Scheduling Fundamentals

Mirror Your Real Business

Petboost scheduling is designed to mirror what actually happens in your business—not force you into a generic template.

This guide explains the three core concepts that make it work:

---

The 10-Second Summary

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                              │
│   SCHEDULE          →    SESSIONS         →    CAPACITY     │
│   When you work          Mini-shifts           At one time  │
│                                                              │
│   "Mon–Fri 9–5"     →    "Morning,        →    "3 dogs      │
│                           Afternoon"            at once"     │
│                                                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Why These Three Work Together

Think of it like this:

Your Business Day
─────────────────

SCHEDULE: The container (9am–5pm)
├── SESSION 1: Morning Grooming (9am–12pm)
│   └── Capacity: 2 dogs at a time
│
├── [Lunch break]
│
└── SESSION 2: Afternoon Mixed (1pm–5pm)
    └── Capacity: 3 dogs at a time

• Schedule = The outer boundary (when you're available)
• Sessions = The structure inside (how you organise your day)
• Capacity = The limit at any moment (how many simultaneous)

---

Concept 1: Schedule

What It Is

Your weekly working hours template—the days and times you're available.

Real-Life Anchor

"What days do I work? What hours?"

Example

Where to Set It

• Team Members → [Person] → Working Hours tab
• Resources → [Resource] → Working Hours tab
• Schedules & Sessions → Visual editor

---

Concept 2: Sessions

What It Is

Mini-shifts within your schedule—focused time blocks where appointments can start.

Real-Life Anchor

"How do I chunk up my day? Do I have distinct blocks for different things?"

Why Use Sessions?

Example: Groomer

Example: Daycare

Where to Set It

• Schedules & Sessions → [Entity] → Add/edit sessions
• Each session can have its own:
  • Capacity override
  • Service restrictions
  • Breed/size eligibility

---

Concept 3: Pets at a Time

What It Is

How many pets can be handled at the same time—not a daily limit.

Real-Life Anchor

"Right now, at this moment, how many dogs can I physically handle?"

Critical Distinction

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                      │
│  ✓ CORRECT: "3 dogs at any given moment"            │
│                                                      │
│  ✗ WRONG: "3 dogs per day"                          │
│                                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Example Calculation

• Pets at a time: 3 dogs
• Session length: 3 hours
• Average service: 1 hour

Potential throughput: 9 dogs per session (3 at a time × 3 rotations)

Capacity by Business Type

Where to Set It

• Team Members → [Person] → Capacity tab
• Resources → [Resource] → Capacity tab
• Sessions → Pets at a time per session

---

How They All Connect (Visual)

MONDAY 9am–5pm (Schedule)
│
├── 9:00 AM ─────────────────────────────────
│   │
│   │  SESSION 1: MORNING GROOMING
│   │  Capacity: 2 dogs at a time
│   │
│   │  9:00   🐕 Max      🐕 Bella     [2/2 full]
│   │  10:00  🐕 Duke     🐕 Luna      [2/2 full]
│   │  11:00  🐕 Rocky    [empty]     [1/2]
│   │
├── 12:00 PM ──── LUNCH BREAK ───────────────
│
├── 1:00 PM ─────────────────────────────────
│   │
│   │  SESSION 2: AFTERNOON EXPRESS
│   │  Capacity: 3 dogs at a time
│   │
│   │  1:00   🐕🐕🐕    [3/3 full]
│   │  2:00   🐕🐕      [2/3]
│   │  3:00   🐕🐕🐕    [3/3 full]
│   │  4:00   🐕        [1/3]
│   │
└── 5:00 PM ─────────────────────────────────
    END OF DAY

TOTAL DOGS: 14
(Not limited—just 2-3 at any moment!)

---

Beyond Scheduling: Eligibility Rules

Schedule, sessions, and capacity determine when bookings can happen. But there's another layer: eligibility rules determine who can book.

The Full Availability Stack

When a customer tries to book, Petboost checks (in order):

BOOKING REQUEST
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. SERVICE LEVEL               │  Can this service be booked online?
│     • Self-service enabled?     │  Is there enough notice time?
│     • Notice period met?        │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  2. INITIAL SERVICE CHECK       │  (If service has a prerequisite)
│     • Has pet completed the     │  e.g., temperament test before daycare
│       required initial service? │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  3. PET ELIGIBILITY             │  Does this pet qualify?
│     • Age in range?             │
│     • Weight in range?          │
│     • Breed allowed?            │
│     • Vaccinations up to date?  │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  4. TEAM MEMBER AVAILABILITY    │  Is someone available to do the work?
│     • Working hours apply?      │
│     • On leave?                 │
│     • Blocked time?             │
│     • Has capacity?             │
│     • Assigned to this service? │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  5. RESOURCE AVAILABILITY       │  Is the equipment/space available?
│     • Working hours apply?      │
│     • Blocked time?             │
│     • Has capacity?             │
│     • Assigned to this service? │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│  6. GEOGRAPHIC CHECK            │  (Mobile services only)
│     • Customer in service area? │
└─────────────────────────────────┘
      │
      ▼
    ✓ SLOT AVAILABLE

Common Eligibility Rules

Where to Set Eligibility Rules

For detailed configuration, see Booking Settings & Availability.

