General Questions
What are team members in Petboost?
Team members are the people who work in your pet care business. They can be staff members, contractors, or volunteers who help deliver services to your customers.
How do I add a new team member?
Go to Team Members in the main navigation
Click "Add New" → "New Team Member", or use the direct link: Create New Team Member
Choose a type: Service Provider (delivers services) or Support Staff (assists with operations)
Fill in the team member's personal information (name, email, phone, photo)
Set their parallel capacity (how many pets they can handle at the same time)
Set their Working Hours (their permanent weekly schedule)
Assign the services they can perform
Create a user account if they need to log in to Petboost
For a full walkthrough, see Getting Started with Team Members.
What's the difference between Service Provider and Support Staff?
Service Provider:
Provides services directly to customers and pets
Can be assigned to specific services they're qualified to perform
Has working hours and capacity limits
Support Staff:
Supports service delivery and customer assistance
Helps with appointments and customer service
May have limited access to certain features
Where can I find the team member dropdown?
The team member selector appears in several places depending on what you are doing:
Creating an appointment: When you create a new appointment, the team member dropdown appears in the appointment form. Only team members who are available at the selected time and assigned to the selected service will appear.
Calendar view: Use the team member filter at the top of the calendar to show or hide specific team members.
Team Members page: Go to Team Members in the main navigation to see all your team members, edit their profiles, and manage their settings.
Schedules & Sessions: Go to Schedules & Sessions to select a team member and manage their schedule, sessions, and override periods.
If you cannot see a team member in the appointment dropdown, see "My team member isn't showing as available for bookings" below.
Working Hours vs Override Days (IMPORTANT)
What's the difference between Working Hours and Override Days?
This is one of the most common points of confusion. The short answer:
Working Hours = the team member's permanent, recurring weekly schedule
Override Days (Override Periods) = temporary exceptions to that schedule for specific date ranges
Working Hours | Override Days (Override Periods) | |
Purpose | Set the team member's standard weekly routine | Handle temporary deviations from the standard routine |
Duration | Permanent until you change them | Temporary, with a start and end date |
Recurs? | Yes, every week automatically | No, only active during the set date range |
When it ends | Never (stays until you edit it) | Automatically reverts to Working Hours when the period ends |
Use for | "Sarah always works Mon/Wed/Fri 8am-2pm" | "Sarah is covering extra shifts the week of 15 Dec because James is on leave" |
Where to set | Team Members > [Person] > Working Hours tab | Schedules & Sessions > [Person] > + Override Period |
Rule of thumb: If the schedule should repeat every week going forward, use Working Hours. If it only applies to specific dates, use Override Days.
Real example of getting this wrong: A business wanted their hydrotherapist to permanently only take hydro bookings on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. They were told to use Override Days. This was incorrect. Override Days would need to be re-created constantly because they expire. The correct answer was to set Working Hours to Custom Hours with only Mon/Wed/Fri mornings enabled. That is a permanent, set-and-forget change.
How do I restrict bookings to specific days and times permanently?
Use Working Hours, not Override Days.
If you want a team member to permanently only be available on certain days or at certain times (for example, a hydrotherapist who only does hydro sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings), this is a Working Hours change:
Go to Team Members > select the team member
Go to the Working Hours tab
Select Custom Hours
Toggle off the days they do not work
For the days they do work, set the start and end times to match their availability
Click Save
This schedule repeats every week automatically. You do not need to re-enter it.
Do NOT use Override Days for this. Override Days are temporary and will expire, leaving the team member with their previous schedule. Working Hours are permanent until you change them again.
How do I set up a team member who only works mornings?
Use Custom Hours in the Working Hours tab:
Go to Team Members > select the team member
Go to the Working Hours tab
Select Custom Hours
For each day they work, set hours to morning only (e.g., 8:00am to 12:00pm)
Toggle off any days they do not work at all
Click Save
This is a permanent setting. The team member will only appear as available for morning bookings every week.
Can a team member work different hours on different days?
Yes, absolutely. Use Custom Hours in the Working Hours tab.
Custom Hours let you set completely independent start and end times for each day of the week. For example:
Day | Hours |
Monday | 8:00am - 5:00pm |
Tuesday | 8:00am - 5:00pm |
Wednesday | 8:00am - 12:00pm (half day) |
Thursday | 8:00am - 5:00pm |
Friday | 8:00am - 3:00pm (early finish) |
Saturday | Off |
Sunday | Off |
How to set this up:
Go to Team Members > select the team member
Go to the Working Hours tab
Select Custom Hours
Set different start/end times per day as needed
Click Save
This is a permanent weekly schedule. You do not need Override Days for this.
