General settings of Booknetic

General settings of Booknetic. Multi-purpose Appointment Booking Plugin For Wordpress.

Time Slot Length

This setting determines the default time interval between available appointment slots in the booking calendar.

For example, if you set this to 30 minutes, the available time slots for booking will be: 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, etc.
This setting is applied globally across services unless a specific service overrides it with its own custom duration.
It's ideal for businesses that operate in structured blocks of time (e.g., beauty salons, clinics, personal trainers).
A smaller interval (e.g., 5 or 10 minutes) gives customers more flexible options but can make calendar management more complex.

Note: This setting does not define the duration of the services themselves.

Set Slot Length as Service Duration

When enabled, this setting ensures that the length of each booking slot exactly matches the duration of the selected service.

For example, if your service lasts 45 minutes, the system will display available slots like 09:00, 09:45, 10:30, etc., based on service length.
This option overrides the default Time Slot Length setting, making slot generation dynamic and aligned to actual service durations.
Recommended for businesses that offer services with varied lengths and want to optimize calendar space without overlapping bookings.

If you disable this option, the system will use the fixed "Time Slot Length" setting to determine available time slots, regardless of how long the service takes.

Minimum Time Requirement Prior to Booking

This setting defines the minimum notice required for customers to book an appointment.

For example, if you set this to 24 hours, customers will not be able to book an appointment within the next 24 hours from the current time.
This is especially helpful for businesses that need preparation time before appointments or need to avoid same-day last-minute bookings.
You can define this setting in minutes, hours, or days, depending on your business needs.
It helps reduce rushed appointments and ensures adequate time for staff and resource preparation.

If disabled, customers can book appointments at any time up until the moment the service starts.

Limited Booking Days

This setting limits how far into the future a customer is allowed to book an appointment.

For example, if this is set to 60 days, customers will only see available slots within the next 60 calendar days from today.
This helps businesses prevent long-term calendar clutter and gives flexibility to update service offerings or staff schedules before distant dates are booked.
It also reduces the chance of no-shows due to forgotten long-term appointments.
A value of 0 means there is no limit, and customers can book as far into the future as they wish.

Adjust this based on how predictable your business availability is. For high-demand services, limiting booking windows can also create a sense of urgency.

Week Starts On

Choose which day of the week your calendars start on across both the admin panel and the customer-facing booking calendar.

This typically defaults to Monday or Sunday, depending on your country.
Selecting the right start day can make calendar reading more intuitive for both staff and clients.

Businesses in Europe often start the week on Monday, while North American businesses typically use Sunday.

Date Format

This setting defines how dates appear in Booknetic—for both you and your clients.

Common options include:
- dd/mm/yyyy (e.g., 25/04/2025)
- mm/dd/yyyy (e.g., 04/25/2025)
- yyyy-mm-dd (e.g., 2025-04-25)
It is important to match this format to local standards and client expectations to avoid confusion when selecting dates.

This format is reflected throughout the system, including appointment listings, invoices, and customer communication.

Time Format

Choose how times are displayed in the booking system:

12-hour (AM/PM): More common in the United States and some parts of Asia.
24-hour: Standard in most European and international businesses.

This affects how time is shown on booking pages, email notifications, and the admin calendar.

Default Appointment Status

This setting determines the initial status assigned to newly booked appointments.

Common default statuses include:
- Pending: Appointment awaits payment, confirmation or manual approval by staff/admin.
- Approved: Appointment is instantly accepted and confirmed upon booking.
Select the status that fits your workflow. If your team prefers to review and approve bookings before confirming them, set the default to Pending.
You can also set up automated workflows to notify staff or clients based on appointment status changes.

Remember that status changes can trigger other functions (e.g., payment processing, notifications), so configure this thoughtfully.