Smarter Slot Availability for Appointments

Smarter Slot Availability for Appointments

December 16, 20252 min read

How It Works

Gold Star Pro has improved how slot availability is calculated for calendars that allow multiple appointments per slot.

Previously, when a single appointment overlapped multiple time slots, the system would block all of those slots entirely, even if there was still remaining capacity available. This could make calendars appear fuller than they actually were and reduce available booking options unnecessarily.

With this update, overlapping appointments now reduce availability by one in each overlapping slot, rather than blocking the slot completely. A slot is only blocked when its true capacity limit is reached.

This new logic applies consistently across both internal appointment booking and the public booking widget.


What’s Changed

When an appointment overlaps multiple slots:

• Each affected slot has its availability reduced by one
• Slots remain available until the per-slot capacity is actually reached
• Slots are no longer blocked simply because of partial overlap

This creates a more accurate and flexible booking experience, especially for high-volume or multi-capacity calendars.


Examples

Manual Booking via In-App Appointment Modal

Setup:
• 15-minute slots
• 5 appointments allowed per slot

Appointment:
• 10:15 to 10:45 AM (overlaps 10:00–10:30 and 10:30–11:00 slots)

Old behaviour:
• Both slots were fully blocked

New behaviour:
• Each slot is reduced by one
• 4 appointments remain available in both slots


Public Booking Widget (5-Minute Intervals)

Setup:
• 15-minute appointment duration
• 5-minute slot intervals
• 5 appointments per slot

Appointment:
• Customer books 10:00–10:15 AM

Result:
• Availability is reduced by one across all overlapping intervals
• Slots remain open until capacity is fully used


Where This Applies

This updated availability logic works across:

• Personal calendars
• Round Robin calendars
• Event calendars

And applies consistently to:

• Public booking widget appointments
• Custom time appointments created via the in-app appointment modal


Why This Matters

Accurate availability matters, especially for busy calendars.

This update helps you:

• Avoid blocking slots too early
• Make better use of available capacity
• Show more accurate booking options to customers
• Keep behaviour consistent across admin and public booking

The result is fewer missed booking opportunities and a smoother scheduling experience overall.


Use Cases

• High-traffic calendars with multiple appointments per slot
• Group bookings or shared availability
• Service-based businesses managing overlapping sessions
• Teams using both internal booking and public widgets

This improvement ensures your availability reflects reality, not overly cautious limits.

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