Services and meeting types

Everything clients can book is a service: consultants call them meeting types, spas treatments, clinics appointment types. The screens use your calendar's own words throughout, so where this page says "Add service" or "Questions for the client", a consultant sees "Add meeting type" and "Questions for the invitee". Open Calendar → Services (or your calendar's word, such as Meeting types) to see them by category, with tags such as "Needs approval" or "Front desk only". The switch beside each turns it off: then nobody can book it, the front desk included, and past appointments keep it. "Add service" makes a new one, and "Import price list" reads a photo or the text of your price list into services you check before they're added.

Length and price

"Duration (what clients see)" is how long the client is with you, in 5-minute steps up to 12 hours. Under "Timing" you can add up to 4 other lengths for clients to choose from, such as 30 or 60 minutes: each one books its own amount of time, and the price stays the same.

The price shows one of four ways: "Fixed", an exact amount; "From", a starting amount when the final price depends on the client; "Free"; or "Hidden", when you price after a consultation. On a team, "Who does it" lets each person have their own minutes and price; leave the boxes empty to use the service's own. Clients see each person's price when they choose who to book. eKard doesn't take payments: the price shows on your booking page and fills in "Mark paid" when you record what the client paid.

Prep, cleanup and processing

"Prep before" and "Cleanup after" ("Travel after" for home services) keep the team member busy while the client isn't there: setting up a room, clearing a station, getting to the next address. Clients never see them, and online bookings can't overlap them; only the desk can book into them, on purpose, with "Book anyway". For salons, "Processing time" marks a stretch inside the visit when the client stays but the team member is free, while colour develops, say: set when it starts and how long it lasts. In that gap the desk and the booking page can fit someone else in, and Today shows it hatched. The bar on the form shows the whole visit as the team member spends it.

Who can book it, and where

• "Everyone, on your booking page". Listed with its category.
• "Only people with the link". Not listed. Send it as a single-use link, for a package or a returning client.
• "Front desk only". Not on your booking page: you and your team book it, or send the client a single-use link for it. On a calendar without a front desk this reads "Only you".

Under "Where", choose your place (or a different address for this service), "At the client's address" (they add it when booking), "Phone call", "Video call" (paste your Zoom, Teams or Meet link and it goes in the confirmation) or "Somewhere else". When everything in a booking is a phone or video call, clients see the times in their own time zone.

Before and after booking

• "Booking rules for this service". Its own minimum notice, how far ahead and start times, and "At most this many a day (all together)". Booking rules explains each.
• "Before you confirm". "Approve each appointment yourself", and an advance to pay before the visit. Requests and advances covers both.
• "Questions for the client". Up to 5, asked on the booking form: "Short answer", "Long answer", "Pick one" or "Tick box", each optional unless you tick "Required". Your team sees the answers in the appointment and in your new-booking email; the client doesn't see them again.
• "Confirmation note". What to bring, or to arrive 10 minutes early. It goes in the confirmation and reminders, and on the client's own booking page.

Open your calendar →