Creating a Booking

To create a booking:

1. Go to Appointments.

2. Select the correct date.

3. Click or tap an available time under the correct staff member. If operating from a mobile device, long hold on the appropriate slot time to bring up the booking window.

4. Complete the booking details.

5. Click Save.

New bookings default to Customer Booking.

For a customer booking, select or create the customer, then add the required services or package. Pointa will use the selected service durations and booking gaps to calculate the finish time.

If there are no services on the booking, the finish time can be adjusted manually. Once services are added, Pointa calculates the finish time from the services.

Booking Types

Pointa supports different booking types:

• Customer Booking
  Used for normal customer appointments. Requires a customer and allows services or packages to be added.

• Off
  Used to block time where a staff member is not available.

• Lunch
  Used to block a lunch break.

• Meeting
  Used for meetings. A name, mobile, and email can be entered if required.

• Leave
  Used to block leave time.

• Other
  Used for general non-customer time blocks.

Customer bookings are the only booking type that use services/packages and can be completed through POS.

Adding Services and Packages

On a customer booking, use the Services field to search for and add a service or package.

Packages appear with the package icon and expand into their included services. This is useful for multi-step appointments such as colour packages, foil packages, or treatment bundles.

Best practice is to use packages for grouped services. For example, if a customer needs foils, toner, haircut, and blow-dry, use a package rather than having the staff member manually select each service in the correct order every time.

Packages help Pointa calculate the correct timing and keep bookings consistent.

See Products and Services for setting up services, booking durations, booking gaps, staff restrictions, and packages.

Assigning Staff to Services

The main staff member is selected in the Staff field.

For bookings with services, each service can also have its own assigned staff member. This is useful where different staff perform different parts of the appointment.

To change the assigned staff member for a service, use the staff button beside that service.

If a staff member is not normally able to perform a selected service, Pointa may show a warning. You can choose whether to continue, but best practice is to keep service staff restrictions accurate so warnings are meaningful.

Booking Conflicts and Roster Warnings

Pointa checks bookings against rostered hours and existing bookings.

If a booking overlaps another booking, Pointa may show a conflict warning. In some cases, Pointa may offer to shorten the booking so it no longer overlaps.

If a booking is outside the staff member’s rostered hours, Pointa may block the booking or ask whether you want to continue. This depends on the Appointment Book settings.

The setting is found at:

Settings > Appointment Book > Allow booking outside rostered hours

Best practice is to keep this off unless the business intentionally allows staff to be booked outside their roster. If it is turned on, staff may be able to override roster warnings.