Staff members need time off—vacations, sick days, personal appointments. This article explains how to mark staff as unavailable for specific days.

Types of Unavailable Days

Staff unavailability falls into categories:

Recurring Days Off

Days off every week (handled in weekly hours):

• Part-time staff not working certain weekdays
• Weekend workers not available on weekdays

One-Time Days Off

Specific dates off (handled via date-specific hours):

• Vacation days
• Sick days
• Personal appointments
• Holidays

Marking Single Days Off

To block a specific date:

1. Go to the staff member's availability
2. Navigate to date-specific hours
3. Add the date
4. Mark it as closed/unavailable
5. Save changes The staff member won't be available for bookings that day.

Marking Multiple Days Off

For vacation or extended absence:

1. Go to date-specific hours
2. Select all the dates (you may be able to select a range)
3. Mark all as unavailable
4. Save once for all dates

Vacation Planning

For planned vacations:

Before the Vacation

1. Get the exact dates from the staff member
2. Add unavailable dates in advance
3. Check for existing bookings on those dates
4. Reschedule or reassign any conflicts

During the Vacation

• No action needed
• Staff won't appear in booking options
• Regular schedule resumes automatically after

After the Vacation

• No action needed
• Unavailable dates passed
• Normal schedule applies

Sick Days

For unexpected absences:

1. Add today's date as unavailable immediately
2. Check for today's bookings
3. Contact affected customers
4. Reschedule as needed

   💡 Tip: Handle sick day bookings promptly to minimize customer inconvenience.

Partial Day Unavailability

If staff needs part of a day off:

1. Add date-specific hours for that date
2. Include only the hours they're available
3. The blocked time won't be bookable Example: Staff has afternoon appointment

• Regular: 9 AM - 5 PM
• Override: 9 AM - 12 PM (leaves early)

Impact on Bookings

Before You Mark Unavailable

Marking dates unavailable does not automatically cancel existing bookings:

1. Check for bookings on the dates
2. Reassign to other staff if possible
3. Cancel and contact customers if needed

After Marking Unavailable

• No new bookings can be made for those dates
• Existing bookings remain (need manual handling)
• AI agent won't offer those dates

Staff Communication

Good practices for managing time off:

1. Request process — Staff submit time off requests in advance
2. Review bookings — Check for conflicts before approving
3. Confirm in system — Add unavailable dates once approved
4. Notify team — Let others know about coverage needs

Recurring Days Off

If staff regularly has the same day off:

• Use weekly hours instead of date-specific
• Set that day as closed in their weekly schedule
• This applies every week automatically

Best Practices

1. Plan ahead — Enter vacation dates as early as possible
2. Check first — Review bookings before blocking dates
3. Communicate — Notify affected customers promptly
4. Document — Keep records of time off for payroll/HR

Troubleshooting

Staff Still Showing Available

• Ensure you saved the changes
• Check you selected the correct dates
• Verify you marked as closed/unavailable, not just reduced hours

Can't Remove Unavailable Dates

• Find the date-specific override
• Delete it to return to normal hours
• Save your changes