How to Create & Configure a Service

How to Create & Configure a Service


A service in Nabooki represents the activities, classes, appointments, or experiences that customers can book. Whether you offer tours, fitness sessions, or professional appointments, this guide will help you set up your services and configure their settings.

Step 1: Access the Services Section

1️⃣ Click Inventory from the left-hand menu.
2️⃣ Select
Services.
3️⃣ If no services exist, click
+ Add New Service.
4️⃣ If services already exist, click the
blue plus button in the top-right corner and choose one of the following:

  • Add Service (for single bookings).
  • Add Class (for group bookings).
  • Add Other (to manually select booking type).





Step 2: Initial Service Setup

1️⃣ Enter the Name of Service.
2️⃣ Select the
Location Type:

  • Physical (displays the business location to customers).
  • Mobile (hides the business location from customers).
  • Online (for virtual services not requiring a location).

3️⃣ Enter the Price (can be $0 if required).
4️⃣ Set the 
Duration (required for scheduling and availability).
5️⃣ Click 
Continue to save.

📌 After clicking Continue, you will be redirected to the Services page.
To access full settings, select the
three-dot menu (•••) > Edit on the newly created service.



Step 3: Advanced Service Configuration

Once a service is created, the full configuration becomes available with four tabs:

1️⃣ General
2️⃣
Staff & Resources
3️⃣
Availability & Scheduling
4️⃣
Booking Preferences



General Tab

This tab contains key details that define how the service is offered.


Service Name & Booking Type

  • Service Name – The name customers see when booking.
  • Service Allows – Defines how customers book:
    • Single bookings – One booking per time slot.
    • Multiple bookings – Different customers can book the same time slot.
    • Private bookings – A group books a slot together, preventing others from booking.

Location & Pricing

  • Location – Displays if you have multiple locations.
  • Duration – Total time allocated for the service.
  • Price – Displayed in the booking widget.

🔹 Hide Price – Prevents price display on the booking tool.
🔹
Display as Sale Price – Highlights a discount or promotion.
🔹 
Add Price Cateogires – Create multiple price options such as Adult, Concession and Child.

Expanding "More Details"

Clicking More Details reveals additional settings:

  • Start & End Dates – Limits service availability to a set period.
  • Description – Provides additional service details to customers.
  • Image – Adds an image for display in the booking widget.
  • Categories – Groups services for easier navigation in the booking widget (recommended when a number of services have been created).

Adding Service Options

  • Enable Options for different durations, prices, or inclusions. Example: A spa treatment may have "Standard," "Luxury," and "Premium" options.

Additional Fields for Multiple Booking Services

If Multiple Bookings is selected, additional fields appear:

  • Default Quantity – Number of people per booking (default: 1).
  • Show Quantity As – Custom label (e.g., Participants, Seats, Scooters).
  • Min & Max Quantity Per Booking – Limits per transaction.
  • Max Capacity – Total available spots per session/event.

View Advanced Settings

Expanding this section reveals:

  • Multiple Sessions – Allows multi-session bookings (e.g., 10-class pass).
  • Visibility Online – Hides the service from the main booking widget but keeps it accessible via a direct link.
  • Deactivate This Service – Prevents the service from being booked (recommended instead of deleting a service).
  • Booking Type
    • Instant Booking – Automatically confirms bookings.
    • Booking Request – Requires merchant approval before confirmation.


Staff & Resources Tab

Once the service is created, you must assign staff members or resources responsible for delivering it. A service cannot be booked until at least one is assigned.



Assigning Staff or Resources

1️⃣ Navigate to the Staff & Resources tab.
2️⃣ Select the staff member(s) or resource(s) required for this service from the dropdown or click + Assign Staff/Resource to add a new one.
3️⃣ Click Update to apply the changes.

📌 Key Details:

  • If multiple staff or resources are assigned, customers can select their preferred provider by deselecting "Staff /Resource names not visible to customers."
  • If no staff or resource is assigned, the service cannot be booked.

Staff & Resource Availability

The availability of a service is directly linked to the assigned staff or resource schedule. If a staff member is unavailable or working limited hours, the service will not be bookable during those times.

To adjust staff/resource hours:

  • Use the Fine-Tune Availability feature to modify specific dates.
  • Adjust default working hours for staff under Settings > Staff.

Service-Specific Staff & Resource Selection

For businesses offering multiple services, staff members can be assigned to specific services only.

  • A staff member assigned to Service A will not appear as an option for Service B unless they are added to both.
  • Customers will only see staff members linked to the service they are booking when customer selection is enabled.

To allow customers to choose their provider:

  • Ensure "Staff names not visible to customers" is unchecked in the Staff & Resources tab.
  • Staff images and descriptions (if added) will be displayed in the booking widget.

Info
Best for: Businesses where customers may want to select a provider based on expertise, experience, or personal preference (e.g., hair salons, massage therapists, fitness instructors).

Resource-Only Services

Some services may only require resources (e.g., rooms, vehicles, rental equipment) rather than staff.

  • If a service only requires a resource, leave staff unassigned.
  • If both staff and resources are assigned, both must be available for a booking to proceed.

IdeaTip: When setting up your services, only assign the minimum necessary to allow flexibility.

For example:
  • A tour operator may find it easier to assign only vehicles as resources and allocate staff manually.
  • A clinic may only assign treatment rooms as resources while staff are managed separately.

✅ Click Update to save any changes.



Availability Tab

The Availability Tab determines when and how customers can book your service. This section allows you to define bookable times, set up recurring schedules and prevent bookings during specific periods.

