Automate repeat bookings with recurring appointments. Perfect for regular daycare, weekly grooming, training classes, and ongoing services.
What are Recurring Appointments?
Recurring appointments automatically create multiple bookings based on a pattern:
Weekly dog daycare every Monday and Friday
Monthly grooming on the 15th
Training classes every Tuesday for 8 weeks
Daily boarding for a vacation period
Benefits:
Save time creating individual appointments
Ensure regular customers stay booked
Maintain consistent schedule
Reduce booking gaps
How it works:
Create one appointment with recurrence pattern
System generates series of future appointments
All appointments linked as a "series"
Manage entire series or individual appointments
When to Use Recurring Appointments
Ideal Use Cases
Weekly services:
Dog daycare (every M/W/F)
Group training classes
Regular grooming schedules
Weekly dog walking
Fixed schedule patterns:
Monthly nail trims
Quarterly health checks
Seasonal grooming packages
Training programs:
6-week puppy training
8-week obedience course
12-week behavioral modification
Long-term care:
Extended boarding (daily recurrence)
Ongoing daycare subscriptions
Regular medication administration
Creating Recurring Appointments
Step 1: Start Normal Appointment Creation
Click New → Appointment
Select customer and pets
Choose services
Set initial date and time
Continue as normal appointment until...
Step 2: Enable Recurrence
Look for "Repeat" or "Recurring" toggle (typically below date/time fields)
Toggle "Repeat" switch ON
Recurrence options appear
Step 3: Choose Recurrence Pattern
Four pattern types:
Daily
Repeats every X days
Configuration:
Interval: Every 1, 2, 3... days
Example: "Every 1 day" = daily, "Every 2 days" = every other day
Best for:
Boarding (consecutive days)
Daily medication appointments
Short-term intensive training
Weekly
Repeats on specific day(s) of the week
Configuration:
Interval: Every 1, 2, 3... weeks
Days: Select specific days (M, T, W, Th, F, Sa, Su)
Example: "Every 1 week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday"
Best for:
Regular daycare (M/W/F pattern)
Weekly classes (every Tuesday)
Rotating schedule
Tip: Can select multiple days (e.g., Mon + Fri for twice-weekly)
Monthly
Repeats on specific day of the month
Two configuration options:
1. Day of month (e.g., 15th of every month)
Interval: Every 1, 2, 3... months
Day: 1-31
Example: "15th of every month"
2. Week pattern (e.g., first Monday of every month)
Interval: Every 1, 2, 3... months
Pattern: First/Second/Third/Fourth/Last
Day: Monday-Sunday
Example: "First Monday of every month"
Best for:
Monthly grooming subscriptions
Regular health checks
Membership-based services
Custom
Advanced patterns and exceptions
Options:
Skip specific dates
Different services on different weeks
Variable team member assignment
Complex patterns not fitting other types
Best for:
Non-standard schedules
Services with exceptions
Variable team rotation
Step 4: Set End Condition
Choose how recurrence ends:
Number of Occurrences
"Create X appointments"
Example: 8 appointments (8-week training course)
Example: 12 appointments (3-month daycare package)
Best for:
Fixed-length programs
Pre-paid packages
Courses with set duration
End Date
"Repeat until [date]"
Select specific end date
Useful for seasonal services or contracts
Best for:
Services with contract end date
Seasonal bookings (summer daycare)
Vacation boarding (known return date)
Never (Ongoing)
"Continue indefinitely"
Creates appointments until manually stopped
New appointments generate monthly
Always shows next 2-3 months
Best for:
Permanent ongoing services
Subscription-based daycare
Long-term regular customers
Important: Can stop series anytime (doesn't mean forever!)
Step 5: Team Member Assignment
Three assignment options:
Fixed Team Member
Same team member for all appointments
Select specific person
Ensures continuity
All appointments assigned to them
Best for:
Personal trainers
Preferred groomer
Specialized services requiring specific staff
Rotating Team Members
Different team member each time
Select multiple team members
System rotates through list
Fair distribution of appointments
Best for:
General daycare
Basic services
Load balancing across team
Any Available
System assigns based on availability
No specific assignment upfront
Assigned automatically when appointment time arrives
Most flexible option
Best for:
Services where any qualified staff works
Unpredictable team schedules
Maximum flexibility
Step 6: Review & Create Series
Review summary before creating:
Pattern: Daily/Weekly/Monthly
Days/Dates: Which days appointments will be created
Duration: How long series runs
Total appointments: How many will be created
Team assignment: Fixed/Rotating/Available
Create button generates entire series instantly
Managing Recurring Series
View Series Information
On calendar:
Recurring appointments have circular arrow icon (↻)
Click any appointment in series to see series details
In appointment detail panel:
"Recurring Series" section shows:
Pattern (e.g., "Weekly on Mon and Fri")
Recurrence count (e.g., "1 Completed so far")
"Manage Recurring Series" button
Edit Entire Series
Change all future appointments at once
Open any appointment in series
Click "Manage Recurring Series"
Choose "Edit All Future Appointments"
Make changes:
Service
Team member
Time
Pricing
All future appointments update
Past/completed appointments unchanged
Edit Single Appointment
Modify one appointment without affecting others
Open specific appointment
Edit normally (change time, team, services)
System asks: "Update this appointment only or entire series?"
