General Questions
What are resources in Petboost?
Resources are the physical spaces, equipment, and assets that your business uses to deliver services. They can be fixed locations like kennels and rooms, or movable assets like vehicles and equipment.
What types of resources can I create?
You can create two main types of resources:
Location Resources: Fixed spaces with addresses (kennels, rooms, play areas)
Asset Resources: Movable equipment and vehicles (transport vans, mobile units)
How many resources can I have?
There's no limit to the number of resources you can create. You can add as many as needed for your business operations.
Capacity Management
What is parallel capacity?
Parallel capacity is how many pets can use a resource AT THE SAME TIME, not per day.
Example: If your play area has capacity 6, that means 6 dogs can be there simultaneously. Throughout the day, you might serve 20+ dogs as they rotate in and out.
Key distinction:
✓ Parallel capacity 6 = 6 dogs at any moment
✗ NOT "6 dogs per day"
This is fundamentally different from a daily limit approach. See Resource Capacity Management for more details.
How do I set the right capacity for a resource?
Base your capacity on physical reality:
Play areas - How many dogs fit safely at once?
Grooming tables - How many tables do you have?
Kennels - How many beds?
Vans - How many crates?
Also consider:
Pet size and temperament - Larger or more aggressive pets need more space
Staff supervision - Higher capacity requires more staff oversight
Safety requirements - Ensure adequate space for pet welfare
Service complexity - More complex services may need lower capacity
Can I change a resource's capacity after creating it?
Yes, you can modify capacity at any time. Go to the resource's detail view and update the capacity in the Details tab. Changes affect future bookings only.
What happens if I book more pets than the resource capacity?
Petboost will prevent overbooking by showing availability based on capacity limits. You'll need to either increase capacity or use a different resource.
Working Hours & Availability
How do I set working hours for a resource?
You can set working hours using three templates:
Business Hours: Follows your business operating hours
Custom Hours: Set specific hours for this resource
24/7 Available: Resource is always accessible
Can I have different hours for different days?
Yes, you can set override days with different hours for specific dates. This is useful for holidays, special events, or maintenance days.
Can I set up a temporary schedule for specific dates or date ranges?
Yes! Use Override Periods for temporary or special scheduling needs.
While the standard Working Hours settings define your resource's regular availability, Override Periods allow you to set different hours for specific dates or date ranges. This is perfect for:
Holiday periods - Different hours during Christmas/New Year
Seasonal adjustments - Extended summer hours, reduced winter capacity
Renovation periods - Temporarily close a kennel or room
Special events - Block time for facility upgrades or maintenance
Trial schedules - Test new hours before making permanent changes
How to set up Override Periods:
Navigate to the resource's detail view
Go to the Working Hours tab
Click "Add Override Period"
Set the date range (start and end dates)
Configure the hours for that period
Save changes
Note: Override Periods take precedence over regular Working Hours during their active date range. Once the period ends, the resource automatically reverts to its standard schedule.
What are blocked times used for?
Blocked times are used for:
Maintenance: Equipment servicing and repairs
Cleaning: Deep cleaning and sanitization
Emergency: Unplanned maintenance or safety issues
Special Events: Reserved for specific activities
Service Assignment
How do I assign services to a resource?
Go to the resource's detail view and click on the Services tab. Select which services can use this resource. Only assign services that logically match the resource type.
Can a service use multiple resources?
Yes, a service can be assigned to multiple resources. This provides flexibility in scheduling and helps with capacity management.
What happens if I remove a service from a resource?
Removing a service from a resource prevents new bookings for that service on that resource. Existing bookings are not affected.
Resource Management
How do I edit a resource?
Click "Manage" on any resource to access the detail view. Navigate to the appropriate tab (Details, Services, Capacity, etc.) and make your changes. Changes are saved automatically.
Can I deactivate a resource?
Yes, you can deactivate a resource by changing its status. Deactivated resources won't appear in booking options but existing bookings remain valid.
How do I delete a resource?
Resources cannot be deleted if they have existing bookings. You can deactivate them instead. Contact support if you need to remove a resource with booking history.
Troubleshooting
Why can't I book a resource even though it shows as available?
Check these common issues:
Capacity limits: Resource may be at maximum capacity
Working hours: Resource may be outside operating hours
Blocked times: Resource may have scheduled maintenance
Service assignment: Service may not be assigned to this resource
How do I resolve booking conflicts?
