A system that books you back to back
Back-to-back appointments leave no time for preparation or travel. Add time before or after a service to keep those periods unavailable for booking.
You need three things: a buffer before or after, per appointment type; a way to cap the day; and start times that do not have to sit on the hour. Without them the schedule will keep selling time you do not have.
What a system without buffers does to you#
- Turnaround time comes out of the appointment. The next client's hour becomes fifty minutes because you were cleaning.
- Travel is unpriced. Two addresses forty minutes apart, booked an hour apart, is a double booking with extra steps.
- You compensate by lying. People start booking a 75-minute event type for a 60-minute service, which makes every other setting wrong and confuses the customer about what they are buying.
And the opposite problem#
Some tools only offer start times on the hour. For a forty-five-minute service that wastes fifteen minutes of every hour, which over a day is more than an appointment.
Buffers, per appointment type#
Buffer before and Buffer after, up to 120 minutes each, set per appointment type so a quick consultation and a full treatment can differ. Invisible to the customer, not added to what they booked, and unbookable. Buffers and notice
Travel as a buffer#
For work at customers' addresses, the buffer is the journey — typically forty-five to sixty minutes across a city. Ask for the nearest station on the booking form and you will know whether that is enough.
Start times that fit the service#
Show start times every controls how far apart offered times are, independently of the duration. A 45-minute service offered every 30 minutes fills the day properly instead of wasting a quarter of every hour.
And a ceiling on the day#
Max bookings per day, per appointment type. Six massages, four lash sets, three cleaning jobs — the number at which the work starts to suffer. The calendar stops there.
When you want none of it#
Some businesses genuinely want bookings flush against each other — a rehearsal room, a meeting room, a batting cage. Leave the buffers at zero. Back to back is a choice rather than the only setting.
Common questions
Can I set different buffers for different services?
Yes. Buffers are set per appointment type, so a fifteen-minute consultation and a three-hour colour can have completely different gaps.
How do I build in travel time between jobs?
Set the buffer after to the journey you actually need. It is invisible to the customer and nothing can be booked into it.
Can bookings start on the half hour rather than the hour?
Yes — Show start times every is separate from the duration, so a 60-minute booking can be offered every 30 minutes.
Start taking bookings online
The Free plan includes booking pages, Google Calendar and Outlook connections, working hours, Japanese holiday settings and booking on your website. No credit card is required, and there is no time limit. The Paid plan is ¥1,200 per month including tax and adds online card payments, team bookings and LINE integration. Business Box charges no booking commission; Stripe processing fees apply separately.
Last reviewed 16 October 2026.