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# Setting Up Availability

# Setting Up Availability

Configure when clients can book appointments with you. Set your weekly schedule, add time blocks, and manage date-specific overrides.

## Understanding Availability

Your availability determines when clients can see and book time slots. You can set:
- **Weekly Schedule**: Regular hours for each day of the week
- **Multiple Time Blocks**: Different time periods per day (e.g., morning and afternoon)
- **Event-Specific Availability**: Different hours for different event types
- **Default Availability**: General availability that applies to all event types

## Accessing Availability Settings

1. Go to **Scheduling** → **Settings**
2. Click **"Availability"** tab
3. You'll see the availability manager

## Setting Your Weekly Schedule

### Toggle Days On/Off

1. Find the day you want to configure (Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
2. Click the **toggle switch** on the left
   - **Blue (ON)**: Day is available
   - **Gray (OFF)**: Day is not available
3. When toggled ON, default hours (9 AM - 5 PM) are automatically added

### Adding Time Blocks

For each enabled day, you can add one or more time blocks:

1. **Toggle day ON** (if not already on)
2. Click **"Add Time Block"** button
3. Enter **Start Time** (e.g., 09:00)
4. Enter **End Time** (e.g., 17:00)
5. Click **"Save"**

**Example Time Blocks:**
- **Morning Only**: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- **Afternoon Only**: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- **Split Day**: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
- **Full Day**: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

### Editing Time Blocks

1. Find the time block you want to edit
2. Click the **pencil icon** (edit button)
3. Change start or end time
4. Click **"Save"**

### Deleting Time Blocks

1. Find the time block to remove
2. Click the **X icon** (delete button)
3. Confirm deletion

> **Note**: You can have multiple time blocks per day. For example, 9-12 AM and 2-5 PM.

## Copying Hours to Other Days

Save time by copying availability from one day to all others:

1. Click **"Copy Times"** button (top right)
2. Select the **source day** (day with hours you want to copy)
3. Click **"Copy to All Days"**
4. All other days now have the same hours

**Use Cases:**
- Copy Monday hours to all weekdays
- Apply same schedule to entire week
- Quickly set up consistent availability

## Event Type Specific Availability

Set different availability for different event types:

1. In availability settings, use the **"Event Type"** dropdown
2. Select an event type (or leave as "Default Availability")
3. Set availability for that event type
4. Switch between event types to manage each separately

**Example:**
- **Default**: 9 AM - 5 PM (for most appointments)
- **Quick Calls**: 10 AM - 12 PM only (for 15-minute calls)
- **Strategy Sessions**: 2 PM - 4 PM only (for longer sessions)

## Best Practices

### Setting Regular Hours

1. **Start with Weekdays**: Set Monday-Friday first
2. **Use Consistent Hours**: Same hours each day (e.g., 9-5)
3. **Add Breaks**: Create separate time blocks for lunch break
4. **Consider Timezone**: Set hours in your local timezone

### Multiple Time Blocks

Use multiple blocks when you have:
- **Lunch Break**: 9-12 AM and 2-5 PM
- **Morning/Evening**: 8-10 AM and 6-8 PM
- **Split Schedule**: Different hours for different needs

### Time Block Guidelines

- **Minimum Duration**: Usually 15-30 minutes between blocks
- **Realistic Hours**: Set hours you can actually commit to
- **Buffer Time**: Consider adding buffer time in event type settings
- **Time Zone**: All times are in your profile timezone

## Common Scenarios

### Standard Business Hours

**Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 5 PM**
1. Toggle Monday-Friday ON
2. For each day, add time block: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
3. Or use "Copy Times" after setting Monday

### Morning Only Availability

**Monday - Friday: 9 AM - 12 PM**
1. Toggle days ON
2. Add time block: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
3. Use "Copy Times" to apply to all weekdays

### Split Schedule

**Monday - Friday: 9-12 AM and 2-5 PM**
1. Toggle days ON
2. Add first block: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
3. Add second block: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
4. Use "Copy Times" to apply to all weekdays

### Weekend Availability

**Saturday: 10 AM - 2 PM**
1. Toggle Saturday ON
2. Add time block: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
3. Leave Sunday OFF (or set separately)

## Troubleshooting

**Hours not showing to clients?**
- Verify day is toggled ON (blue switch)
- Check time blocks are saved
- Ensure event type is active
- Verify no date overrides blocking time

**Can't add time block?**
- Make sure day is toggled ON first
- Check time format (use 24-hour or AM/PM)
- Ensure end time is after start time
- Try refreshing page

**Times not copying?**
- Verify source day has time blocks
- Check all days are enabled
- Try copying again
- Refresh page after copying

**Different hours for different event types?**
- Use "Event Type" dropdown in availability settings
- Set availability for each event type separately
- Default availability applies when no event-specific set

## Tips

1. **Start Simple**: Set one consistent schedule first
2. **Use Copy Times**: Save time by copying hours
3. **Test Booking**: Book yourself to verify availability shows correctly
4. **Update Regularly**: Adjust hours as your schedule changes
5. **Consider Timezone**: Remember clients see times in their timezone
6. **Sync Calendar**: Connect external calendar to avoid double-booking

## Integration with Calendar

When you connect external calendars (Google, Outlook):
- **Blocked Times**: External calendar events block availability
- **Two-Way Sync**: Bookings appear in your calendar
- **Conflict Prevention**: System prevents double-booking

See [Calendar Connections](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/calendar-connections-y8b2aq/) for setup.

## Next Steps

- [Creating Event Types](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/creating-event-types-1qlqdj1/) - Define bookable appointments
- [Calendar Connections](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/calendar-connections-y8b2aq/) - Sync with external calendars
- [Managing Bookings](https://help.swellsystem.com/en/article/managing-bookings-1wa9wdr/) - Handle appointments