With Sign In Scheduling, you can add periods of buffer time to your appointments. Buffer time can be added both before and after an appointment is due to take place.
Buffer time extends the overall appointment time of a given booking, blocking out your availability for that time period. As a result, periods scheduled with buffer time won't be free for other customers to book with you.
Adding buffer time is an effective way of managing your time and making sure you aren't overstretched. Perhaps you want to block out some time after each appointment to grab a coffee or have some paperwork or traveling to do before your appointments start; whyever you need it, buffer time can be easily added.
This guide explains how to add buffer time in Sign In Scheduling.
SECTIONS:
How to add buffer time from the services page
How to add buffer time within the calendar
How buffer time affects appointment length
How to add buffer time from the services page
If you'd like buffer time to be applied automatically to all appointments booked for a specific service, head to 'Setup' > 'Services' and click on the service you'd like to add the buffer time to.
Navigate to the 'Buffer/travel time' section, where you'll see checkboxes for before and after appointments. Click to select where you'd like the buffer time added.
When you click to select each checkbox, you'll then be prompted to enter the length of the buffer time in minutes. You can type this in manually or use the selection arrows to make your choice.
Your changes will be saved automatically.
Once you've done this, any bookings made for this service will appear in your calendar with the buffer time automatically applied.
If you'd like to manually remove buffer time from these bookings, click on them, then click the 'Edit' icon at the top of the right-hand sidebar.
You can then use the buffer time checkboxes to amend or remove the buffer time. Make sure to scroll down and click 'Change' to save your changes.
Note: this will change the selected appointment only. To change the buffer time settings for all future bookings made for this service, head back to 'Setup' > 'Services' and follow the previous instructions.
How to add buffer time within the calendar
If you'd like to add buffer time to appointments manually, you can do so directly from the calendar.
To get started, either click on a pre-existing appointment within your calendar, or click to create a new one.
You can then use the 'Buffer before' and 'Buffer after' checkboxes in the right-hand sidebar to add buffer time.
Once you've clicked to select the checkbox(es), you can enter the length of the buffer time in minutes.
Once you're happy with the added buffer time, scroll down and click 'Book' or 'Change' depending on whether the appointment is new or already booked. This will save your changes, and you'll see the buffer time reflected in the calendar, next to the appointment.
How buffer time affects appointment length
It's important to remember that buffer time will always increase appointment length. This means that Sign In Scheduling takes the buffer time into account when calculating how long you'll be busy.
For example, a 30-minute appointment with two 15-minute periods of buffer time added will have a total length of 60 minutes. You'll therefore need to make sure you have enough time to be able to commit to this, as Sign In Scheduling will mark you as busy for this entire period.
Need more help?
We hope this guide has been useful! If you have any questions, reach out to our support team who will be happy to help.