Complete guide to managing appointments throughout their entire lifecycle, from creation to completion and beyond.
Appointment Lifecycle
Every appointment moves through distinct statuses as it progresses:
Status Flow
Pending → Confirmed → In Progress → Completed → Ready to Pay → Paid
Alternative flows:
Declined (business rejects booking)
Cancelled (customer or business cancels)
Payment Declined (payment fails) → Retry → Paid
Complete Status Guide
1. PENDING
Meaning: New booking awaiting business confirmation
Typical duration: Minutes to hours
Available actions:
Confirm - Accept the booking
Decline - Reject with reason
Edit - Modify details before confirming
Send Message - Communicate with customer
Best practice: Respond within 2 hours for best customer experience
2. CONFIRMED
Meaning: Booking accepted and scheduled
Typical duration: Until appointment time
Available actions:
Start - Mark appointment as in progress
Reschedule - Change date/time
Edit Details - Modify services, team, resources
Cancel - Cancel with reason
Send Reminder - Manual reminder to customer
Pre-Hold Funds - Authorize payment (if not auto)
Automated actions:
Reminders sent automatically (24h, 2h before)
Pre-hold funds (if automation enabled)
Auto-start at scheduled time (if automation enabled)
3. IN PROGRESS
Meaning: Service currently being performed
Typical duration: Service duration (30min - 8 hours)
Available actions:
Complete - Mark service finished
Add Notes - Document service details
Upload Photos - Add before/after photos
Extend Time - If service running longer
Pause - Pause time tracker (for interruptions)
Time tracking:
Actual start time recorded
Duration tracked in real-time
Overtime alerts if exceeding scheduled time
4. COMPLETED
Meaning: Service finished, invoice being finalized
Typical duration: Minutes (while staff finalizes invoice)
Available actions:
Finalize Invoice - Lock invoice for payment
Edit Invoice - Add/remove items, adjust pricing
Add Service Notes - Document service outcome
Send Service Report - Share details with customer
Invoice finalization:
Review all service items
Apply discounts if needed
Add tips or additional services
Add invoice message for customer
5. READY TO PAY
Meaning: Invoice finalized, awaiting payment
Typical duration: Minutes to hours
Available actions:
Charge Card on File - Process payment automatically
Take In-Person Payment - Cash/card reader
Send Invoice - Email invoice to customer
Issue Refund - If needed before payment
Cancel Reader Action - Cancel pending card reader transaction
Payment methods available:
Card on file (saved payment method)
Cash
Bank transfer
Card reader (in-person)
External payment (mark as paid manually)
6. PAID
Meaning: Payment received successfully
Typical duration: Final status (permanent)
Available actions:
Issue Refund - Full or partial refund
Print Receipt - Generate receipt PDF
Send Receipt - Email receipt to customer
View Transaction - See payment details
Rebook - Create new appointment based on this one
Payment details tracked:
Payment method used
Transaction ID
Amount paid
Refunds issued (if any)
Receipt generation history
7. PAYMENT DECLINED
Meaning: Payment attempt failed
Typical duration: Until successful payment
Available actions:
Retry Charging Card - Attempt payment again
Request Different Payment Method - Ask customer for another card
Take In-Person Payment - Switch to cash/card reader
Cancel Appointment - If unable to collect payment
Retry Card Pre-auth - Re-authorize payment hold
Common failure reasons:
Insufficient funds
Expired card
Card declined by bank
Incorrect CVV/ZIP
Daily transaction limit exceeded
8. CANCELLED
Meaning: Appointment cancelled by business or customer
Typical duration: Final status
Available actions:
View Cancellation Reason - See why cancelled
Rebook - Create new appointment
Issue Refund - If payment was collected
Archive - Remove from active calendar
Cancellation tracking:
Who cancelled (customer/staff/system)
Cancellation reason
Refund amount (if applicable)
Late cancellation fee (if applicable)
9. DECLINED
Meaning: Business rejected the booking request
Typical duration: Final status
Available actions:
View Decline Reason - See why declined
Send Message - Communicate with customer
Archive - Remove from view
10. BLOCKED (Time)
Meaning: Calendar time blocked (not an appointment)
Typical duration: As scheduled
Available actions:
Edit - Change blocked time details
Delete - Remove block and free up time
Convert to Appointment - Turn into actual booking
Appointment Detail Panel
Sections Overview
1. When & Where
Date and time
Service duration for each pet
Location/address
Assigned resources (rooms, vans)
Time tracker (start/pause/resume)
2. Who & Important Notes
Customer contact information
Payment method on file
Pet details with photos
Special care requirements
Health/behavioral notes
Allergies and restrictions
3. Recurring Series (if applicable)
Pattern (daily, weekly, custom)
Next occurrences
Manage series options
Edit single vs. all
4. Activity Log
All status changes
Payment attempts
Messages sent
Edits made
Who performed each action
