Dashboard Tour:
Scheduling Buffers, Blocked Dates, and Availability
(Holidays, Busy Seasons...)
Preparing for holidays is essential, ensuring your scheduling system is updated accordingly. By blocking off the holiday, you can ensure you won't have any appointments scheduled during that time. However, it's also important to consider how you will handle escalations during the holiday. You may need to adjust your escalation settings to change call forwarding or availability. By doing this, you can ensure that your customers will still receive the same service they expect from you, even on holiday. It's always better to be proactive and make these adjustments beforehand rather than risk unhappy customers and missed opportunities.
If you're unsure how to update your escalation settings, watch the video below - as we reveal the secrets to setting up buffers, block dates, and maximizing your availability in the scheduler. however, should you need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help you make sure your holiday runs smoothly!
Get ready to level up your scheduling game! This tutorial will reveal the secrets to setting up buffers, block dates, and maximizing your availability in the scheduler. You can use this to set up your scheduler for holidays, out-of-office, & busy seasons, too!
Are you ready to take control of your schedule?
What you will learn:
- How to set up a buffer
- How to block dates (use for holidays)
- How to set up your availability window
A Few Definitions:
What are Buffers?
Availability Buffers allow you to define the soonest possible appointment times your Scheduling Pro Scheduler will offer customers on the website and through live services. With Buffers, you can:
- Define the Buffer Area - Service Zones
- Define Services - Trades and Service Codes
- Set Duration - How much should appointments be buffered in Days or Hours (rolling time block)
- Create Buffer Label - a descriptive label to delineate between buffers
Example Use Case: We are too busy, and despite having availability in our FSM, we need to block customers from booking Preventative Maintenance for the next few months—Instructional guide.
PRO TIP (Buffers): You can strategically use buffers in your schedules to prioritize and promote high-ticket repair/installation jobs versus low-ticket, non-urgent appointments like preventative maintenance.
You can create buffers before and after maintenance visits. These buffers provide time for communication with clients, potential delays, and additional services if needed during the maintenance visit. It ensures that maintenance jobs are done thoroughly without rushing.
What are Blocked Dates?
These are virtually the same as Buffers, except they allow you to define an exact time window rather than a rolling window. Great for blocking off annual Holidays, monthly training, company meetings, snow days, or any other event where you want to prevent customers from booking on that specific date(s).
With Blocked Dates, you can:
- Define the Blocked Date Area - Branches and Service Code Zones
- Define Services - Trades and Service Codes
- Set Duration - How long will your Blocked Dates last? From X to Y Date
- Create Blocked Date Label - a descriptive label to delineate between buffers
Holiday Example
Example Use Case: We will be closed on Memorial Day and must block out all appointments—Instructional guide.
If you plan to close your business for a holiday like Memorial Day, its important to block off that day so that no one can book services online or call in for non-emergency issues. However, it's important to note that forwarding phone calls to Scheduling Pro for the whole day may be necessary, as no one will be in the office. This means that you may need to adjust your escalation hours, which are the hours dedicated to handling emergency calls, before the holiday.
For instance, if your company typically starts escalations at 8 pm on a Monday (as pictured), you may want to take escalations all day long on Memorial Day. Failing to adjust your escalation hours before the holiday could result in Schedule Pro agents being unable to handle emergency calls during the holiday, potentially causing you to lose customers.
Therefore, when preparing for holidays, it's critical to include editing the escalation dashboard as a crucial step to ensure you take advantage of significant business opportunities.
PRO TIP (Blocked Dates): To avoid unexpected appointments on days when you forgot to block off time, proactively set your closed dates for the entire year, including holidays. The Blocked Dates feature can also come in handy for dealing with unforeseen events like inclement weather or hurricanes.
What's an Availability Window?
An Availability Window allows you to define how far into the future a customer can book an appointment through Scheduling Pro. These will apply to all Trades, Branches, Services, and Zones. You can set anywhere from 1 - 12 months in 1-month increments.
Example: If your Availability Window is three months, a customer can book an appointment as far as three months from today's date—Instructional guide.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact support. Submit a Support Ticket
