Online Booking
Overview
Online Booking lets existing customers request new service appointments through the portal without calling the office. It's not real-time scheduling — the contractor reviews and confirms each request, keeping full control over the schedule. Customers get a convenient way to make a request; contractors get a structured intake that arrives as an organized lead, not a voicemail.
Booking requests are available to customers who have completed onboarding. The feature can be enabled or disabled per account.
Features
- Service Type Selection — Customer picks from a list of services the contractor has configured; free-text requests also supported
- Date Preference — Customer selects up to 3 preferred dates; contractor is not bound to these but uses them as input
- Time Preference — Morning, Afternoon, or Flexible (customer's choice)
- Address — Pre-filled with address on file; customer can specify a different address for the job
- Notes — Free-text field for additional context: "The leak is under the kitchen sink" or "Gate code is 4821"
- Photo Attachment — Optional — customer can attach 1–3 photos of the issue (useful for quoting)
- Confirmation Flow — Contractor receives booking request as a new lead in the CRM; accepts, proposes an alternative time, or declines with a message
- Customer Notification — Customer notified by SMS or email when contractor responds to the request
Booking Request States
| State | Description | Customer View |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted | Request sent, awaiting contractor review | "Your request has been received" |
| Under Review | Contractor is looking at it | "We're reviewing your request" |
| Confirmed | Contractor accepted the time | Appointment appears in My Schedule |
| Counter-Proposed | Contractor suggested a different time | Customer prompted to accept/decline |
| Declined | Contractor cannot accommodate | Decline message shown with instructions |
CRUD Reference
| Object | Create | Read | Update | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking Request | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ (cancel, before confirmation) |
| Attached Photo | ✅ | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| Contractor Response | — | ✅ | — | — |
| Counter-Proposal | — | ✅ | ✅ (accept/decline) | — |
Notes
Online Booking is for service requests only — it does not create a confirmed appointment until the contractor accepts. Customers cannot book recurring plans through this form; recurring plans are configured by the contractor. The service list shown in the booking form is managed under Settings → Customer Portal → Bookable Services. Booking requests that receive no contractor response within 48 hours automatically send a reminder notification to the Dispatcher.