Timestamps for all events
5. How Much (Invoice)
Service items per pet
Pricing breakdown
Discounts applied
Tax calculation
Payment method selection
Invoice message
Payment actions
6. Notes & Attachments
By the Customer - Instructions and photos from customer
By the Business - Internal notes (private) and customer-facing notes
File attachments
Photo uploads (automatically converted from HEIC if needed)
Quick Actions
From appointment card:
Click - Open detail panel
Right-click (desktop) - Quick action menu
Long-press (mobile) - Quick action menu
Detail panel actions:
Edit - Modify any appointment details
Duplicate - Create copy with same details
Print - Generate printable appointment sheet
Send - Email details to customer
Delete - Permanently remove (with confirmation)
Updating Appointment Details
Change Date or Time
Reschedule options:
Drag appointment on calendar (if Drag Lock off)
Edit → Change date/time fields
Find New Time → Use Magic Schedule to find new slot
Conflict detection:
System checks team availability
Checks resource availability
Shows warnings if conflicts exist
Option to override or find alternative
Customer notifications:
Automatic reschedule notification sent
Includes new date/time
Includes cancellation/rebooking link
Change Services
Add service:
Open appointment detail
Click "Add Item" for specific pet
Select service
System updates pricing and duration
Remove service:
Click "Remove" on service item
Confirm removal
Invoice updates automatically
Change service:
Click "Change" on existing service
Select replacement service
Pricing adjusts automatically
Change Team Member
Reassign team member:
Open appointment detail
Click team member dropdown
Select new team member
System checks availability
Confirms reassignment
"Any Available" option:
System assigns first available team member
Useful for services where specific assignment not required
Team member assigned when appointment starts
Change Resource
Reassign room/van/kennel:
Open appointment detail
Click resource dropdown (or "Change Location" button)
Select new resource
System checks availability
Confirms reassignment
Mobile services:
Change service location/address
Update GPS coordinates
Assign different van
Adding Notes
Internal Notes (Staff Only)
Private notes visible only to staff:
Service observations
Special handling required
Follow-up actions needed
Issues or concerns
How to add:
Open appointment detail
Navigate to "By the Business" tab
Type in "Internal Notes (private)" field
Automatically saved
Customer-Facing Notes
Notes visible to customer:
Service completion summary
Recommendations
Follow-up care instructions
Next appointment suggestions
How to add:
Open appointment detail
Navigate to "By the Business" tab
Type in "Customer-facing Notes" field
Customer sees these in their portal and notifications
Uploading Photos
Supported formats:
JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP
HEIC (iPhone photos) - automatically converted
Up to 10MB per file
How to upload:
Open appointment detail
Navigate to "By the Business" tab
Click or drag files to upload zone
Photos upload instantly
Customer can view in their portal
Best practices:
Add before/after photos for grooming
Document injuries or concerns
Show pet having fun (daycare, training)
Use photos for insurance claims if needed
Cancelling Appointments
Cancellation Process
Open appointment detail
Click Cancel button
Select cancellation reason:
Customer requested
Pet illness
Weather conditions
Staff unavailable
Resource unavailable
Other (specify)
Choose notification option:
Notify customer immediately
Send later
Don't notify
Apply cancellation fee (if applicable)
Confirm cancellation
Refund Options
If payment collected:
Full refund - Return entire amount
Partial refund - Return portion (e.g., minus cancellation fee)
No refund - Keep payment (late cancellation)
Refund processed to:
Original payment method
Typically 3-5 business days
Customer receives email confirmation
Activity Log
Tracks complete appointment history:
Events logged:
Status changes (who, when)
Edits made (field, old value, new value)
Messages sent
Payment attempts (success/failure)
Refunds issued
Notes added
Photos uploaded
How to view:
Open appointment detail
Click "Activity Log" (shows event count)
Expandable accordion displays all events
Most recent events at top
Use cases:
Audit trail for disputes
Understand why payment failed
See who made changes
Track customer communications
Tips & Best Practices
Efficient workflow:
Use Workflow view to batch process similar statuses
Enable Pro Automations to reduce manual status changes
Add notes immediately after service completion
Upload photos while still with the pet
Avoid common mistakes:
Don't finalize invoice before service completion
Don't cancel without refund if payment already collected
Don't skip notes - they help with future bookings
Don't forget to check eligibility before confirming
Customer satisfaction:
Confirm bookings quickly (under 2 hours)
Send photos to customers after service
Add personalized notes about their pet
Be transparent about any issues or delays