If multiple services are trying to use the same resource:
Check service-resource assignments
Verify capacity limits
Review working hours and blocked times
Consider using alternative resources
Why is my resource showing as unavailable?
Common reasons include:
Outside working hours: Check the resource's working hours
Blocked time: Review the Blocked Times tab
Capacity reached: Check current bookings
Service not assigned: Verify service assignments
Boarding & Kennel Management
How do I set up kennels for boarding?
Step-by-step kennel setup:
Create resources for each kennel:
Navigate to Resources → New Resource
Select type: Location Resource
Name each kennel clearly (e.g., "Kennel 1 - Small", "Kennel 2 - Large")
Set appropriate capacity:
Single occupancy kennels: Set capacity to 1
Shared kennels (same family): Set capacity to 2-3
Play areas: Set capacity based on supervision ratio
Assign to boarding services:
Edit your boarding service
Go to Team & Resource Assignment
Select which kennels can be used for this service
Mark resource as Required to enforce allocation
Configure working hours:
Set 24/7 for overnight boarding resources
Or set specific check-in/check-out time windows
How do I prevent double-booking a kennel?
Petboost prevents overbooking automatically when configured correctly:
Requirements:
Each kennel must be a separate resource with capacity set
Resource must be marked as Required for the booking service
Capacity limits must be set appropriately
System behaviour:
Magic Schedule only offers slots when kennels are available
Quick Force shows warning if conflict exists but allows override
Check-in/check-out times respect resource availability
If overbooking occurs:
Review resource assignments on conflicting appointments
Reassign one appointment to a different kennel
Increase capacity if appropriate (e.g., family pets sharing)
How do I see current kennel occupancy?
Three ways to view occupancy:
Resources View in Mission Control:
Switch to Resources View
Each kennel shows as a lane
Current occupants display in their assigned kennels
Week View for multi-day overview:
Shows stay appointments spanning multiple days
Identify gaps between stays for turnover cleaning
Plan capacity for upcoming periods
Resource Detail Page:
Click "Manage" on any resource
View current and upcoming assignments
See blocked times and maintenance windows
How do I manage different kennel sizes?
Create separate resources for each size:
Small Dog Kennels (up to 10kg):- Kennel S1 (capacity: 1)- Kennel S2 (capacity: 1)- Kennel S3 (capacity: 1)Medium Dog Kennels (10-25kg):- Kennel M1 (capacity: 1)- Kennel M2 (capacity: 1)Large Dog Kennels (25kg+):- Kennel L1 (capacity: 1)- Kennel L2 (capacity: 1)
Then create size-specific services:
"Standard Boarding (Small)" → Assigned to S1, S2, S3
"Standard Boarding (Medium)" → Assigned to M1, M2
"Standard Boarding (Large)" → Assigned to L1, L2
Benefits:
Correct sizing enforced automatically
Prevents large dogs being booked into small kennels
Accurate capacity planning by size category
Resources vs Team Members
What's the difference between a resource and a team member?
Resources and team members serve fundamentally different purposes in Petboost, even though both affect scheduling and capacity.
Aspect | Resource | Team Member |
What it represents | A physical space, room, kennel, vehicle, or piece of equipment | A person who delivers services |
Capacity meaning | How many pets can occupy the space simultaneously | How many pets one person can handle at once |
Working hours | When the space or equipment is accessible | When the person is available to work |
Skills and expertise | None (resources don't have qualifications) | Specific service qualifications and training |
Pay and scheduling | No employment considerations | Rosters, leave, pay rates |
Examples | Kennel 3, Grooming Table A, Transport Van | Sarah (groomer), James (trainer) |
How they work together:
When Petboost schedules an appointment, it checks BOTH availability:
Is a suitable team member available at this time?
Is a suitable resource available at this time?
Both must be satisfied for a booking to succeed. For example, a grooming appointment needs both a free groomer (team member) AND a free grooming table (resource).
Common confusion: Owners sometimes create a "resource" for each staff member. This is incorrect. Team members have their own capacity and scheduling system under Team Members. Resources are for the physical things your team uses.
Can I set different working hours for resources vs team members?
Yes, and this is a common and useful configuration. Resources and team members have completely independent working hours.
