# Set up online bookings

## Overview

Online bookings let clients schedule appointments directly with your clinic. Use this guide to set up online bookings and customize your booking page before you make it live.

{% hint style="info" %}
Only users with access to **Users** and **Online booking** **settings** will be able to make changes.
{% endhint %}

***

## Step 1: Assign services to practitioners and locations

Assign which services each practitioner offers and which locations they work at. This is internal setup only and is not visible to clients online yet.

If everything is already assigned correctly, you can skip to Step 2.

#### Assign from the practitioner profile

1. Go to **Settings** → **Users**.
2. Find the practitioner you want to update, then click **Actions → Edit**.
3. Open the **Practitioner** tab.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FwDwnqWrETDv6y1emT5EY%2FGroup%20427318414.png?alt=media&#x26;token=52682247-c6d1-458d-b9e4-999e9f9f8db6" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

4. In **Bookable items**:

* Open **Locations**, select where this practitioner works, then click **Save**.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FGGanTDGaFZo8YfJDQSOJ%2FGroup%20427318416.png?alt=media&#x26;token=eed2a7fe-23ce-4db5-ba36-9bf6a1ed4ede" alt="" width="527"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Open **Services**, select what services this practitioner offers, then click **Save**.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FG7upcVf25bNatCvhfQmW%2FGroup%20427318417.png?alt=media&#x26;token=87097bc6-beff-43c6-9222-a41e356edbfe" alt="" width="515"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

5. Repeat for each practitioner you want to set up.

**Important**\
A service will only appear in the calendar and online bookings if it is assigned to at least one practitioner and at least one location.

**Good to know**\
These assignments stay in sync with **Catalog** → **Services**. Changes made here are reflected in Catalog, and changes made in Catalog are reflected here.

***

## Step 2: Enable online bookings for locations, practitioners, and services

Now choose what clients can book online.

1. Go to **Settings** → **Online booking**.
2. Open the **Appointments** tab.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2F1Q6yhZH8I4CE95vpbm94%2FGroup%20427318419.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a53189bb-84a4-49a1-9eb1-537529d591db" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3. Under **Bookable items**, open **Locations**, **Practitioners**, and **Services.** In each list, toggle on the items you want available online, then close the window (click **X**).

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FMQeucrtyBXIu4m5t6vcK%2Fimage%20900.png?alt=media&#x26;token=72b2e162-b9fb-40ad-909d-4fcdd6c296ff" alt="" width="476"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

4. Click **Save** (top-right).

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FDs7Q053ISA6X5UFyICVH%2FGroup%20427318418.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5337784d-965d-4fcc-9df7-73124c49170f" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**How it works**\
Enabling an item makes it visible on your booking pages. Clients will only see valid combinations based on Step 1. For example, a practitioner will only appear for a service if they are assigned to that service and a location.

***

## Step 3: Configure online booking settings

1. Go to **Settings** → **Online booking**.
2. Review each section on this page and update what you need.
3. Click **Save** (top-right) when finished.

You can update online booking settings anytime. Changes apply to new online bookings going forward.

**Overview of online booking settings**

<details>

<summary><strong>Payment settings</strong><br>Set up deposits or full payments for online bookings.</summary>

Turn on **Enable online payment**, then set the **Payment amount**. For percentage based deposits, the minimum is 10%. To take full payment at the time of booking, set the percentage to 100%.

*Example: 20% deposit shown below, requiring clients to pay 20% of the service fee upfront when booking online.*&#x20;

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FKUr64K5csMI06I8iHIYy%2Fimage%20564.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2b40826a-b56d-4a33-ae1f-8c96de87ebaf" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Settings</strong><br>Choose what clients see during booking (service prices, durations, practitioner images).<br>Enable practitioner notifications if you want staff to receive emails when clients book, reschedule, or cancel.</summary>

* **Show service prices**\
  Display the price of each service during booking.
* **Show service durations**\
  Display the duration of each service.
* **Show practitioner images**\
  Show practitioner images (or initials if no image is uploaded).
* **Practitioner notifications**\
  Send email notifications to practitioners when clients book, reschedule, or cancel an appointment.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FkmtOLPlA6O1QINyKj59X%2Fimage%20565.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2ce0ecae-1610-45e1-9404-7cd96ddf6990" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Booking availability rules</strong><br>Control how soon before an appointment clients can book, and how far into the future.</summary>

