Pencil Bookings

When pencil bookings are enabled, online bookings become appointment requests rather than fully confirmed appointments. A staff member must review and confirm the booking in Pointa.

Until the booking is confirmed, the customer has requested the appointment but it is not yet confirmed by the business. The customer will receive an email of their request stating that it is not yet confirmed.

Use pencil bookings if the business wants manual control before accepting online appointments.

Enable pencil bookings under:

Settings > Sales > Online Sales > Use pencil bookings

If online payment is also required, the customer must pay first. After payment succeeds, the booking becomes a pencil booking and still needs staff confirmation.

If pencil bookings are not enabled, online bookings become confirmed once submitted, or once payment has been completed if payment is required.

Pencil bookings show with a pencil icon on the appointment book and you will receive a notification in the top panel when the booking is made.

Before confirming, you can make any necessary changes to the booking, including changing the appointment date, time, services, or assigned staff. The booking will remain a pencil booking until you click Confirm. If you change the appointment date or time, it's best practice to contact the customer first to ensure the new time suits them before sending the booking confirmation.

To confirm:

1. Click the booking.

2. Click Confirm.

3. Confirm the action.

The customer will then receive a booking confirmation.

To cancel the booking:

1. Click the booking.

2. Open the more menu.

3. Choose Cancel.

4. Confirm the cancellation.

The customer will then receive a booking cancellation notification if turned on in Notification Settings.