Sessions and Service-Specific Scheduling
How do I set up a team member for specific services only on certain days?
Example: "I want my hydrotherapist to only do hydro on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings and grooming on Tue/Thu."
This involves two features working together: Working Hours (when they are available) and Sessions (what they do during those hours).
Step 1: Set Working Hours to cover all the days they work (Mon through Fri in this example).
Step 2: Set up Sessions to control which services are available during which time blocks:
Go to Schedules & Sessions > select the team member
Create a session for the hydro block (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri 8:00am-12:00pm) and assign only hydrotherapy services
Create a separate session for the grooming block (e.g., Tue/Thu 8:00am-5:00pm) and assign only grooming services
Save
The booking system will now only offer hydro appointments on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings and grooming appointments on Tue/Thu.
For more detail, see Capacity & Workload Management.
How do I set up sessions or mini-shifts for a team member?
Sessions (sometimes called mini-shifts) let you divide a team member's working day into blocks with different rules. Each session can have its own:
Services: Which services are available during that block
Capacity: How many pets they can handle simultaneously in that block
Pet restrictions: Size, breed, or species limits for that block
Example: Sarah does large breed grooms in the morning (capacity 2) and small breed grooms in the afternoon (capacity 3):
Go to Schedules & Sessions > select Sarah
Create Session 1: Morning (8:00am-12:00pm), capacity 2, large breed services
Create Session 2: Afternoon (1:00pm-5:00pm), capacity 3, small breed services
Save
For more detail, see Capacity & Workload Management.
Can I have different team members handle different services on the same day?
Yes. Each team member has their own service assignments and their own sessions. You can set this up so that:
Team Member A is assigned to grooming services and works 8am-5pm
Team Member B is assigned to hydrotherapy services and works 8am-12pm
Team Member C is assigned to both grooming and daycare
The booking system respects each team member's individual service assignments, Working Hours, and session configuration. Customers will only be offered team members who are both available and assigned to the service they are booking.
How to set service assignments:
Go to Team Members > select the team member
Go to the Services tab
Tick the services they can perform
Save
Capacity and Workload
What is parallel capacity for team members?
Parallel capacity is how many pets a team member can handle AT THE SAME TIME, not per day.
Example: If a groomer has capacity 2, they can work on 2 dogs simultaneously. Throughout the day, they might groom 8+ dogs as they rotate.
Key distinction:
Parallel capacity 2 = 2 dogs at any moment
NOT "2 dogs per day"
See Team Member Parallel Capacity for more details.
How do I set team member capacity?
Base capacity on what they can physically handle at once:
Role | Typical Capacity |
Solo groomer | 1-2 (tables they work) |
Daycare handler | 8-15 (supervision limit) |
Dog walker | 4-6 (safe walking group) |
Trainer (private) | 1 |
Trainer (group) | 6-10 |
Also consider:
Service complexity and duration
Team member experience level
Physical demands of the work
Personal preferences and work style
What if a team member is overloaded?
Signs of overcapacity:
Declining service quality
Increased stress and burnout
Higher absence rates
Customer complaints
Solutions:
Reduce assigned capacity
Improve efficiency through training
Add additional team members
Optimize service delivery
Service Assignment
How do I assign services to team members?
Go to the team member's profile
Navigate to the Services tab
Select which services they can perform
Consider their skills and experience
Save the changes
Can team members be assigned to multiple services?
Yes, team members can be assigned to multiple services based on their qualifications and experience.
Working Hours
How do I set working hours for team members?
Go to the team member's profile
Navigate to the Working Hours tab
Choose from:
Business Hours - Follows your business operating hours
Custom Hours - Set specific hours for this team member
Flexible Hours - Available during business hours with flexibility
Can I set different hours for different days?
Yes. Use Custom Hours in the Working Hours tab to set completely different start and end times for each day of the week. This is a permanent weekly schedule.
See "Can a team member work different hours on different days?" above for a full walkthrough.
Note: If you need different hours for a temporary period only (e.g., holiday roster, covering for a colleague on leave), use an Override Period instead. See "Can I set up temporary schedules for specific date periods?" below.
Can I set up temporary schedules for specific date periods?
Yes! Use Override Periods for temporary or special scheduling needs.