Use **Min lead time** and **Max lead time** to control how soon clients can book and how far ahead.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FQGBeUqUA5JfAUaUnSXWA%2Fimage%20566.png?alt=media&#x26;token=196ace67-7016-4596-8ab2-a8a9dd9af0e1" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Terms &#x26; policies</strong><br>Add your terms and conditions, privacy policy link, and cancellation policy.</summary>

Add your **terms and conditions**, **privacy policy link**, and **cancellation policy**. These appear before clients confirm an online booking.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FBfqJLAD57Nagl84t1tXf%2Fimage%20568.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5cc31eb3-e7d4-4472-a1e9-430c9792c1b2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Booking page notices</strong><br>Add an important banner or time-specific notice to appear on your booking pages.</summary>

* **Important notice** appears at the top of all booking pages.
* **Time selection notice** appears on the time selection page.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FWpw2Sz1dmijz8XQcy5ws%2Fimage%20569.png?alt=media&#x26;token=53bf31ac-e63e-4c00-a1ac-c588294f6bde" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Completion message</strong><br>Confirmation screen message</summary>

You can customize the confirmation message clients see after completing an online booking.

</details>

***

## Step 4: Update your booking page details

1. Go to **Settings** → **Locations**.
2. Find the location you want to customize, then click **Actions** → **Edit**.
3. Add your clinic logo, featured image, address, and opening hours.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2F5x3mjJaOqRSgyfexn4NE%2FGroup%20427318228.png?alt=media&#x26;token=63703ac4-cb38-4e7f-9f41-b67acee7059e" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

4. Click **Save**.

***

## **Share your booking link**

1. In the left main menu go to **Online booking** → Open the **Share** tab.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FvWoAPIf0UCmRMl8iHYcn%2FGroup%20427318421.png?alt=media&#x26;token=bfc518db-abef-4a7d-b18b-c81a679f9e81" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

2. Copy a **shareable link** for emails, templates, or your website, or copy the **embed code** to insert the booking page directly into a website page.

<figure><img src="https://3848983471-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F8mHp6Xvui6hSl3fbco11%2Fuploads%2FsESifXULDoNf2Qb5r5fV%2FGroup%20427318423.png?alt=media&#x26;token=3805593e-4266-4641-b4f7-52badd91340c" alt="" width="563"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

## Tip before going live

* Check each **service** you have has at least one practitioner and one location linked.
* Preview the booking page to confirm prices, durations, and notices display as expected.\
  **To preview:** Go to **Online booking** (left main menu) → **Share** tab → click **Preview** beside any booking link.

***

**Related articles**

* [Customize your online branding](https://support.caspen.com/using-caspen/settings/customize-your-online-branding) – Update colors and styling across your booking pages.

***

## FAQs

<details>

<summary>Why isn’t a service showing online?</summary>

Check the following:

* In **Catalog** → **Services**, make sure the service is assigned to at least one **practitioner** and one **location**.
* In **Settings** → **Online booking** → **Bookable items** → **Services**, make sure the service is turned **On**.

A service will not appear online unless it is active, assigned to a practitioner, and available at an enabled location.

If everything looks correct and the service is still not visible, contact Support and we will help you troubleshoot.

</details>

<details>

<summary>My location isn’t showing online. What should I check?</summary>

In **Settings** → go to **Online booking** →  **Bookable items** → **Locations** and turn the location On.

Verify the location has both active services and practitioners assigned.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I control which services are bookable online?</summary>

Yes. Only the services you switch on under **Settings** → **Online booking** → **Bookable items** → **Services** will appear to clients. You can keep internal or referral-only services switched Off.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Can I charge clients when they book online?</summary>

Yes. In **Settings** → **Online booking**, turn on **Enable online payment** and set the Payment amount as a percentage. A minimum deposit of 10% is required to enable payments.

</details>