Setting Service Availability

The booking method depends on whether the service is set as single bookings (appointments) or multiple bookings (classes, tours, etc.).

1️⃣ Single Bookings (Appointments, Private Sessions)

  • Customers can book any available time based on business hours, staff/resource availability, and existing bookings.
  • This is commonly used for appointments, one-on-one sessions, or private bookings.

2️⃣ Multiple Bookings (Classes, Group Sessions, Tours)

  • Customers can only book at specific scheduled times.
  • Use this option for fitness classes, workshops, tours, or events where multiple people book the same session.
  • Schedules must be created in advance by selecting the available timeslots on the calendar.

Setting Booking Availability for Single Bookings

If the service is set to Single Bookings, you can define how frequently customers can book:

📌 Booking Resolution

  • Defines the bookable time-slot frequency (e.g., every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.).
  • If customers should only book on the hour, set the resolution to 1 hour.

📌 Starting Time

  • Determines the first bookable time-slot of the day.
  • Can be used together with Booking Resolution to define a structured booking flow such as bookings on the hour.

📌 Blocking Out Times

  • Prevent bookings during certain periods.
  • Click on a timeslot to block off hours or days (e.g., Monday mornings unavailable until 12 PM).

Creating Schedules for Multiple Bookings (Classes, Tours, Events)

For multiple booking services, customers can only book into specific scheduled times.

To set up schedules:
1️⃣ Select a timeslot on the
calendar for the relevant day.
2️⃣ A pop-up window will appear.
3️⃣ Assign
staff and/or resources from the previous step.
4️⃣ (Optional)
Give the schedule a name (e.g., "Morning Yoga", "Boat Tour 2 PM").
5️⃣ Adjust the
capacity (if different from the default setting).
6️⃣ Click
Update to apply.

✅ Customers will only see these scheduled times on the booking tool.

InfoIf the service includes options, separate schedules will be created for each option in this tab.


Booking Preferences Tab

The Booking Preferences tab allows you to customise how customers book, pay, and interact with your service. While many businesses use the default settings, you can fine-tune options to align with your needs.



Booking Settings

These settings define when and how customers can book or cancel their appointments.

📌 Booking Cut-off Time

  • Defines how close to the booking time a customer can still book.
  • Default is None, meaning customers can book up to the last minute.
  • Can be set from 1 hour to 30 days before the start time.

📌 Allowable Cancellation Time

  • Defines how close to the booking time a customer can cancel or modify their existing booking via the customer portal or the link provided in their confiramtion email.
  • Default is 48 hours.
  • Options include:
    • No changes or cancellations permitted (customers must contact you directly, these options are disabled for the customer).
    • No limit (customers can cancel or modify their booking at any time).
    • 1 hour to 30 days before the booking.

📌 Booking Time Frame

  • Determines how far in advance customers can book.
  • Default is 365 days, allowing bookings up to one year in advance.
 📌 Multiple Booking Service Options

The following options are also displayed when the service is set to multiple bookings.
  1. Enable waitlist after the capacity is reached
  2. Enable booking requests for larger group
  3. Show remaining capacity during booking
  4. Limit availability for overlapping schedules

Limit availability for overlapping schedules helps manage staff and resources more efficiently. It ensures that once a booking is made for a particular schedule, other overlapping schedules become unavailable.

How It Works:

  • When this setting is enabled, multiple schedules can be created that overlap for the same time slot.
  • Once a customer books one of the schedules, all other overlapping schedules are automatically closed and marked as unavailable.
  • This works on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing the first customer to decide the type of service offered during that time.

🔗 Learn More About Overlapping Schedules


Payment Settings

If you require full or partial prepayment when a booking is made, you can configure it here.

📌 Payment Options

  • Full Prepayment – Customers pay the total amount when booking.
  • Partial Prepayment – Customers pay 10%, 25%, or 50% upfront, with the balance due later.

📌 Activating Online Payments

 To accept online payments, you must:
1️⃣
Integrate a Payment Gateway
2️⃣
Enable Payments for the Service

🔗 How to Activate Online Payments for Your Services


Booking Form – Collect Additional Information

The Booking Form section can be displayed by selecting 'More details' on the right side of screen to allow you to collect additional details from customers, such as:

  • Consent to terms & conditions
  • Pickup location or drop-off details
  • Dietary requirements
  • Medical conditions or waivers

🔗 How to Add Custom Fields


Customer Confirmation – Add Additional Information

This section allows you to include a custom message in the confirmation email. This is useful for:

  • Instructions on what to bring
  • Arrival details (e.g., meeting point, parking info)
  • Special notes or reminders

🔗 How to Add a Custom Message to Booking Confirmation Emails


Calendar Settings

📌 Service Colour

  • Assign a specific calendar colour to this service for easy identification.

📌 Require Check-In?

  • Enable customer check-in to track attendance for classes, tours, or events.

🔗 How to Use the Check-In Feature


Booking Widget Installation

At the bottom of this tab, you’ll find installation instructions for embedding the booking widget for this specific service on your website.

📌 Options include:

  • Book Now Button – Opens the booking widget in a modal.
  • Booking Calendar – Displays the full booking widget.
  • Check Availability – Shows available slots but prevents direct bookings (useful for enquiry-based services like kids’ parties).

✅ Click Update to save any changes.



Need Help?

If you need assistance, contact our support team:
💬 
Live Chat: Click the chat icon in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
📧 
Email: support@nabooki.com


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