Example scenarios:
Kennels available 24/7, staff on 7am-6pm shifts: Boarding kennels are set to 24/7 availability, while kennel attendants have standard shift hours. Overnight stays are accommodated by the resource even when no staff member is clocked on, because the pet is already checked in.
Grooming tables available business hours, groomer works part-time: The grooming station follows business hours (8am-5pm), but your part-time groomer only works Tuesday/Thursday. The table is still available for other groomers on other days.
Training room available evenings, trainer works full-time: Your training room is set to 4pm-8pm for evening classes, but the trainer's working hours span 9am-5pm. The room and the trainer overlap from 4pm-5pm for after-work sessions.
To configure:
Resource working hours: Resources → [Resource] → Working Hours tab
Team member working hours: Team Members → [Team Member] → Working Hours tab
How do resources connect with team members in the scheduling system?
Resources and team members are linked through services. When you assign both a team member and a resource to the same service, Petboost checks availability of both when creating appointments.
The scheduling flow:
Customer requests a service (e.g., "Full Groom")
Petboost checks which team members can perform "Full Groom"
Petboost checks which resources are assigned to "Full Groom"
Available slots are only shown where BOTH a team member AND a resource are free
Appointment is created with a specific team member and specific resource allocated
If a service has the resource marked as Required, the appointment cannot be booked without an available resource. If marked as Optional, the appointment can proceed with just a team member.
Setting Up Specific Resource Types
How do I set up kennels with different sizes?
Create separate resources for each kennel size category, then assign them to size-specific boarding services.
Step 1: Create kennel resources by size
Small Dog Kennels (up to 10kg): - Kennel S1 (capacity: 1) - Kennel S2 (capacity: 1) - Kennel S3 (capacity: 1)Medium Dog Kennels (10-25kg): - Kennel M1 (capacity: 1) - Kennel M2 (capacity: 1)Large Dog Kennels (25kg+): - Kennel L1 (capacity: 1) - Kennel L2 (capacity: 1)
Step 2: Create size-specific boarding services
"Standard Boarding - Small Dog" with pricing for small dogs
"Standard Boarding - Medium Dog" with pricing for medium dogs
"Standard Boarding - Large Dog" with pricing for large dogs
Step 3: Assign kennels to the matching service
Small kennels → assigned only to "Standard Boarding - Small Dog"
Medium kennels → assigned only to "Standard Boarding - Medium Dog"
Large kennels → assigned only to "Standard Boarding - Large Dog"
Why this approach works:
Prevents large dogs being booked into undersized kennels
Accurate capacity visibility per size category
Pricing can differ by size without manual intervention
Magic Schedule automatically selects the correct kennel size
Tip: If you have kennels that can flex between sizes (e.g., a medium kennel that can take a large dog at a pinch), assign it to both the medium and large services. Just be aware that Petboost will allow booking from either service.
How do I set up 24/7 availability for boarding kennels?
Use the 24/7 Available working hours template so the resource accepts bookings at any hour of the day, any day of the week.
Steps:
Navigate to Resources → click the kennel resource → Working Hours tab
Select the 24/7 Available template
Save changes
What this means in practice:
Check-in and check-out can happen at any time (within your business's operating hours for the appointment itself)
Multi-day boarding stays span continuously without gaps
The kennel shows as occupied for the entire duration of a stay
No "closed overnight" gaps that could create false availability
Important distinction: Setting a kennel to 24/7 means the resource is available around the clock. Your staff working hours still control when check-ins and check-outs can be scheduled. A customer cannot check in at 3am unless you have a team member working at that time.
Override for holidays: Use Override Periods to temporarily close kennels during periods when you are not accepting boarding (e.g., if you close entirely over Christmas).
Capacity and Double-Booking
How do I prevent double-booking a specific room?
Set the room's parallel capacity to 1 and mark the resource as Required for its assigned services.
Configuration:
Set capacity to 1: Resources → [Room] → Capacity tab → set parallel capacity to 1
Mark as Required: When assigning the resource to a service, ensure it is marked as Required (not Optional)
How the system enforces this:
Magic Schedule: Only offers time slots when the room is free. If Kennel 3 is occupied from 9am to 5pm, no other booking can be placed in that slot.
