How do I configure recurring or specific start times for a product?
Overview
Many products—such as activities, parties, tours, classes, or timed experiences—need specific, recurring start times so customers can book them accurately. Product Schedules allow you to define exactly when a product can be booked, how often sessions repeat, and how those times change throughout the year.
This tutorial shows you how to use Product Schedules to:
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Set default recurring schedules
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Create seasonal or monthly variations
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Add one‑time exceptions
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Build evenly spaced or custom start times
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Ensure customers can only book the times you want to offer
By configuring schedules correctly, you ensure that your products appear at the right times on the booking calendar and that your operational flow stays consistent
For a video walk through please visit: Video Training
Problem Being Addressed
1. Inconsistent or Incorrect Booking Times
Without Product Schedules, customers may see:
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No available times
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Incorrect times
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Times that don’t match your operating hours
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Times that conflict with staffing or resource availability
Schedules ensure that only the correct start times appear for booking.
2. Difficulty Managing Recurring vs. Seasonal Hours
Businesses often have:- Standard hours that rarely change
- Seasonal adjustments (summer, holidays, school year)
- One‑off closures or special events
- Staff must manually update times
- Mistakes can lead to overbookings or unavailable sessions
- Seasonal changes become time‑consuming to manage
Default schedules, profile schedules, and single‑use schedules solve this by giving you layered control.
3. No Way to Offer Evenly Spaced or Custom Start Times
Some products run on a predictable interval (e.g., every 90 minutes). Others require irregular start times (e.g., 10:15 AM, 4:45 PM).Without Product Schedules:- Staff must manually enter times repeatedly
- Irregular times are difficult to manage
- Customers may see unintended start times
- Recurring intervals (e.g., every 90 minutes)
- Individually added custom times
4. No Easy Way to Handle One‑Time Closures
Occasional closures—maintenance, private events, weather—require temporary schedule changes.Without single‑use schedules:- Staff must edit and re‑edit recurring schedules
- Mistakes can cause accidental openings or closings
- Entire products may appear unavailable
Single‑use schedules allow one‑time overrides without affecting long‑term schedules.
5. Confusion Between Product Schedules and Facility‑Wide Closures
Some closures affect only one product, while others affect the entire facility.Without clear scheduling tools:- Staff may close the wrong thing
- Customers may book during unsafe or unavailable times
Product Schedules handle product‑specific changes.
Operating Hours handle full‑facility closures.
Summary
Product Schedules solve the operational challenges of offering timed experiences by allowing you to:- Define recurring start times
- Create seasonal or monthly variations
- Add one‑time exceptions
- Offer evenly spaced or custom start times
- Prevent incorrect or unintended booking times
- Keep your booking calendar accurate and easy to manage