When a customer books through your online page, it arrives as a request rather than going straight into your calendar. You decide whether to take it.
Steps
- Go to Booking Requests. The sidebar shows a number when requests are waiting.
- Open a request to see what the customer asked for.
- Accept it to turn it into a real booking, or decline it.
When you accept, the booking screen opens with everything the customer entered already filled in. Change anything that needs changing before you save.
Why requests wait
Nothing enters your calendar until you accept it. That means an online booking can never take a slot you were holding for a regular customer without you seeing it first.
The flip side is that requests sitting unanswered are lost business. Customers who do not hear back tend to ring somebody else.
If you decline
Tell the customer why if you can, especially if it is something simple like being full that day. They are much more likely to try you again.