Double bookings can happen when booking settings, team processes, or client communication aren’t aligned. To minimise risk, it’s important to understand how your system is set up, how bookings are confirmed, and what your clients and team members see at each stage.
Go to Settings > Services and review the section: ‘How would you like to take online bookings?’
These settings control how clients book appointments online for each service:
Choose which services are available for online bookings
Decide whether online bookings should be automatically confirmed or require manual approval from a team member
Also check the unconfirmed reservation period in Settings > General preferences
This applies to online bookings marked as "awaiting payment" or "booking requested"
If set to 30 minutes, for example, the slot will be blocked from other online bookings and visible on your calendar for 30 minutes
If not confirmed or paid in time, the slot becomes available again, which can lead to unintentional double bookings
Go to Settings > General preferences to manage how bookings are handled when created internally by your team
These preferences apply across all services and include:
Whether team-made bookings are automatically confirmed or set to a status like "pencilled in" or "awaiting payment"
These rules apply only to internal scheduling, not client-made bookings
Ensure your automated messages clearly explain the status of a booking and what actions clients need to take
Set up automated messages for bookings marked as "pencilled in", "awaiting payment", or "booking requested"
Let clients know their booking is not yet confirmed and that confirmation depends on payment or team approval
Include any follow-up steps such as submitting proof of payment or waiting for confirmation
Some bookings remain unconfirmed until action is taken by either the client or a team member. These include:
Pencilled in
Awaiting payment
Booking requested
Monitor these closely to avoid clients assuming a booking is confirmed when it’s still pending
Configure team member notifications to alert team members to new bookings that require their approval
Use automated messages to notify clients that their booking is awaiting confirmation or payment. Make sure they understand that their appointment is not secured until it's fully confirmed
When clients book a service that requires manual approval, they’ll see a message like this:
If a booking expires due to non-payment or no action, the slot becomes available again, increasing the risk of it being booked by someone else
If a double booking does occur, use the booking history to review what happened
The booking history shows:
Who made each change
When it was made
Status updates
This helps you determine whether the conflict came from a manual entry, an online booking, or an expired reservation
Important: Ensure each team member has their own login
Changes are clearly attributed to the correct person
Provides accountability and makes it easier to troubleshoot issues
Enhances security by limiting access and tracking individual activity
Make sure your team understands how Bookem handles bookings and confirmations. This includes:
How online booking requests work
What statuses like "pencilled in", "awaiting payment", and "booking requested" actually mean
How confirmation rules and lead times apply
Using an external calendar alongside Bookem is not recommended
Syncing delays can lead to overlapping bookings
Manually checking two calendars increases the chance of missed or conflicting appointments
Bookem’s calendar is the most reliable source of truth for availability and booking status. Stick to Bookem as your primary calendar to keep things simple and accurate.