You set booking rules once and Bokko applies them automatically to every new booking. The page has seven blocks: Automatic acceptance, Timing, What can guests do?, Booking interval, No-shows and payments, Additional booking conditions and Waitlist. Changes are saved automatically.
At the top, the Automatic acceptance summary shows which services Bokko accepts automatically; you set this per service.
Where to find it
- In the left menu of the dashboard, open Booking rules.
- 1. Automatic acceptance
- 2. Timing
Timing
| Setting | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum advance booking time | How close to the appointment a guest can still book. | At least 2 hours before |
| Maximum advance booking time | How far ahead guests can book. | 30 or 60 days ahead |
| Cancellation window | The latest point before the appointment at which a guest can cancel without losing a deposit. Guests can still cancel inside the window, but it is recorded as a late cancellation. | At least 24 hours before |
The minimum and maximum advance booking times apply to bookings made by guests (and through the API), not to appointments you record by hand. For services with a deposit, the minimum advance booking time is at least 2 hours, even if you set a shorter one.
What can guests do?
- Allow cancellation — guests can cancel their confirmed appointment themselves. A cancellation inside the cancellation window is recorded as a late cancellation (which matters if a deposit was paid). Guests can withdraw a request that has not been decided yet at any time.
- Allow rescheduling — guests can request a different time.
- Booking note field — guests can add a short note to their request.
The switches are independent, so you can allow one without the others.
Booking interval
The Booking interval (15, 30 or 60 minutes) sets the step between start times offered on your booking page; the calendar grid follows it as well. Your choice is saved as soon as you click it.
No-shows and payments
- Request deposit (Pro) — a fixed amount or a percentage. You can add a short Deposit description (optional) that guests will see.
- Record no-show history (Pro) — Bokko remembers when a guest did not show up.
- Automatic blocking (Pro, shown only when no-show history is recorded) — after a number of no-shows you choose, the system blocks the guest automatically. The block expires after 12 months and can be lifted at any time.
- No-show fee (Pro) — an amount disclosed to guests in the booking conditions on your booking page.
- 1. Request deposit
- 2. No-show fee
Setting a no-show fee means guests are informed about it in your booking conditions. Charging it automatically requires card guarantee (the guest saves a card when booking), which is a Business plan feature. Without it, you have to collect the fee yourself.
Waitlist
The waitlist (Pro) lets guests sign up when no slot is available. Switch on Turn on the waitlist; Waitlist expiry (days) can be set between 1 and 90 days, the default is 30 days.
Additional booking conditions
These are conditions the guest accepts at booking. Switch on Show additional conditions, then click Add condition. They are not free text: you pick from Bokko-curated templates that are already translated into every guest language, and you only fill in the parameters (minutes, days).
- Late arrival — after how many minutes of delay a new appointment may be needed.
- Documents — documents the guest should bring.
- Payment — on-site payment and card guarantee.
- Service conditions — the conditions under which the service can be performed, and the guest's duty to disclose relevant circumstances.
- Companions and pets — restrictions on companions or pets.
- Conduct — for example, recording only with consent.
- No-show — recording a no-show, and the nature of the no-show fee.
You can add up to 8 conditions. If you pick a document or service condition, Bokko reminds you to spell out what you mean under Important info — otherwise the condition is hard to rely on in a dispute.
When do changes take effect?
Guests accept the conditions that are current at the moment they book, and Bokko records the submission time and the settings in effect. Changes to the cancellation rule are asymmetric: tightening it (a longer window, switching guest cancellation off) does not affect online bookings already submitted, while relaxing it applies to them too. Allowing rescheduling always follows the current setting.