Opening hours control the drop-off (check-in) and pick-up (check-out) times your customers can choose when they book in the online booking portal or the Pet Parent app. You set them for each service, along with the days you're closed and how far apart the times in the list are. They're all on one page: Settings > Opening Hours.
Where to find opening hours
Go to Settings > Opening Hours. The page has a Settings section, Time Increments, Closed Days, then an Opening Times section for each service you offer (using your own service names, for example Boarding Opening Times or Daycare Opening Times). The links at the top of the page jump to each section. Click Save at the bottom of a section after changing it.
Opening hours settings
Ask customers for arrival and collection times: when this is on, customers pick a drop-off and pick-up time when booking online. When it's off, they just pick dates and you sort the times out between you.
Hide times that are already taken: removes times other bookings have already chosen, so several customers aren't given the same arrival slot. This works across all booking types.
Do not include Daycare bookings in booking times removal: daycare visits don't use up an arrival slot, so daycare times aren't hidden from other customers. (Uses your name for daycare.)
Let customers ask for a time outside these hours: customers can type a time request instead of picking from the list, and you decide. Wording for that box sets the label they see; the default is "Time of requested checkin/checkout".
Time increments for opening hours
Time steps set how far apart the times in the drop-down lists are, from 5 Minute up to 8 Hours.
Customer Portal/Pet Parent App: Time Steps - All Bookings sets the gap between the times customers can choose online.
Admin/Staff System: Time Steps - All Bookings sets the default for staff, and you can set separate steps for boarding, homestay, daycare, grooming and training (Time steps for each service you offer).
Closed days
In Closed Days, tick the days you never open, for each service. Nothing can arrive or leave on a ticked day, though a stay can carry on across it. For example, if you're closed for daycare at weekends, tick Saturday and Sunday under daycare only.
How to set your opening times
Each service gets up to three opening windows a day. A morning and an afternoon opening with a closed period between them is the usual setup. Leave a window blank if you don't use it.
In the service's Opening Times section, choose what each window is for: Opening 1 is for, Opening 2 is for and Opening 3 is for can each be Checkin and Checkout, Checkin Only or Checkout Only.
For each day, enter the start and end of each window you use (Opening 1 start, Opening 1 end and so on).
Use the clear button beside a time to empty it.
Click Save.
For example, a kennel that opens 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm Monday to Friday, 10am to 12pm on Saturday and is closed on Sunday would fill in Opening 1 and Opening 2 for Monday to Friday, only Opening 1 for Saturday, and tick Sunday in Closed Days.
If you sell half-day daycare sessions, the Daycare Half Day Opening Times section (with your own names) has Morning start, Morning end, Afternoon start and Afternoon end for each day.
What opening hours don't do
KennelBooker no longer has a setting to force customers to choose both a drop-off and a pick-up time.
Closed days stop arrivals and departures on that day, not stays that carry on across it.
Closed Days are weekdays, not one-off dates such as a bank holiday.
Opening hours: frequently asked questions
Where do I set my opening and closing times?
Opening and closing times are on Settings > Opening Hours. Each service has its own Opening Times section with up to three windows a day, plus Closed Days for the days you never open.
Can I have a morning and an evening drop-off time?
Yes. Opening hours allow up to three windows a day for each service. Fill in Opening 1 for the morning and Opening 2 for the evening, and use Opening 1 is for / Opening 2 is for to choose Checkin and Checkout, Checkin Only or Checkout Only.
Can I only allow drop-offs in the morning and pick-ups in the afternoon?
Yes. Set Opening 1 is for to Checkin Only and Opening 2 is for to Checkout Only on Settings > Opening Hours for that service.
Can customers choose a time outside my opening hours?
Only if you allow it. Switch on Let customers ask for a time outside these hours on Settings > Opening Hours. Customers can then type a requested time instead of picking from the list, and you decide whether it works.
Can I stop two customers arriving at the same time?
Yes. Switch on Hide times that are already taken on Settings > Opening Hours. Times already chosen by other bookings are removed from the list. Switch on Do not include Daycare bookings in booking times removal if daycare arrivals shouldn't block a slot.
Can I change the times to every 30 minutes?
Yes. On Settings > Opening Hours, in Time Increments, set Time Steps - All Bookings under Customer Portal/Pet Parent App to 30 Minute. Staff time steps are set separately under Admin/Staff System.
Do opening hours apply to the Pet Parent app?
Yes. The Pet Parent app uses your online booking portal, so customers see the same opening times and time steps there.
Can I close for a holiday using Closed Days?
No. Closed Days on Settings > Opening Hours are weekdays you never open (for example every Sunday), not one-off dates.
Opening hours: common problems
The times are showing as AM when they should be PM
Check each time on Settings > Opening Hours. With several windows a day it's easy to enter 05:00 AM instead of 05:00 PM. Correct the time and click Save.
Customers aren't asked for a time when booking daycare or training online
As well as your opening hours, daycare and training have their own switch. Go to Settings > Daycare and switch on Show Daycare Checkin and Checkout Time, or the matching Show Training Checkin and Checkout Time on the training settings page (both use your own service names). Also check Ask customers for arrival and collection times is on.
Customers can't pick any times at all
Check that Ask customers for arrival and collection times is on, that the service has times filled in for that day, and that the day isn't ticked in Closed Days. If Hide times that are already taken is on, every slot that day may already be taken.
Customers can't book a drop-off on a certain day
That day is probably ticked in Closed Days for that service, or the service has no opening window that day set to Checkin and Checkout or Checkin Only.
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