When offering online bookings, you may not want to show all your availability but offer slots that ensure appointments are booked back to back, minimising wasted calendar space (minimise gaps).
Minimise gaps when clients book online:
Go to Admin>Settings>Online Booking & Deposits>Minimise Gaps.
Here, you will see the following 3 options:
Show all available slots
This option does not minimise gaps - all available slots will be shown as available for booking.
Show all slots until first appt booked, then minimise gaps
When no appointments have been booked, this option will show all slots as available. The presence of breaks or blocks will not change this.
Once an appointment has been booked, only those slots immediately before or after appointments, blocks or breaks will be offered.
Minimise gaps
Always show slots just before or after any existing appt, break or block
Beware - if you select this option, you must select at least one of the "First slot of the day" or "Last slot of the day" options. Otherwise, there is a danger of no slots being shown when a day has no blocks, breaks or appointments.
Example:
If I choose to minimise gaps for the calendar below, I will be offered the slots:
Just before AND just after Dr Askari's meeting
Just before AND just after Nurse Sue James' break
If I was to add "First slot of the day", I would also be offered 10am for both staff.
Tip:
You may want to have minimise gaps switched on all the time but want to offer more slots in the first instance. To do this, insert a small break or block in the appropriate place - this will allow slots before and after to be offered even if you do not yet have any bookings in place.