Booking settings

Concept

Booking settings control how clients can request appointments and how your availability is presented.

Settings include your weekly schedule, slot durations, buffer time between appointments, deposit requirements, and cancellation policies.

InkWell provides studio-level defaults in Dashboard -> Settings -> Bookings. These defaults apply across your services:

• Default appointment duration
• Buffer time between appointments
• Cancellation policy
• Deposit requirements

You can override these defaults per service where needed.

Why it matters

Booking settings determine whether your schedule feels controlled or chaotic.

• Clients see clear availability and know when they can book.
• You get manageable appointment flow with appropriate gaps between sessions.
• Publish checks catch setup issues before going live.
• Consistent defaults reduce setup time for new services.

Good booking settings protect your time and reduce avoidable stress.

How to configure it

1. Go to Dashboard -> Settings -> Bookings.
2. Set your baseline defaults:
   • Default appointment duration.
   • Buffer time between appointments.
   • Cancellation policy and notice period.
   • Deposit requirements.
3. Go to Dashboard -> Settings -> Availability to set your weekly schedule:
   • Working hours for each day of the week.
   • Blocked dates for holidays or breaks.
4. Review each service to ensure duration and deposit amounts are correct.
5. Override studio defaults on specific services where needed (for example, longer duration for full-day sessions).
6. Save and verify your public page reflects the correct availability.

Defaults apply to all services unless overridden. You can adjust any value per service.

How to verify it worked

• Your public page shows the correct availability slots.
• Booking requests can only be submitted for available times.
• Buffer time between appointments is reflected in the schedule.
• Deposit amounts display correctly for each service.
• A test booking request flows through the full process correctly.

For deeper scheduling setup, see Availability windows, Availability overrides, and Managing bookings.

Common mistakes

• Publishing without testing the full booking flow.
• Skipping studio defaults, then re-entering the same values for every service.
• Setting optimistic buffer times that don't leave enough space between sessions.
• Not setting a cancellation policy before going live.
• Assuming updated defaults change existing confirmed bookings automatically.