Services can set up two types of online booking options for their clients: Book Now (instant confirmation) and Request to Book (requires approval). The Request to Book option gives you more control over your schedule by letting you review and approve each booking request before it is confirmed.

Step 1: In the client portal, under the Book Online section, the client can see the available appointment types.

Step 2: They click on an appointment type and select Request to Book.

Step 3: The client selects their preferred date and time from the available slots.

Step 4: A request notification is sent to you as the service provider with the client's name and requested time. You can either confirm or decline the request.

Step 5: If you confirm the request, the appointment is booked and the client receives a confirmation via SMS or email.

This option is particularly useful when you need to manage capacity carefully, want to review new client requests before confirming, or need to coordinate room or resource availability before locking in a session. It is commonly used by practices that prefer a gatekeeping step — for example, where an intake coordinator reviews bookings before they go to a practitioner.

Tip: You can configure which appointment types use Book Now versus Request to Book in your calendar settings. This means you can offer instant booking for routine follow-ups while requiring approval for initial consultations.