While regular Working Hours define the team member's standard availability, Override Periods allow you to set different hours for specific dates or date ranges. This is ideal for:
Holiday rosters - Different hours during Christmas/New Year, Easter, school holidays
Training periods - Reduced availability during staff training
Seasonal adjustments - Extended summer hours, reduced winter schedules
Leave coverage - Temporary expanded hours when covering for colleagues
Trial schedules - Test new hours before making permanent changes
Special projects - Dedicated time for facility upgrades or events
How to set up Override Periods:
Navigate to the team member's profile
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 team member automatically reverts to their standard schedule.
Important: While Petboost is not timeclock or rostering software, Override Periods provide flexible scheduling for distinct date periods when special arrangements are needed.
How do I change a team member's schedule without affecting existing bookings?
Changes to Working Hours or Override Periods only affect future availability. Existing bookings are not automatically cancelled or moved.
However, if an existing booking now falls outside the team member's updated hours, it will show a warning indicator on the calendar. You will need to manually reschedule or reassign those appointments.
Best practice: Before changing a team member's schedule, check their upcoming bookings for the affected days. Reschedule or reassign any conflicts before saving the new hours.
Leave and Temporary Unavailability
How do I handle a team member going on leave?
For planned leave (holidays, personal time) or unplanned leave (sick days):
Go to Team Members > select the team member
Go to the Leaves & Restrictions tab
Click + Add Leave
Set:
Leave type: Annual, Sick, Personal, or Other
Date range: Start and end dates
Full day or partial day
Reason (optional)
Save
What happens when leave is saved:
The team member will not appear as available for new bookings during the leave period
Existing bookings during the leave dates are flagged with a warning for you to reassign or reschedule
When the leave period ends, the team member automatically returns to their normal Working Hours
For short notice (e.g., called in sick today):
Add a leave entry for today (or the affected dates)
Check the calendar for any bookings that need to be reassigned
Reassign or reschedule affected appointments to other available team members
See Working Hours & Leave Management for more detail on leave types and coverage planning.
User Accounts
Should I create user accounts for all team members?
Only create user accounts for team members who need system access. Consider:
Do they need to log in to perform their job?
Do they need to view appointments or customer information?
Do they need to update their own availability?
How do I create a user account for a team member?
Go to the team member's profile
Navigate to the Account section
Toggle "Create User Account" on
Petboost will send login credentials to their email
Troubleshooting
My team member isn't showing as available for bookings
If a team member does not appear in the team member dropdown when creating an appointment, or customers cannot book them online, work through this checklist:
1. Check their status is Active
Go to Team Members
Confirm the team member's status shows as Active (not Inactive or Archived)
2. Check their Working Hours cover the booking time
Go to the team member's Working Hours tab
Confirm the day and time of the booking falls within their working hours
If they use Custom Hours, check the specific day is toggled on and the times are correct
3. Check the service is assigned to them
Go to the team member's Services tab
Confirm the service the customer is trying to book is ticked
4. Check their capacity is not zero
Go to the team member's Capacity tab
Confirm their parallel capacity is at least 1
5. Check they are not on leave
Go to the team member's Leaves & Restrictions tab
Confirm there is no active leave covering the date in question
6. Check for Override Periods
Go to Schedules & Sessions > select the team member
Check if an Override Period is active that changes their availability for the date in question
7. Check session restrictions
If you use sessions, confirm the relevant session includes the service the customer is trying to book
If you have checked all of the above and the team member still does not appear, see the Availability Troubleshooter for a more detailed diagnostic guide.
Team member not appearing in appointment creation
Check:
Team member status is active
Working hours are set correctly
Services are assigned to the team member
Capacity settings are appropriate
Can't assign services to team member
Verify:
Service is active and properly configured
Team member meets service requirements
No conflicts with existing assignments
Team member capacity issues
Review:
Current capacity settings
Workload distribution
Service complexity and duration
Team member feedback and performance
Quick Decision Guide
Not sure which feature to use? Find your scenario below:
I want to... | Use this feature |
Set a team member's permanent weekly schedule | Working Hours (Custom Hours) |
Give a team member different hours on different days, every week | Working Hours (Custom Hours) |
Restrict a team member to mornings only, permanently | Working Hours (Custom Hours) |
Handle a holiday roster for 2 weeks | Override Period |
Cover for a colleague on leave for 1 week | Override Period |
Test new hours before making them permanent | Override Period |
Block a team member from bookings for a specific date | Leave (Leaves & Restrictions tab) |
Control which services are available at which times of day | Sessions (Schedules & Sessions) |
Limit a team member to only certain services | Service Assignment (Services tab) |
Stop a team member from being booked entirely | Set Capacity to 0, or set status to Inactive |
Need help? Contact support or click the "Get Help" button in your dashboard to chat with our team.