What Scheduling owns
- Resources — bookable assets or people with defined availability windows
- Bookings — confirmed reservations against a resource’s schedule
- Availability rules — working hours, buffer times, and advance booking limits
Common tasks
Add a bookable resource
1
Open Scheduling → Resources → New Resource
2
Name the resource
Give it a specific, recognisable name (e.g. Meeting Room A — 10 Seats, Service Bay 2, John Smith – Senior Consultant).
3
Set the resource type
Choose: Room, Equipment, or Person. The type affects how the resource appears in booking interfaces and reports.
4
Set availability windows
Define the days and hours this resource is available (e.g. Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00). You can set different hours per day if needed.
5
Set buffer time (optional)
Add a buffer between bookings (e.g. 15 minutes). This prevents back-to-back bookings with no time for setup, travel, or preparation.
6
Set booking rules
Choose the minimum and maximum booking duration, and how far in advance bookings can be made or cancelled.
7
Enable client portal booking (optional)
Toggle to allow customers to book this resource directly through the client portal without staff intervention.
8
Save
The resource is now bookable by your team and, if enabled, by clients via the client portal.
Create a booking
1
Open Scheduling → Bookings → New Booking (or click a time slot directly on the calendar)
2
Select the resource
Choose the room, equipment, or person to book.
3
Choose date and time
The calendar shows available slots in real time. Unavailable times (blocked, already booked, or outside availability) are greyed out.
4
Set duration
Enter the start and end time or select from preset durations if configured.
5
Add booking details
Enter a title or purpose for the booking. Link to a CRM customer or HR employee for context and reporting.
6
Add attendees (optional)
For room or person bookings, list the attendees. They receive a confirmation notification.
7
Confirm
The booking is confirmed instantly. The resource calendar updates in real time and all attendees receive a confirmation notification.
Block time on a resource
1
Open the resource calendar
2
Click on the time slot to block
3
Select Block Time
Enter a reason: Maintenance, Out of Office, Reserved, Public Holiday, or Custom.
4
Set duration
Block a specific slot, a full day, or a recurring period (e.g. every Monday morning for 4 weeks).
5
Save
The slot is blocked and cannot be booked by anyone. Existing bookings within a newly blocked period are flagged and their holders notified.
Manage recurring bookings
1
Create a booking as normal
2
Toggle Recurring
Enable the recurring option and set the pattern: daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
3
Set the end date or occurrence count
Choose when the series ends (e.g. after 10 occurrences, or on a specific date).
4
Save
All occurrences are created and visible on the calendar. You can cancel individual occurrences without affecting the rest of the series.
View and manage the schedule calendar
1
Open Scheduling → Calendar
The calendar shows all resources in a unified view. Switch between Day, Week, and Month views.
2
Filter by resource or resource type
Show only specific rooms, only equipment, or only a specific person’s calendar.
3
Drag to reschedule
Drag a booking block to a new time slot to reschedule it. The system checks availability in real time and prevents you from dropping into a conflicting slot.
4
Export the schedule
Download the schedule as PDF for distribution, or sync to an external calendar (Google Calendar, Outlook) using the iCal feed link.
Cancel a booking
1
Open the booking from the calendar or Bookings list
2
Click Cancel Booking
3
Enter a cancellation reason
The reason is sent to all attendees in the cancellation notification.
4
Confirm
The slot is released immediately and becomes available for new bookings.
Troubleshooting
A time slot appears available but I cannot book it
A time slot appears available but I cannot book it
The slot may be within a buffer period from an adjacent booking. Check the resource’s buffer time setting. If the slot appears immediately before or after another booking, the buffer is blocking it. You can either reduce the buffer time on the resource or find an alternative slot.
A customer tried to book via the portal but the resource was not visible
A customer tried to book via the portal but the resource was not visible
Client portal booking must be enabled per resource. Open the resource record and confirm that Enable client portal booking is toggled on. Also check that the customer has active portal access under Settings → Users & Roles.
I cannot delete a resource that has upcoming bookings
I cannot delete a resource that has upcoming bookings
Resources with future bookings cannot be deleted — doing so would orphan the booking records. Cancel all upcoming bookings first, then delete the resource. Alternatively, archive the resource — it will be hidden from new bookings but historical records are preserved.
The calendar is not showing bookings I know exist
The calendar is not showing bookings I know exist
Check the calendar filter — it may be filtering to a specific resource or resource type that excludes the bookings you are looking for. Clear all filters to show all bookings across all resources.
A recurring booking was cancelled but only one occurrence was removed
A recurring booking was cancelled but only one occurrence was removed
When cancelling a recurring booking, you are prompted to choose: cancel only this occurrence, or cancel this and all future occurrences. If you chose This occurrence only, the rest of the series is unchanged. Open another occurrence to cancel the full series.
FAQ
Can customers book resources directly without going through a staff member?
Can customers book resources directly without going through a staff member?
Yes. Enable client portal booking on each resource you want to make self-bookable. Customers with portal access will see a booking interface showing availability in real time. You can configure whether bookings require staff confirmation or are instantly confirmed.
Can I charge customers for bookings?
Can I charge customers for bookings?
Yes. Set a booking rate on the resource (e.g. £50 per hour). When a booking is confirmed, a pending invoice is generated in Finance. The invoice is sent automatically or held for manual review depending on your billing settings.
Can I sync the schedule with Google Calendar or Outlook?
Can I sync the schedule with Google Calendar or Outlook?
Yes. Each resource has a unique iCal feed URL under the resource settings. Add this URL to Google Calendar, Outlook, or any calendar application that supports iCal subscriptions. The feed is read-only — changes must still be made in Softbooq.
How does Scheduling prevent double-bookings?
How does Scheduling prevent double-bookings?
Double-booking prevention is enforced in real time at the database level, not just in the UI. Two users cannot book the same slot simultaneously — the second request will be rejected and prompted to select a different slot.
Can I set different availability for a resource on public holidays?
Can I set different availability for a resource on public holidays?
Yes. Block time on the resource for each public holiday, or use the recurring block feature to mark annual dates. You can also set a custom availability calendar per resource under the resource’s advanced settings.
See also
CRM
Bookings are linked to CRM customers for a full account view.
Online Storefront
Customers can book services directly from your public storefront.
HR
Staff leave and availability feeds into scheduling resource calendars.