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Booking Time Windows

Booking time windows let you set a preferred arrival or service period for a job — such as "morning," "afternoon," or a specific two-hour slot. By defining when work should happen, you help your dispatchers build efficient schedules, set clear expectations with customers, and give the auto-assignment system the information it needs to match the right technician at the right time.

Pro feature

Booking time windows require a Pro or Enterprise subscription. Compare plans to see all available features.

Why use booking windows

Without booking windows, every job is simply "scheduled for a date." Adding a time window provides:

  • Customer satisfaction — customers know approximately when to expect the technician.
  • Schedule optimization — dispatchers can group nearby jobs into logical time blocks.
  • Auto-assignment accuracy — the system considers the booking window when selecting a technician, ensuring they are available during the specified period.
  • Reduced no-shows — customers who know the expected arrival window are more likely to be prepared and present.

Setting a booking window

At job creation

  1. Open the Create Job form.
  2. Set the Scheduled date for the job.
  3. In the Booking window field, select a time window:
Window Time range Best for
Morning 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM Customers who prefer early visits
Afternoon 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM Customers who are available later in the day
Full day 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Flexible jobs with no time preference
Custom Any start/end time When the customer requests a specific slot
  1. Click Save to create the job with the booking window attached.

Editing the booking window

You can change the booking window after creation:

  1. Open the job details page.
  2. Click the Booking window field.
  3. Select a new window or adjust the custom time range.
  4. Click Save. The updated window is reflected immediately on the schedule.

Confirm with the customer

When changing a booking window, make sure to notify the customer of the updated arrival time. A quick public note documenting the change keeps everyone on the same page.

Customer operation hours

Booking windows respect the customer operation hours configured on each customer's profile. This prevents scheduling a job outside the times when the customer's facility is open or staff is available.

How it works

  1. When you configure a customer, you can set their operation hours for each day of the week — for example, Monday–Friday 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, closed on weekends.
  2. When creating a job for that customer, the booking window options adjust to fit within the customer's operating hours.
  3. If you try to set a window outside the customer's operating hours, you receive a warning.

Operation hours are optional

If no operation hours are set for a customer, the system uses your company's default business hours. You can set these under Settings → Company Settings.

Booking windows and scheduling

Booking windows appear on your scheduling views to help dispatchers build efficient daily plans.

Calendar view

Jobs with booking windows appear as blocks during the specified time period on the calendar view. This makes it easy to see open slots and avoid scheduling conflicts.

Daily schedule planning

When planning a technician's day, dispatchers can sort jobs by booking window to ensure morning jobs are visited first, followed by afternoon appointments. This creates a logical daily sequence and helps technicians work more efficiently.

Booking windows and auto-assignment

The auto-assignment system (Pro and above) uses booking windows when evaluating technician candidates:

  • Availability check — the system verifies that the technician is on-shift during the booking window.
  • Travel time calculation — the system estimates whether the technician can arrive at the job site within the window, considering their previous job location.
  • Schedule fit — the system avoids assigning a technician whose existing jobs would conflict with the new booking window.

Wider windows give the system more flexibility

A "Full day" window gives the auto-assignment system maximum flexibility to optimize job sequencing, while a narrow custom window (e.g., 10:00–11:00 AM) limits options. Use narrow windows only when the customer specifically requires them.

Preset vs. custom windows

Type When to use Examples
Preset (Morning / Afternoon / Full Day) Standard scheduling for routine jobs. Fastest to select and covers the majority of use cases. Weekly maintenance, filter changes, inspections
Custom Customer requests a specific arrival time or your job requires precise timing. "Between 2:00 and 3:30 PM", coordinated deliveries, multi-trade coordination

Creating custom windows

  1. In the Booking window field, select Custom.
  2. Enter the Start time and End time.
  3. The system validates that the window falls within the customer's operation hours (if configured).

Best practices

Practice Why it matters
Use presets when possible Preset windows are faster to configure and give the auto-assignment system more flexibility to optimize job sequencing.
Set operation hours on customers Customer-level hours prevent scheduling mistakes and ensure technicians arrive when the customer is ready.
Communicate windows to customers When confirming an appointment, include the booking window so the customer knows what to expect.
Review schedule density If all your morning slots are full but afternoons are open, encourage customers to accept afternoon windows.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a technician cannot arrive within the booking window?

The job remains assigned but may flag as at-risk on the dispatcher's schedule. Dispatchers can reassign the job to a closer technician or adjust the booking window in coordination with the customer.

Can I set booking windows on recurring jobs?

Yes. The booking window configured on the recurring job template is applied to every generated instance. Each instance can be individually adjusted if needed.

Are booking windows visible to customers?

On Pro plans and above, the booking window is displayed in the customer portal, so customers can see the expected service period for their upcoming jobs.

Can I set different booking windows for different days of the week?

Booking windows are set per-job, not per-day. If a customer has different availability on different days, you set the appropriate window when scheduling each job for that customer.

What if a job has no booking window?

Jobs without a booking window are treated as flexible — they can be scheduled at any point during business hours. The auto-assignment system has full freedom to optimize placement in the technician's schedule.

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