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When a service books several resources, anny blocks each of them for the whole booking by default. With time windows you set for each resource booked along with the service when it is actually needed, for example only for the first 30 minutes. With buffer times per resource you give a single resource its own set-up or follow-up time without changing the service for all other resources. With time windows and buffer times per resource you can:
  • block staff for only part of a booking
  • plan preparation or cleaning before or after the booking
  • give a single resource its own buffer time
This keeps your staff and equipment free for other bookings as soon as they are no longer needed.
Without a setting of your own nothing changes: every resource stays occupied for the whole booking and takes the service’s buffer times, as before.

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Typical use cases

This is not the right tool for services that customers should book separately at a different time. Use Recommended Resources under Add-ons for that.

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How do time windows and buffer times work?

On the Resources tab of a service, every linked resource has a button with a clock icon. It shows what applies to this resource and opens the editor:

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Which resource can do what?

Which settings you can edit depends on how the resource is linked to the service:

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What a time window changes and what it doesn’t

A time window never moves the booking itself: the booking’s time, duration and price stay the same, and so do lead time and the advance booking period. The resource booked along only has to be free and available on its schedule during its own time window plus its buffer times. For example, if a salesperson’s shift ends at 17:00, a test drive at 16:30 can be booked when they are needed only for the first 30 minutes.

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How buffer times work together

  • A resource’s buffer time replaces the service’s buffer time for this one resource. Set-up and follow-up time count separately: if you set only a follow-up time, the service’s set-up time stays.
  • For the resource customers book (Connected resources), the buffer time sits around the booking. It counts for the free start times on the booking page, for the blocked period and for the calendar.
  • For dependencies and additional resources, the buffer time sits around the resource’s time window, not around the booking.
  • If a dependency has no buffer times of its own, the service’s buffer time applies to it, even if the booked resource has its own buffer times.
  • If you change the buffer time of a single booking in the admin area, that value takes precedence over service and resource.

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Set up a time window

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Prerequisites

  • A service where the booked resource is linked under Connected resources and the resource booked along (e.g. the staff member) under Dependencies — all must be available or in a Dependency group. Smart Availability explains how to add dependencies.

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Set a time window for a dependency

1

Open the Resources tab

Under Services, open the service and switch to the Resources tab.
2

Open the editor

Click the clock button (Whole booking) on the dependency. The Time window editor opens.
3

Set start and end

Under Occupied from and Occupied until, set an amount and a reference point each: before booking start, after booking start, before booking end or after booking end. For services in minutes you can switch the unit between minutes and hours.For “the first 30 minutes”, set Occupied from to 0 minutes after booking start and Occupied until to 30 minutes after booking start. The summary at the bottom of the editor reads booking start → 30 minutes after booking start.
4

Optional: buffer times for this resource

Enter your own values under Set-up time and Follow-up time if the resource should also be blocked before or after its time window. If you leave a field empty (As service), the service’s buffer time applies.
5

Save

Close the editor and click Save at the top right.
Once the time window is saved, anny checks the dependency only for its own time window, and customers see more free start times.
Time window editor on Jonas Weber (Sales) under Dependencies: Occupied from 0 minutes after booking start, Occupied until 30 minutes after booking start, set-up and follow-up time empty (As service)

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Set buffer times for a single resource

1

Open the resource's editor

On the Resources tab, click Buffer times as service on the resource you want, e.g. under Connected resources. The Buffer times editor opens.
2

Enter set-up or follow-up time

Enter the Set-up time and/or Follow-up time you want. An empty field takes the service’s buffer time, 0 blocks no buffer time.
3

Save

Close the editor and click Save at the top right. The button then shows Own buffer times.
Once the buffer time is saved, anny blocks it only for bookings of this one resource. All other resources keep the service’s buffer times.
Buffer times editor on the Tesla Model 3 under Connected resources: set-up time empty (As service), follow-up time 30 minutes, summary Own buffer times
Resources tab after setup: Tesla Model 3 with Own buffer times, BMW i4 with Buffer times as service, Jonas Weber (Sales) with booking start → 30 minutes after booking start
Use Reset in the editor to set the resource back to the whole booking and the service’s buffer times.
For additional resources you find the same editor on the Additional options tab under Additional Resources. When an additional resource has its own time window, its card shows Own time window instead of Same period.

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Settings & options

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Which reference point fits?

Choose the reference point by what should happen with longer bookings. An end “30 minutes after booking start” always stays 30 minutes long, an end “60 minutes before booking end” grows with the booking’s duration.
A time window has to end after its start for every possible duration of the service. With a flexible duration, anny checks the minimum and the maximum duration. If the time window would last zero or less, the editor shows a red notice and saving is refused.
Time window editor with Occupied until 30 minutes before booking start and a red notice that the window would last zero or less and saving will be refused

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Limitations

  • The resource customers book (Connected resources) has no time window of its own, only its own buffer times.
  • Older dependencies set to Book if available only have their own buffer times.
  • Recommended Resources have neither time windows nor own buffer times, because they become a separate booking.
  • Within a Group — one must be available, one shared time window applies. You set it on one member, and all other and new members take it over.
  • A changed time window does not apply retroactively. Existing bookings take it over only when you move them or edit their time.

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Example: test drive with a salesperson

A car dealership offers a test drive of 90 minutes. Customers choose a car (Tesla Model 3 or BMW i4). A salesperson, Jonas Weber, accompanies only the first 30 minutes. The Tesla has to charge for 30 minutes after every drive, the BMW doesn’t. The service itself has no set-up or follow-up time. Result: Jonas has a customer appointment on Thursday from 10:45 to 11:30. Without a time window he would be occupied for 90 minutes with every test drive. The booking page would then offer only 09:00, 09:15 and start times from 11:30. With the time window, a test drive at 10:00 needs him only until 10:30. That’s why anny offers the start times from 09:00 to 10:15 and from 11:30. Only the start times where his 30 minutes would fall into the customer appointment are dropped. After a booking at 10:00, Jonas is occupied from 10:00 to 10:30. The Tesla is booked from 10:00 to 11:30 and then blocked until 12:00 by its follow-up time. The BMW could be booked again from 11:30, the Tesla only from 12:00. In the booking details, the Time column under Additional Resources shows when Jonas is occupied.

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FAQ

No. Without a setting of your own, every resource stays occupied for the whole booking and takes the service’s buffer times.
An empty field takes the service’s buffer time (As service). 0 means no buffer time for this resource, even if the service has one.
No. The service’s Follow-up time applies to all cars. Instead, give the follow-up time only to that one car through its Buffer times as service button on the Resources tab.
No. Price, time and duration of the booking stay the same. The time window only sets when the resource booked along is occupied.
Dependencies stay hidden in the booking process unless you make them visible. If a resource booked along is visible and has a different time than the booking, anny shows its own time in the confirmation e-mail, the booking PDF and the wallet pass.

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Troubleshooting

The time window would last zero or less for at least one duration of the service, e.g. Occupied until 60 minutes before booking end on a 60-minute service. Anchor the end at the booking start instead (e.g. 30 minutes after booking start) or shorten the amount. This also applies when you change the service’s duration later: if an existing time window no longer fits, the change is refused and the message names the resource.
The resource is linked under Connected resources or as an older dependency set to Book if available. Time windows exist only for Dependencies — all must be available, dependency groups and additional resources.
An own set-up or follow-up time extends the time in which the dependency has to be free. Without own buffer times, the service’s buffer time also applies to the dependency. Check the dependency’s time window and buffer times and set 0 if needed.
The Additional options tab appears only when add-ons are enabled for your account. Time windows for dependencies on the Resources tab work independently of that.