Select "This appointment only"
Change applied to this one
Appointment still part of series but with custom values
Cancel Single Appointment
Cancel one occurrence without affecting series
Open appointment
Click Cancel
Choose reason
Select "This appointment only"
Series continues
Skipped appointment shown as "Cancelled" in series list
Stop Recurring Series
End series, prevent future appointments
Option 1: Stop after specific date
Manage Recurring Series
Change end date to desired stop date
Future appointments after that date deleted
Option 2: Delete all future
Manage Recurring Series
Click "Delete All Future Appointments"
Confirm deletion
Only upcoming appointments deleted
Past appointments remain
Important: Cannot undo deletion - future appointments permanently removed
Reschedule Entire Series
Move all future appointments to new day/time
Open any appointment
Manage Recurring Series
Edit recurrence pattern or time
All future appointments shift
Example scenarios:
Customer changes daycare days from M/W/F to T/Th
Time changes from 9am to 11am ongoing
Move monthly grooming from 15th to 20th
Series Actions & Updates
Tracking Series Progress
See series status:
Completed count (e.g., "5 completed")
Upcoming count (e.g., "7 upcoming")
Total in series
View all appointments in series:
Click "Manage Recurring Series"
See list of all appointments:
Past (with status: Completed, Cancelled, No-show)
Present (today)
Future (Confirmed, Pending)
Updating Series After Creation
Can modify:
✅ End date (extend or shorten)
✅ Team member assignment
✅ Service pricing
✅ Time (all future appointments)
✅ Add exceptions (skip specific dates)
Cannot modify:
❌ Recurrence pattern (need to recreate series)
❌ Days of week (need to recreate series)
❌ Customer or pets (need to recreate series)
To change immutable fields: Create new series, delete old
Common Patterns & Examples
Example 1: Weekly Dog Daycare
Scenario: Mo's pets come for daycare every Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Setup:
Pattern: Weekly
Interval: Every 1 week
Days: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Team: Any Available
End: Never (ongoing)
Result: 3 appointments per week, indefinitely
Example 2: 8-Week Puppy Training
Scenario: Tuesday evening puppy class for 8 weeks
Setup:
Pattern: Weekly
Interval: Every 1 week
Days: Tuesday
Team: Fixed (Trainer: Jasmin)
End: 8 occurrences
Result: 8 Tuesday appointments with same trainer
Example 3: Monthly Grooming
Scenario: Full groom on the 15th of every month
Setup:
Pattern: Monthly (day of month)
Day: 15th
Interval: Every 1 month
Team: Fixed (Groomer: Suzie)
End: Never
Result: Appointments on 15th of each month
Example 4: Two-Week Boarding
Scenario: Vacation boarding Oct 20 - Nov 3 (14 nights)
Setup:
Pattern: Daily
Interval: Every 1 day
Start: Oct 20
End: Nov 3 (14 occurrences)
Service: Overnight Boarding
Result: 14 consecutive daily appointments
Example 5: Rotating Team Schedule
Scenario: Dog walk every weekday, rotating 3 walkers
Setup:
Pattern: Weekly
Days: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
Team: Rotating (Jasmin, Suzie, Annika)
End: Never
Result: 5 walks per week, team rotates
Recurring vs. Regular Appointments
When to Use Recurring
Use recurring when:
✅ Pattern repeats regularly (weekly, daily, monthly)
✅ Same service each time
✅ Long-term arrangement (4+ appointments)
✅ Consistent schedule expected
When to Use Individual Appointments
Use regular appointments when:
✅ One-off bookings
✅ Irregular schedule
✅ Variable services each time
✅ Short-term (1-3 appointments)
✅ Uncertain future schedule
Tips & Best Practices
Setting up recurring:
Start with shorter series (4-8 weeks) vs. never-ending
Use "Any Available" for flexible team assignment
Set end date for seasonal services
Test with 2-3 occurrences first (before creating long series)
Managing recurring:
Review upcoming appointments monthly
Update series when customer schedule changes
Cancel early if customer requests change
Communicate changes to customers proactively
Avoiding issues:
Don't create overlapping recurring series for same customer
Check team/resource availability before long series
Set realistic end dates (can extend later)
Update pricing for entire series when rates change
Customer communication:
Confirm recurring schedule with customer before creating
Send series summary email after creation
Remind customer 1 week before series ends
Offer easy rescheduling options
Troubleshooting
"Cannot create recurring appointment"
→ Check service allows recurring bookings, verify team/resource availability
"Some appointments in series have conflicts"
→ System creates appointments without conflicts, flags others for manual resolution
"Recurring series not showing future appointments"
→ Series generates appointments 2-3 months ahead, more appear as time progresses
"Need to change recurrence pattern"
→ Cannot edit pattern; stop current series and create new one with desired pattern
"Customer wants different service on specific week"
→ Edit that single appointment, keep rest of series intact