Booking Windows & Availability

Configure rolling booking horizons, handle end-of-window boundaries, and manage weekly hours and holiday overrides.

One of the most important aspects of managing client bookings is controlling how far in advance appointments can be scheduled. A rolling booking window prevents clients from scheduling meetings months before you are ready, while ensuring you have a steady, predictable pipeline of upcoming sessions.

1. What is a Rolling Booking Window?

In DC Calendar, each service has an adjustable Booking Window. This specifies the maximum number of days into the future that an appointment can be booked:

Window Option	Time Horizon	Best Suited For
7 Days	Next 7 days	High-frequency appointments, urgent technical support, and fast turnaround consultations.
14 Days	Next 14 days	Standard onboarding calls, weekly team check-ins, and product demonstrations.
30 Days (Default)	Next 30 days	General business advisory, professional consultations, and client meetings.
60 Days	Next 60 days	Quarterly planning sessions and recurring corporate training.
90 Days (3 Months)	Next 3 months	Conferences, workshops, and seasonal project kickoff meetings.
180 Days (6 Months)	Next 6 months	Long-term educational programs, venue reservations, and contract renewals.
365 Days (1 Year)	Next 1 year	Annual reviews, health checkups, and long-range event bookings.

Why "Rolling" Matters: The booking window automatically advances every day. For example, a 30-day window on September 24 opens booking through October 24. Tomorrow on September 25, it automatically opens through October 25. You never have to manually update cutoff dates.

2. What Happens When Dates are Outside the Window?

When a visitor browses the calendar and looks beyond your open booking window, the system handles it with clear guidance:

2.1 Automatic Window Limits

Available dates are strictly confined to your chosen window. Visitors cannot click into the future beyond your allowed horizon.

Dates beyond the window are shown in light grey and are unclickable.

2.2 Clean Calendar Navigation

Calendar Boundaries: The "Next Month" arrow disables automatically when the visitor reaches the last month with available days.

Helpful Guidance: If all slots in a month are booked or outside the window, the calendar displays a friendly note: "No available dates this month — please check the next month or ask our AI agent in chat."

2.3 Conversational Guidance in Chat

If a customer on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Web Chat asks for a date far in the future (for example, "Can I book 4 months from now?" when your window is 30 days):

The AI agent explains your current booking horizon politely.

The agent offers to book a date within the active window, or collects their contact details so your team can notify them when future dates open.

When All Slots Are Booked: If all appointments within your window have been claimed by other clients, the calendar displays a notice letting the visitor know that the schedule is currently full and invites them to check back soon or chat with the team.

3. Weekly Schedules & Date Overrides

Inside every service type, you can set your team's exact working hours:

3.1 Weekly Working Hours

Configure start and end times for each day of the week (Monday through Sunday).

Example: Set Monday–Thursday 09:00–17:00, Friday 09:00–14:00, and toggle Saturday and Sunday to Closed.

Available appointment slots are created strictly within these hours according to the service duration.

3.2 Date Overrides (Holidays & Special Days)

Holidays: Add a date override for holidays (like Christmas or New Year's Day) and toggle it closed to block appointments for that entire day.

Custom Hours: Add an override for specific dates (such as a weekend workshop or evening consultation) with custom hours like 10:00–14:00.

4. Timezones & Automatic Conversion

If you work with clients across different regions, timezones are handled automatically:

Touchpoint	How Timezones Work
Service Timezone	Each service has its own local timezone (e.g. New York, London, or Mumbai). Working hours and date rules are always based on this timezone.
Chat Confirmations	Chat messages confirm appointments clearly with the timezone specified (e.g. "Tuesday, September 29 at 10:30 AM EST") so there is no confusion.
Client Booking Page	The booking page detects the client's local device time and converts open slots to their time zone automatically.
Appointment Records	When a booking is confirmed, the timezone is saved with the appointment so past records remain accurate even if you travel.