Manage Appointment Windows

Appointment windows define the time slots that customers can select when booking appointments. These time slots typically span a longer period than the expected task duration, giving dispatchers flexibility when scheduling work.

Appointment windows are used throughout the system to support work order creation, customer appointment booking, and capacity planning.

Add an appointment window

1. Select Settings > Work order settings > Appointment windows > Add new.
2. Enter a Name and Description.
3. Select a Start time and End time.

4. Optionally, enter a value in Maximum tasks per day.

5. Optionally, add the Task type associated with the appointment window.
6. Select Save.

Associate task types with an appointment window

Associating task types with an appointment window affects appointment booking and capacity management.

• Customers booking appointments for the associated task types can select the appointment window when capacity is available.
• The appointment window appears in capacity planning views for the associated task types.
• The system automatically updates the corresponding appointment booking by task type record.

When a task type is added to an appointment window, the system automatically populates the appointment booking configuration with default values, including the appointment booking mode, default appointment window, lead time, and booking horizon.

Appointment window use

Work order creation

When creating a task, users can assign an appointment window to indicate the customer's preferred service time frame. This information is available to dispatchers during scheduling and dispatch activities.

Customer portal

Customers can select from available appointment windows when booking appointments through the customer portal.

Capacity management

Capacity is managed at the appointment window level. Available booking slots increase or decrease based on the capacity configured for each appointment window.

Configure appointment windows by task type

Configure appointment window settings for task types that support customer portal booking and capacity management.

1. Go to Settings > Work order settings > Appointment windows.
2. Select the task type you want to configure.
3. From Appointment booking mode, select Appointment windows.
4. Select one or more values in Default appointment windows.

5. Enter Default lead time (days).

   Defines the minimum number of days between task creation and an appointment.

6. Enter Default maximum booking horizon (days in advance).

   Defines how far into the future customers can book appointments, independent of SLA configuration.

7. Select Save.

Add appointment window rules

Appointment window rules allow different appointment booking configurations for specific regions or priorities. For example, a region with higher demand may offer additional appointment windows to increase scheduling flexibility.

1. Select Settings > Work order settings > Appointment windows > Add new.
2. From Rule type, select Region or Priority.
3. Select the regions or priorities that should use the rule.
4. Select Save.