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With the service-first flow, the service is at the forefront of a booking. Customers first choose the service (e.g. men’s haircut, consultation, yoga class) and only afterwards, if allowed, the person or resource performing it. Alternatively, anny assigns the resource automatically.

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How does the service-first flow work?

Unlike the resource-first flow (customers first choose a specific resource, then the booking option), the service-first flow reverses the order:
  1. Customers see a list of all services on the booking page
  2. After choosing a service, anny checks the availability of all connected resources
  3. Depending on the setting, a resource is assigned automatically or customers may choose a preference
  4. The booking is completed

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Assignment strategies

When customers don’t manually select a resource (or manual selection is disabled), one of three assignment strategies applies:
With the option “Customer may select preference”, you allow customers to manually select a resource and thus bypass the automatic assignment. Availability is checked and displayed in real time.

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The services table

You manage all services centrally in the services table (sidebar Catalog → Services). There you can:
  • Create services via New and edit them by clicking the row
  • Assign services to a group directly in the Group column
  • Adjust the order via drag & drop
  • Hide or show services on the booking page via the three dots of a row with Hide in overview or Show in overview
  • Via the three dots and Booking page, display the service directly on the booking page

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Switching the booking page

The switch is done under Account → Settings → General, section Shop settings, group Booking page:
Depending on the setting, the URL of your booking page changes. If you choose Services as the default tab, customers land directly on the service overview.

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When do I use this?

Choose the flow based on what customers decide first. Important: The global Explore page (Discover without an organization) lists only resources. Services do not appear there. If you sell services, customers must enter via the organization link or the Services tab on your booking page.
  • You offer services that can be performed by different people (e.g. hairdresser, massage, coaching): Customers choose the service, and the person is secondary or assigned automatically
  • You run a public authority or advice center with various requests (e.g. ID card, registration certificate): Customers choose their request, and the responsible case worker is assigned automatically
  • You want to distribute utilization evenly: The assignment strategies Round Robin or Random automatically ensure a balanced distribution
  • Not suitable for: Scenarios where customers want to occupy a specific object (e.g. a particular room, a specific vehicle, a sports field). Here the resource-first flow is the better choice.

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Relationship to other features

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Settings & options

On the booking page, customers also see the “Preferences” button, through which they can (if allowed) choose the resource they want.

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Examples in practice

A hair salon with 3 employees wants customers to first choose the service they want and then optionally select a hairdresser. Utilization should be distributed evenly.
A city administration wants citizens to be able to book appointments online for various requests. The assignment to the responsible case worker should happen automatically.

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FAQ

With the resource-first flow, customers first choose a specific resource (e.g. room, device) and then the booking option. With the service-first flow, they first choose the service and then (optionally) the resource. The choice depends on whether the object or the service is at the forefront. Services are not on the global Explore page.
The global Explore page (/explore) shows only resources across organizations. Services appear only on your organization’s booking page under /explore/{your-org-slug}/services.
Yes. You can show both the “Services” tab and the “Resources” tab. Customers can then switch between the two views. Via the default tab, you determine which view is shown first.
The service is shown as unavailable for the respective period on the booking page. Customers cannot book an appointment for this time slot.
Yes. The assignment strategy is set per service. So you can use “Round Robin” for one service and “First Available” for another.
The service-first flow is available in all plans. To connect multiple resources to a service, the Smart Availability feature must be enabled.

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Troubleshooting

Check under Account → Settings → General in the Shop settings section (group Booking page) whether “Show services on booking page” is enabled. In addition, at least one service must be visible on the booking page: it must not be hidden in the services table via Hide in overview.
Make sure the connected resources are available and their schedules are compatible with the service. With “First Available”, the order of the connected resources is decisive: it is chosen according to the order defined in the service.
Check whether the resources are correctly connected to the service and whether they are available in the relevant period. The preference button only appears when at least one resource is available.