---

⚠️ Proceed With Caution: Rules Have Consequences

This isn't a bug—it's physics. Each rule filters out potential bookings.

Illustrative example (actual impact varies based on your setup):

Each rule you add = fewer available slots
│
├── Working hours          → BIG impact (defines your availability container)
├── Capacity limits        → BIG impact (limits simultaneous bookings)
├── Pet eligibility rules  → MODERATE impact (filters specific pets)
├── Geographic restrictions → MODERATE impact (filters by location)
├── Booking notice period  → SMALL-MODERATE impact (filters short-notice)
│
└── The more you stack, the tighter it gets

The Right Mindset

Don't ask: "What rules can I add?"
Ask: "What rules do I NEED to run my business safely?"

Every rule should answer: "This prevents a real problem I've experienced or genuinely fear."

If you can't articulate the problem, you probably don't need the rule.

Signs You've Over-Engineered

• Customers complaining they can't find available times
• You have rules "just in case" that have never been triggered
• Your schedule looks empty online but you're actually available
• You added rules to match a previous system, not to solve a problem

The Fix

1. Review your current rules
2. For each rule, ask: "What problem does this solve?"
3. If you can't answer, consider removing it
4. Monitor availability after changes

For a complete framework on choosing the right level of rules, see The Booking Rules Spectrum.

---

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: "I'm a solo groomer with one table"

Your setup:

• Schedule: Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm
• Sessions: One all-day session (or split morning/afternoon)
• Capacity: 1

Result: One dog at a time. Simple and clean.

---

Scenario 2: "I run a busy daycare with drop-off rush"

Your setup:

• Schedule: Mon–Fri, 7am–6pm
• Sessions:
  • Drop-off (7–9am): Capacity 20 (high traffic)
  • Play (9am–4pm): Capacity 15 (steady state)
  • Pick-up (4–6pm): Capacity 20 (high traffic)
• Capacity: Varies by session

Result: High capacity during rush hours, lower during play for safety.

---

Scenario 3: "I do private training mornings, group classes evenings"

Your setup:

• Schedule: Mon–Thu, 9am–8pm
• Sessions:
  • Private (9am–4pm): Capacity 1
  • Group Class (6pm–8pm): Capacity 8
• Capacity: 1 base, 8 override for group session

Result: One-on-one attention by day, full classes by night.

---

Scenario 4: "I want to prevent random gaps in my diary"

Your setup:

• Schedule: Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm
• Sessions:
  • Morning (9am–12pm)
  • Afternoon (1pm–5pm)
• Capacity: Set per session

Result: Bookings cluster within sessions. No 10:15am gap followed by nothing until 2pm.

---

Quick Setup Checklist

Step 1: Set Your Schedule

• Go to Team Members or Resources
• Set working days and hours
• This is your availability container

Step 2: Add Sessions (Optional but Recommended)

• Go to Schedules & Sessions
• Split your day into focused blocks
• Consider: morning, afternoon, evening

Step 3: Set Pets at a Time

• For each team member: Capacity tab
• For each resource: Capacity tab
• For each session: Override if needed

Step 4: Test It

• Create a test booking
• Verify correct times appear
• Try booking at capacity—confirm blocked

---

Common Questions

"Do I need sessions if I'm a solo operator?"

Optional but helpful. Even one session gives you:

• Capacity control
• Predictable structure
• Easy to split later as you grow

---

"What if my capacity changes by day of week?"

Use special dates or different schedules per day. You can set Monday differently from Friday.

---

"How does this affect online booking?"

Customers only see slots where:

• ✓ You're within schedule hours
• ✓ Session is active
• ✓ Capacity is available
• ✓ Service is allowed in that session

No manual filtering needed.

---

"Can team member and resource capacity both apply?"

Yes—both are checked. Example:

• Sarah's capacity: 2
• Grooming room capacity: 3

If Sarah is assigned, maximum is 2 (her limit applies).

---

Where to Go From Here

---

Quick Reference Card

Print this out or screenshot it:

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  PETBOOST SCHEDULING — QUICK REFERENCE                     │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                             │
│  SCHEDULE = When you work                                   │
│  "Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm"                                        │
│                                                             │
│  SESSIONS = Focused time blocks within schedule          │
│  "Morning grooming, afternoon express"                     │
│                                                             │
│  PETS AT A TIME = How many at the SAME TIME              │
│  "3 dogs at once" (NOT "3 dogs per day")                   │
│                                                             │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  They work together to MIRROR YOUR REAL BUSINESS           │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

---

Need help? Click the chat icon or email support@petboost.com.au