activity, you can control whether customers can self-manage their bookings:

• Allow Online Cancellation — Customers can cancel their own bookings. The cancellation policy applies automatically — the customer sees their refund amount before confirming.
• Allow Online Reschedule — Customers can move their booking to a different available time slot. The original booking is replaced, and any price differences are handled automatically.

If neither is enabled, customers must contact your staff to make changes.

Cutoff Windows

Even when online cancellation or rescheduling is enabled, you can set a cutoff window that prevents last-minute changes. For example, you might allow online cancellation in general but block it when the booking is less than 24 hours away. Cutoffs can be set in minutes, hours, or days. See Setting Up Activities for configuration details.

Resource Selection

When a resource type is marked as customer-selectable (see Resources), customers can browse available resources and choose one during the online booking process. This is most commonly used for services where personal preference matters — like choosing a stylist at a hair salon.

Non-selectable resource types are assigned automatically. The customer does not see the assignment until their confirmation.

Deposits for Online Bookings

If a product requires a deposit (see Bookable Products), the customer pays the deposit amount at checkout when booking online. The remaining balance is collected at the time of service.

Deposits help reduce no-shows for online bookings by ensuring the customer has a financial commitment to their reservation.

TIP

Start with a conservative approach to online booking — enable it for a few popular services first, set a reasonable advance booking window, and require online bookings at least a few hours in advance. As you get comfortable, you can expand the services available and adjust the settings.