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Scheduling

How appointments, services, and availability work in Reception.ai.

Reception.ai includes a full scheduling system. Your receptionist uses it to book appointments over the phone, and customers can book directly on your booking page.

Business profile

Open your business page from the sidebar (labeled with your business name, or Business when the name is not set) and stay on Overview. The Business profile card is described as The basics your receptionist and booking page use everywhere.

RowWhat it opens
NameBusiness name. Shown to clients. Empty until you set it, and the row reads Not set.
PhoneYour receptionist’s phone numbers. The row reads Not connected until a number is added. See Phone numbers.
LocationsThe locations dialog. The row reads No locations yet until you add one. See Locations.
CountryCountry, the country where your business is based. The row reads Not set until you choose one. Changing it can be blocked by a phone number from another country. See Bring your own number.
TimezoneTimezone. Appointment times are shown in this timezone. Custom timezones per resource is off by default. See Time zones.
CurrencyCurrency. Prices are displayed in this currency. The row shows the code and symbol, such as USD ($). When no currency is saved, prices use USD.

The currency list includes USD, EUR, GBP, PLN, CAD, AUD, and other codes, each shown with its symbol. Service prices, product prices, and promotional prices use it.

How scheduling works

The scheduling system connects:

  1. Services: what you offer, such as a haircut, consultation, or equipment rental.
  2. Locations: where you offer it, each with its own opening hours.
  3. Staff: who provides the service.
  4. Assets: resources the service needs, such as rooms, chairs, or equipment.
  5. Booking rules: slot length, notice periods, and how far ahead customers can book.

A time slot is only offered when the location is open, a qualified staff member is free, required assets are available, the booking rules allow it, and no conflicts exist. See How availability is calculated.

Booking channels

Appointments from every channel go into the same calendar:

  • Phone: booked by your receptionist during a call.
  • Text message: booked through SMS.
  • Website: self-scheduled on your booking page or through the web widget.
  • Dashboard: created by you or your team.

Calendar

Open Calendar in the sidebar to see and manage bookings.

  • Views: Month, Week, 3 days, or Day. Turn on Show weekends to include Saturday and Sunday.
  • Group by: staff, assets, services, channel, or a timeline.
  • Location: view one location or All locations.
  • New appointment and New time off: create bookings and closures directly.

When you change or cancel a booking, Reception.ai asks whether to notify the client by email or SMS: send to everyone affected, send to selected clients, or don’t send. Orders also appear on the calendar.

Assets

Assets represent physical resources required for appointments: rooms, chairs, courts, or equipment. Use them when a service needs a resource with limited availability. Open the Assets tab on your business page and select Add asset. A restaurant, which calls them tables, sees Add table.

The dialog has Basic info, Hours, Maintenance, and Services.

FieldWhat it sets
NameRequired. The label is the resource type plus Name, such as Asset Name.
Display nameOptional, up to 200 characters. Customers see this on the booking page, and your receptionist uses it. Leave it empty to use the name.
GroupsOptional. Up to 20 groups, for example Room or Equipment.
DescriptionOptional. Extra detail for your team and your receptionist.
LocationShown when you have more than one location. Leave it empty for All locations, which can be booked at any location.
Active (available for bookings)On by default. Turn it off to hide the asset from availability. Existing bookings stay as they are, and the list shows Inactive.

Hours sets when the resource can be booked. Assets follow their location’s hours by default, and can have a custom schedule. Maintenance is time off, such as a repair. They are only bookable when not already reserved and not under maintenance.

For rental businesses, the asset is the service. Create a rental-type service and link it to the asset.

Turning scheduling features off

Go to Settings → Features to turn off parts of scheduling you don’t use: services, clients, staff, assets, availability, the online booking page, or individual service types (appointments, home and mobile, group sessions, rentals). Turned-off features are hidden from the dashboard, the receptionist, and the booking page.

For example, with Staff turned off, your receptionist books with whoever is free and never mentions team members by name.

Using Calendly or Cal.com

If you connect Calendly or Cal.com, that tool manages availability and bookings instead. Reception.ai’s own staff, assets, availability, and booking page are hidden while it is connected. Existing data is kept.