Understanding services
Understanding services
A service is the core building block of your Nabooki account — it defines what customers are booking, how they can book it, and the rules that apply. Before you set up schedules, staff, or payments, it helps to understand how services work and the key settings that shape them.
How services work
A service in Nabooki represents a specific activity, appointment, or experience your business offers — for example, a 60-minute massage, a group yoga class, or a private boat tour.
When a customer books through your booking page, they are selecting a service. The service settings you configure determine:
• When the service is available to book
• How many customers can book at once
• Where the service is delivered — at your premises, online, or at the customer’s location
• Whether bookings are confirmed automatically or require your approval
• How far in advance customers can book or cancel
Where to find services
You can view and manage all your services under Inventory > Services in your Nabooki dashboard. From here you can create new services, edit existing ones, or adjust individual settings.
Key settings or concepts
Service Allows (booking type)
This setting controls how bookings can be made. There are three options:
Single
Only one booking is accepted per time slot. Once a slot is booked, it is fully taken. This works like a standard appointment system where each slot belongs to one customer.
Multiple
Multiple customers can book the same time slot, up to a defined capacity. Use this for group classes, tours, or events where several participants join at once. You control capacity using three settings:
- Minimum quantity per booking — the minimum number of participants required in a single booking transaction
- Maximum quantity per booking — the maximum number of spaces one customer can book in a single transaction
- Maximum capacity — the total number of participants or spota the service can accommodate in a given time slot.
Private group
Like Single bookings, only one booking is accepted per slot. However, that booking can include multiple participants, and the number of participants may affect the cost. This option suits services where a group exclusively occupies a resource — for example, a private vehicle with limited seats.
Because participant numbers can vary, capacity for private group bookings is managed through the resources linked to your service (such as vehicles). To configure this, go to Settings > Resources > Settings and define the maximum availability for each resource.
⚠️ Warning: Avoid using Private group bookings unless your service genuinely requires exclusive use of a resource by a group. Do not set a Multiple bookings service with a capacity of 1 — use Single instead.
Location type
The location type determines where your service is delivered and how location details appear in customer booking confirmations and emails.
Location Type | How it works | Best for |
Physical | Your business address is shown on the booking page and in confirmation emails. Customers visit you. If you have multiple locations, customers can select their preferred branch. | Salons, clinics, studios, gyms, retail services |
Online | No physical address is shown. You provide the meeting link manually or via an automated email to the customer. | Virtual consultations, online workshops, telehealth, remote training |
Mobile | Your business address is hidden. You travel to the customer. Use custom booking fields or your service description to collect or confirm the customer’s location. | Mobile therapists, personal trainers, pet groomers, tour guides |
📝 Note: Nabooki does not enforce location restrictions for mobile services. If your service area is limited, you may need to review bookings manually or use custom fields to confirm suitability before confirming.
Instant Booking vs Booking on Request
This controls how a booking is confirmed after a customer submits it.
- Instant Booking — the booking is confirmed immediately and the customer receives a confirmation straight away
- Booking Request — the booking is held as pending until you approve or decline it. You receive an email with the booking details and can respond directly from your email without logging into Nabooki
Booking timing rules
Three settings under the Booking Preferences tab control when customers can book and cancel:
- Booking cut-off time — the minimum amount of time before a session starts that a customer can still make a booking.
For example: If set to none, customers can book right up to the start time. - Allowable cancellation time — how far in advance customers can change or cancel through the customer portal.
- Booking time frame — how far ahead customers can book the service. The default is 365 days.
💡 Tip: Setting a booking cut-off time helps prevent last-minute bookings that may disrupt your schedule. A cancellation window protects your revenue while still giving customers flexibility.
Next Steps
Now that you've learnt about services, you can start creating one by following the steps in the articles below:
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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