Choose your booking type
Suggested reservation type: Appointments + Equipment hire. Grooming is a timed appointment with a clean-up buffer, pets are the dependents, and self-wash tubs are hired as equipment — Appointments plus Equipment hire.
Tick Appointments and Equipment hire under Settings → Configuration → Reservation type. Using more than one booking type needs the All bookings custom feature (switch it on at /admin/custom-features); the same three checkboxes then also appear under Custom Features → All bookings. The choice is saved for the selected location.
Create your services
Start with these:
- Full groom — 90 minutes, price 1800
- Bath & dry — 60 minutes, price 900
Both are appointment services; the close buffer covers drying the table and sweeping hair. Self-wash tubs are equipment items with Standalone hire on.
An appointment service is a class with Open for appointments switched on, edited at /admin/appointments/classes/:classId. In its Settings pill start from: default duration 60 minutes, Time frame 30 min, Buffer time - Open 0 min, Buffer time - Close 15 min, and Working Hours matching your opening hours. Connect staff to the service at /admin/appointments/connect and set each person's hours at /admin/appointments/instructors/:customerId.
Set the booking flow
Under /admin/appointments/settings → Booking flow, order the steps Classes → Instructors → Date:
- Classes: Enabled + Required
- Instructors: Enabled (not Required)
- Date: Enabled + Required
Owners pick the service first, may pick a groomer, then a date — the Instructors step is enabled but optional so a new owner is never blocked by a groomer they do not know.
Passes and payment
No passes: grooming is paid per visit at pick-up, so leave the pass list empty. Passes live at /admin/passes if you add one later.
Cancellation window: under Settings → Reservation allow customer cancellation with a cutoff of 24 hours before the start (the field takes minutes, so enter 1440).
Customers and features
Dependents: Turn dependents on under Settings → Customer, then rename the noun to "pet" under Settings → Customization so the owner adds each dog as a pet and books for it.
Custom features to switch on at /admin/custom-features (each uses a feature point):
- Appointment Booking — runs grooming as timed appointments.
- Appointment Add-ons — sells de-shedding, nail trims and medicated shampoo.
- Automated Reminders & Notifications — reminds owners the day before and nudges them when the next groom is due.
- Equipment — hires self-wash tubs by the slot.
Worked examples for this business: Equipment for a Dog Wash (Equipment → Items) and Appointment add-ons for a Dog Wash (Appointments → Addons).
Do it with the assistant
The admin AI assistant reads this playbook and can set the business type, create services and classes, passes, link instructors, set working hours, buffers and the time frame, and enable features — every change is shown for approval before it is saved. Try:
- “Create a Full groom service, 90 minutes, 1800, with a 15-minute close buffer.”
- “Enable dependents and rename them to "pet".”
- “Enable Appointment Add-ons and Equipment.”