Online booking: Customers never see conflicting slots. The room simply does not appear as available.
Quick Force: Shows a warning if a conflict exists but allows a manual override if you confirm. Use this sparingly (e.g., same-family pets sharing a kennel).
If you need multiple pets in the same room (e.g., two cats from the same household sharing a cattery), increase the capacity to 2 for that resource, or use Quick Force for the specific booking.
What does parallel capacity mean for resources?
Parallel capacity is the maximum number of pets that can use a resource AT THE SAME TIME, not the total number per day.
Think of it as the physical constraint of the space or equipment:
A grooming table fits 1 dog at a time → capacity 1
A daycare play area safely holds 10 dogs at once → capacity 10
A boarding kennel has 1 bed → capacity 1
A transport van has 4 crates → capacity 4
The key distinction:
A grooming room with 3 tables (capacity 3) can groom far more than 3 dogs per day. If each groom takes 90 minutes, you could groom 12+ dogs across a full day, as long as no more than 3 are on the tables simultaneously.
Capacity consumption: For mixed-size scenarios, each service can "consume" a different amount of capacity. A Large Dog Daycare service might consume 2 capacity units, while a Small Dog Daycare consumes 1. This lets you model the reality that a Great Dane takes more space than a Chihuahua. See Resource Capacity Management for details.
Day-to-Day Operations
How do I track which resources are in use right now?
Use the Resources View in Mission Control for a real-time overview of what is occupied and what is free.
Three ways to check current usage:
Mission Control - Resources View:
Navigate to Mission Control
Switch to Resources View (toggle at the top of the calendar)
Each resource appears as its own lane
Currently occupied resources show the active appointments with pet names
Free resources show empty lanes
Week View for multi-day overview:
Useful for boarding and daycare where stays span multiple days
Each kennel or room shows as a lane with stays displayed as horizontal bars
Gaps between stays are clearly visible for turnover cleaning
Resource Detail Page:
Click Manage on any individual resource
See all current and upcoming bookings assigned to that resource
View blocked times and maintenance windows
Colour coding in the calendar:
Green = plenty of capacity available
Yellow = filling up (a few spots left)
Red = at capacity (no more bookings possible)
How do I see resource utilisation across the week?
The Week View in Mission Control is the best way to see how your resources are being used over a multi-day period.
Steps:
Navigate to Mission Control
Switch to Resources View
Select Week View from the view toggle
Each resource appears as a row, with bookings displayed as blocks across the week
What to look for:
Consistently empty lanes: A resource that rarely has bookings may be over-provisioned, or its assigned services may not be popular. Consider reassigning services or consolidating resources.
Consistently red lanes: A resource that is perpetually full is a bottleneck. Consider adding another resource of the same type, or extending its working hours.
Gaps between bookings: For boarding kennels, gaps between stays represent turnover time. Ensure you have adequate cleaning time built in, but investigate if gaps are longer than needed.
Uneven distribution: If Kennel 1 is always full but Kennel 5 is always empty, the booking system may be preferentially filling lower-numbered resources. All kennels assigned to the same service should fill evenly over time.
Coming soon: Detailed resource utilisation reports with percentage utilisation, revenue per resource, and trend analysis.
Can resources have different capacity on different days?
Yes, use sessions with capacity overrides to vary capacity by day of the week or by specific date ranges.
Scenario 1: Different capacity by day of the week
Example: Your daycare play area can hold 12 dogs on weekdays (when you have 2 staff supervising) but only 8 on weekends (when you have 1 staff member).
Navigate to Schedules & Sessions → edit the resource
Create a Weekday session (Monday-Friday) with capacity 12
Create a Weekend session (Saturday-Sunday) with capacity 8
Scenario 2: Temporarily increased capacity for a specific period
Example: During school holidays, you hire an extra staff member and can safely supervise 15 dogs in the play area instead of 12.
Navigate to Schedules & Sessions → edit the resource
Add an Override Period for the holiday date range
Set the temporary capacity to 15
When the period ends, the resource automatically reverts to its standard capacity
How do I temporarily block a resource for maintenance?
Use the Blocked Times feature to mark a resource as unavailable for a specific period without changing its regular working hours.
