How to Create Scheduler Services in PhotoBiz
The PhotoBiz Scheduler lets clients book appointments with you directly through your website. It’s perfect for offering both free and paid sessions and supports a variety of scheduling styles—like ongoing availability, limited-date offerings, and mini-sessions.
When you create a scheduler service, the Service Duration you choose controls how long each appointment lasts and how often clients see time slots on your booking calendar.
For example, a 15-minute service will offer appointments every 15 minutes, while a 45-minute service will show slots every 45 minutes.
Service durations can range from 15 minutes minimum to a maximum of 1440 minutes (24 hours).
PRO TIP!
If you need to offer appointments shorter than 15 minutes, use a Booking Form instead. The Form & Contract Builder includes customizable templates for:
- 5-Minute Sessions
- 10-Minute Sessions
LEARN MORE: How to Create a Booking Form
STEP ONE
Log in to your PhotoBiz account and click SCHEDULER from the left-hand menu.
STEP TWO
At the top of the Scheduler control panel, click on SERVICES.
STEP THREE
Click NEW to create a new service and choose your Service Type:
- Recurring – Use for services that are available on a consistent schedule (e.g., weekly sessions, regular consultations)
- Custom Dates – Use for services offered only on specific dates and times (e.g., mini-sessions, pop-up events)
You can also group services into Categories to keep things organized.
STEP FOUR
Fill in the basic service details:
- Name: What the service is called
- Description: A short explanation of what clients can expect
- Service Duration: The length of each appointment. This setting also controls how often booking slots appear. Valid durations range from 15 minutes to 1440 minutes (24 hours).
- Price: Optional, if you’re charging for this service
- Charge Tax: Toggle on/off if sales tax should be applied
- Active: Set the status to Active or Inactive
Click CREATE to save your new service and continue customizing it.
You’ll now see additional tabs to further customize your service:
- Details: Edit any of the core settings (Name, Description, Duration, Price, Tax, Status).
- Image: Upload a visual to display with your service on your booking page.
- Options: Add upsell items or optional add-ons that clients can select (e.g., extra prints, longer time).
- Availability: Set unique availability for this service. This can override your general business hours if needed.
👉 Need help with limited availability? - Instructions: Add notes or questions clients should see or answer before booking.
- Thank You: Customize the confirmation message clients see after booking. You can also set additional email recipients for booking alerts.
- Email Automation: Enable automatic reminder emails or follow-ups for this service.
- SEO & Search: Add meta titles, descriptions, and keywords to help optimize this service page for on-site search and search engines.
Click SAVE CHANGES when you're finished to make your service live.
How Service Duration Controls Booking Slots
Your Service Duration determines both how long each appointment lasts and how often available time slots appear for clients when booking.
| Service Duration | Booking Times Shown |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, 9:45, etc. |
| 30 minutes | 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, etc. |
| 45 minutes | 9:00, 9:45, 10:30, 11:15, etc. |
| 60 minutes | 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, etc. |
The system generates one appointment slot per duration interval. Appointments are not staggered or overlapped.
What Your Clients Will See
Clients will see available dates and times based on the service duration and availability you've configured.
Here’s an example of what a client may see:
- Availability: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST
- Appointment Duration: 15 minutes
- Blackout Dates: Vacation from July 7–11 (marked unavailable)
This setup results in a calendar view that shows appointment times every 15 minutes, excluding the blocked-out dates.
