Maintaining a smooth schedule is essential for any busy salon. By adding a buffer time (a protective gap after bookings), you can ensure you have the necessary breathing room to reset and prepare for your next client. In this article, you will discover everything you need to know about the buffer time, the different types of buffer time available in Salonized, how to set them up effectively and how they impact your availability.
What is buffer time, and how does it work?
Buffer time is a gap added to an appointment to ensure you have a break between clients. In your scheduling system, it acts as a protective layer that blocks off your calendar without extending the official duration of the service shown to the customer. Think of it as an automated transition time used for:
Preparation: Setting up equipment or reviewing client notes before a session.
Cleanup: Sanitising your workspace, washing tools, or resetting a room.
Administrative Tasks: Processing payments, re-booking the client, or writing post-treatment notes.
Personal Breaks: Grabbing a coffee or simply taking a moment to reset between back-to-back bookings.
Please note: The buffer time is only visible to the salon owner, not to the customer. The customer will only see the duration of the service set in the service settings (for example, a 60-minute service with a buffer time of 10 minutes still appears as 60 minutes in the booking widget).
How many types of buffer time does Salonized offer?
Salonized gives you the possibility to choose between two types of buffer time:
General buffer time: This adds a gap between each appointment using a fixed value.
Service-specific buffer time: This is an amount of extra minutes added after completing a specific service and has a custom value.
Please note: The general buffer time does not replace service-specific buffer time. If you have both enabled, both will be added to the total appointment length, which may result in multiple buffer times.
How do I add a general buffer time for all appointments?
This feature allows you to automate gaps across your entire schedule. Instead of considering the treatment duration, the system adds your chosen extra time to the end of every booking to ensure you have a consistent transition time. Even if the appointment consists of multiple treatments, the general buffer is applied only once per appointment.
To enable general buffer time, follow these steps:
Go to Settings > Calendar > Calendar settings.
Check the box for "Adding end buffer to create a gap between appointments."
Select your preferred duration from the dropdown menu (choose from 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes).
Click Save at the top right of the page to apply the changes.
How this looks in practice:
Example 1: A "pedicure" treatment lasts 60 minutes. With a 15-minute buffer, the appointment is scheduled as a block of 60 + 15 = 75 minutes.
Example 2: A customer books a "pedicure" (60 min) and a "manicure" (45 min). With a 15-minute buffer, the appointment is scheduled as a block of 60 minutes + 45 + 15 = 120 minutes.
Important: Adding, removing, or editing general buffer time affects all (previous, current, and future) appointments. Changes apply retroactively.
How do I set up a service-specific buffer time?
Service-specific buffer time is ideal if certain treatments require more cleanup or preparation than others (for example, a chemical peel requiring more room sanitisation than a quick brow wax). Unlike the general buffer, this is added to the specific duration of that service.
To set up buffer time for a specific service, follow these steps:
Go to Settings > Services.
Select the Service you wish to edit.
Stay on the General tab and click the More options button.
Locate the Buffer time field and enter your desired number of extra minutes.
Click Save to apply the change.
How this looks in practice:
Example 1: A "Deep Tissue Massage" lasts 60 minutes, and you set a service-specific buffer of 20 minutes. The total duration for this booking will be 60 + 20 = 80 minutes.
Example 2: A customer books two services: a "Facial" (60 minutes with a 10-min buffer) and an "Eyebrow Tint" (15 min with no buffer). The total appointment time will be 60 minutes + 10 + 15 = 85 minutes.
Important: Adding, removing, or editing service-specific buffer time only affects future bookings. Changes do not apply retroactively.
How does buffer time affect my daily schedule?
It is paramount to understand how these gaps interact with your wider business tools and daily schedule. Here is a breakdown of how buffer time functions within the system:
Buffer time is always treated as unavailable time.
Example: If your shop closes at 17:00 and a 60-minute service with a 15-minute buffer would push the total time to 17:15, the booking widget will not show that time slot to the customer.
The buffer time feature is universal. It applies to appointments you schedule manually in your calendar as well as those booked online by customers.
Please note that the buffer time is not synced with external integrations such as Google Calendar or the Treatwell agenda. These platforms will only display the service duration itself.
It is not possible to set unique buffer times for specific employees.
If you have questions about the buffer time, contact our support team.
We are happy to help.