Steps:
Navigate to Resources → click the resource → Blocked Times tab
Click Add Blocked Time
Select a reason:
Maintenance - equipment servicing, repairs
Cleaning - deep cleaning, sanitisation
Emergency - unplanned issues
Special Event - reserved for non-standard use
Set the start and end date/time
Add an optional note (e.g., "Replacing kennel door latch")
Save
What happens during a blocked time:
The resource is removed from availability calculations for that period
No new bookings can be placed during the blocked window
Existing bookings that overlap with the block will show a conflict warning
Online customers will not see the resource as available
For planned recurring maintenance (e.g., deep clean every Monday 7am-8am), set up an Override Period with reduced hours on that day rather than creating weekly blocked times manually.
For emergency situations: Create the blocked time immediately and review any existing bookings that fall within the period. You may need to reassign those bookings to alternative resources.
What happens if I delete a resource that has upcoming bookings?
Resources with existing bookings cannot be deleted. Petboost prevents this to protect your booking data and avoid orphaned appointments.
Your options:
Deactivate instead of delete: Change the resource's status to Inactive. This removes it from future booking options while preserving all existing booking history and upcoming appointments.
Reassign and then deactivate:
Review all upcoming bookings assigned to the resource
Reassign each booking to an alternative resource
Once no future bookings remain, deactivate the resource
Contact support for permanent removal: If you genuinely need to delete a resource with historical data (e.g., consolidating duplicate entries), contact support. They can archive the resource and reassign historical records.
What deactivation does:
The resource no longer appears in booking options or Magic Schedule
Existing upcoming bookings remain valid and assigned to the resource
Historical data and past bookings are fully preserved
You can reactivate the resource at any time
Multi-Service Resources
Can I assign multiple services to the same resource?
Yes, and this is a common and recommended configuration for multi-purpose spaces.
Examples of multi-service resources:
Training room: Assigned to Private Training, Group Classes, Behavioural Consultations, and Puppy School
Play area: Assigned to Daycare, Socialisation Sessions, and Exercise Programmes
Grooming station: Assigned to Full Groom, Bath & Dry, Nail Trim, and Teeth Cleaning
How to assign multiple services:
Navigate to Resources → click the resource → Services tab
Select all services that can use this resource
Save changes
Important considerations:
Capacity is shared across all services. If a training room has capacity 1 and a Private Training session is booked at 10am, no Group Class can also be booked at 10am in that room.
Service duration matters. A 30-minute nail trim and a 2-hour full groom both occupy the same grooming table, but for different durations. Petboost handles this automatically.
Consider compatibility. A noisy group training session in the room next to a nervous dog in a private consultation may not be ideal. Physical proximity is a real-world consideration that resource assignment alone cannot solve.
Tip: If two services should NEVER share a resource simultaneously (e.g., cat grooming and dog grooming in the same room), assign them to separate resources instead.
Best Practices
How should I name my resources?
Use clear, descriptive names that include:
Resource type: "Kennel", "Van", "Station"
Capacity hints: "Large Dog Kennel", "Small Van"
Location: "Kennel 1", "Grooming Station A"
Consistent patterns: "Kennel 1", "Kennel 2", "Kennel 3"
How often should I review resource capacity?
Review capacity monthly and adjust based on:
Utilization data: How often resources reach capacity
Customer feedback: Complaints about overcrowding
Staff input: Observations about capacity management
Business growth: Changes in demand and operations
What's the best way to manage resource maintenance?
Schedule maintenance during off-peak hours
Use blocked times for planned maintenance
Coordinate with staff schedules
Communicate maintenance schedules to customers
Keep maintenance records for planning
Integration Questions
How do resources work with appointments?
Resources are automatically checked for availability when creating appointments. Petboost ensures:
Capacity limits are respected
Working hours are followed
Blocked times are avoided
Service assignments are valid
Can I see resource utilization reports?
Resource utilization reporting is coming soon. You'll be able to track:
Capacity utilization by resource
Booking patterns and trends
Revenue per resource
Maintenance scheduling
How do resources connect with team members?
Resources work independently of team members, but they coordinate through:
Service assignments: Both resources and team members are assigned to services
Scheduling: Appointments require both available resources and team members
Capacity management: Both have capacity limits that affect scheduling
Still Have Questions?
If you can't find the answer to your question here, contact support or click the "Get Help" button in your dashboard to chat with our team.
Related Articles: