Booking Settings
Overview
Booking Settings is where you set the rules for how your garage takes bookings: whether customers can book for today, how many bookings you accept, whether people pick a time slot, which vehicle types you service, what staff must record, and which inspection steps are required.
These rules shape the booking experience for your team and your customers, including the online widget, booking page, manual bookings, and walk-ins.
Why it matters:
- Controls whether new bookings need staff review or are confirmed automatically
- Prevents overbooking with a daily limit and time-slot capacity
- Defines which vehicle types your garage accepts
- Sets which details staff must record and which inspection steps are required
- Turns on project mode, garage labor rates, and service plans
- Sets the WhatsApp drafts staff send from a booking
How to Access
- Log in to your autoGMS dashboard.
- From the sidebar, select the garage you want to manage.
- Click the Settings button at the bottom of the sidebar.
- Select Booking Settings under Bookings.
You can also click Settings (the gear icon) in the Bookings page header, use the Booking settings button at the top of Workshop settings, or open it from the quick New Booking panel.
Good to know: You can also go straight to
/dashboard/garages/your-garage-id/bookings/settingsin your browser's address bar.
How the page works
Booking Settings uses the same layout as Workshop settings:
- Find a setting at the top filters the page as you type. Try "slots", "VIN", "inspection", or "WhatsApp".
- N to fix appears when something needs attention. Click it to show only those cards.
- Workshop settings at the top takes you to the other settings page.
- Settings are grouped into Online booking, Staff bookings and jobs, Pricing and plans, and Customer messages. On desktop the group name sits in a left column. On phones it is a heading above its cards.
- To change a simple value, click its row. It turns into a field with Done and Cancel.
- Bigger tasks open a side panel. On phones the panel opens as a bottom sheet.
- Changes save with the Save changes bar at the bottom of the page. Click Discard to undo them.
Garage labor rates save straight away and do not wait for the save bar.
| Group | Cards |
|---|---|
| Online booking | Intake and confirmation, Capacity and time slots, Online booking form, Vehicle types |
| Staff bookings and jobs | Bookings your team adds, Inspection and completion |
| Pricing and plans | Job stages, Labor pricing, Service plans |
| Customer messages | WhatsApp templates |
Online Booking
Intake and confirmation
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Same-day bookings | Customers can book for today | Off |
| Confirm automatically | New bookings are confirmed without staff review | Off |
When Same-day bookings is off, the earliest date customers see is tomorrow. This applies to the online widget and booking page. Your team can still create bookings for today from the dashboard.
By default, new customer bookings arrive as Pending and wait for your team. With Confirm automatically on, eligible new bookings go straight to Confirmed. Two extra options appear:
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Only during opening hours | Bookings for a time inside your opening hours are confirmed automatically. Bookings for a time when you are closed wait for staff, whenever the customer sends them. |
| Only customers in your area | Only bookings from customers whose phone number uses your country's dialing code are confirmed automatically. Others wait for staff. |
If you turn on both, a booking must meet both conditions.
Good to know: Automatic confirmation applies to new incoming bookings. If your team creates a booking manually, check its status rather than assuming it was confirmed automatically.
Capacity and time slots
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Daily booking limit | Stops new bookings once the day is full | Off |
| Arrival time slots | Customers pick a time window, not just a date | Off |
Daily booking limit
- Turn on Daily booking limit.
- Set Bookings per day with the − and + buttons (1 to 999).
- Click Save changes.
Once the limit is reached, customer booking channels stop offering that day, and the booking calendar shows the day as full (for example, "5/10"). Base the number on your bays, technicians, and average job length.
Arrival time slots
- Turn on Arrival time slots.
- Choose a Slot length: 30 min, 1 hour, or 2 hours.
- Set Bookings per slot (1 to 20) -- how many cars can arrive in one window.
- Click Save changes.
Once saved:
- the public booking page shows a time-slot choice next to the date
- the embedded widget uses the same availability
- staff creating bookings from the dashboard choose from the same live slots
- full slots are hidden or blocked automatically
Good to know: Slots are created only inside your opening hours, set in Workshop settings. The daily limit still applies, so a day can be full because the whole day is full or because a slot is full.
Online booking form
This card is one grid with Hidden, Optional, and Required columns. Pick one for each field to choose what customers see and must fill in when booking online.
- Always required: name, phone, date, vehicle type, and service.
- You choose: email, notes, registration number, VIN, current mileage, vehicle make, vehicle model, and arrival time slot.
- Arrival time slot needs arrival time slots turned on first.
- MOT bookings always ask for the registration number.
These choices apply to the booking page and the embedded form.
Vehicle types
Tick the vehicle types your garage services. The tiles are in two groups:
- Cars: Car, SUV, Truck, Sports, Hypercar, Other
- Fleet vehicles: Bus, Van, Motorcycle
Only ticked types can be chosen when customers or staff make a booking.
Pick at least one before saving. If you pick only one type, customers skip the vehicle step, because every booking uses that type.
Staff Bookings and Jobs
Bookings your team adds
These rules apply to bookings your team creates in the dashboard.
- Referral credit -- Turn it on to add a credit recipient to staff booking forms, so staff can credit a team member or external assignee.
- Required fields -- Tick the tiles staff must fill in: Referral credit, Number plate, VIN, Mileage, Expected completion date, Arrival time slot, and Job notes.
When a field is required, staff must complete it before a manual booking can be queued or created. This applies to the full manual booking page, the quick booking panel, saved fleet vehicles, and batch queues.
Good to know: A required Arrival time slot only applies when arrival time slots are on. For saved fleet vehicles, the vehicle record must already include the required vehicle details.
Inspection and completion
A grid with Optional and Required for each inspection step:
| Step | When it applies | If Required |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle check-in | On arrival | Staff record the vehicle's condition before work can start |
| Photos before work | Before work starts | Staff add the key photo angles before work can start or be completed |
| Checklist before work | Before work starts | Staff complete the vehicle checklist before work can start or be completed |
| Final quality check | Before completion | The job cannot be completed until the final check is done |
Mark cars as received shows a Received step on each job's progress. It is on by default. Turn it off if your team goes straight to work without marking arrivals; the step then only appears on jobs someone marked received. While it is on, a car nobody marked shows as received from the day work first started; staff can still click that date to mark it and get the check-in receipt. With it off, jobs nobody marked have no Received step and no check-in receipt.
Parts before completion requires at least one part on a job before staff can close it. If none is assigned, autoGMS blocks completion and links staff to the Estimate & Parts tab. Only the garage owner or organization owner can change it; others see it locked.
For the full explanation, see Inspection Workflow.
Pricing and Plans
Job stages
Turn on Project mode to split big jobs into stages, invoice per stage, and track progress. When it is on, the card shows a table of default stages that new project jobs copy.
- Click a stage to edit its name and description, or to remove it. You must keep at least one stage.
- Click Add stage to add another.
- Leave a name blank to let staff name the stage on each job.
Turning on project mode does not convert existing bookings. Each booking is switched to project mode from its own detail page. See Project Mode for the full guide.
Labor pricing
Turn on Garage labor rates to let advisors choose a garage rate or the technician's own rate when pricing estimate labor. When it is on, the card shows a table of rates.
| Rate | When it is used |
|---|---|
| Cylinder rate | First, when the vehicle has that many cylinders |
| Brand rate | When no cylinder rate matches |
- Click Add cylinder rate or Add brand rate. The panel shows a worked example price as you type.
- Click a rate to edit or remove it.
- Each cylinder count and brand can have only one rate.
Labor rates save straight away and do not need the Save changes bar. Manual edits on an estimate line stay on that line.
Service plans
Turn on Service plans if your garage runs recurring service plans for fleet or business customers. The Bookings page then shows the Service Plans tab.
This does not decide which vehicle types customers can book. Use Vehicle types for that.
Customer Messages
WhatsApp templates
The table lists six messages: Booking received, Booking confirmed, Work started, On hold, Ready for collection, and Booking cancelled. Each shows whether it is Default or Customized.
- Click a message. A panel opens with a live preview.
- Edit the text. Tap a tag to add it:
{customer},{vehicle},{schedule},{date},{garage}. Tags fill in from the booking. - Save the template, or click Reset to default to go back to the built-in message.
Staff open these drafts from More actions > WhatsApp on a booking row. They can review or edit the message, open WhatsApp, and press Send there. autoGMS does not send the message automatically.
Saving Your Booking Settings
After you change a setting, the save bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Click Save changes to apply, or Discard to undo. Changes take effect straight away across all booking channels. Labor rates save on their own.
Arabic Language Support
When your dashboard language is Arabic, Booking Settings switches to a right-to-left layout and shows its labels in Arabic.
Tips and Best Practices
-
Start with manual confirmation. If you are new to autoGMS, leave Confirm automatically off until you know the booking flow.
-
Turn on automatic confirmation once you are confident. Use Only during opening hours so bookings for a time when you are closed wait for staff, and Only customers in your area so bookings from other countries wait too.
-
Set a realistic daily limit. A limit that is too high does not protect you, and one that is too low turns away work. Your number of bays times two is a rough starting point.
-
Match vehicle types to your services. If you only price cars and SUVs, do not accept trucks or buses.
-
Use time slots if intake timing matters. If arrivals overwhelm reception, slots spread them through the day.
-
Set up your job stages before using project mode. Default stage names give your team a consistent start.
-
Keep your opening hours accurate. Only during opening hours and arrival time slots both use the hours in Workshop settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Booking Settings and Workshop settings?
Workshop settings covers your garage's details, opening hours, team, fleet, tax, and plan. Booking Settings controls how bookings are created, confirmed, limited, and worked on. Think of Workshop settings as "who you are" and Booking Settings as "how you take bookings."
If I turn on Confirm automatically, can I still manage bookings?
Yes. It only changes the first status from Pending to Confirmed. Use the guided Cancel action when cancelling so any linked deposit or payment is handled.
What happens when the daily booking limit is reached?
Customers can no longer book that day and are asked to pick another date. Your team sees the day as full on the calendar.
What happens when a single time slot is full?
That slot is no longer offered. Customers and staff can still book another slot that day if the daily limit is not reached.
Do manual bookings follow time-slot rules too?
Yes, when arrival time slots are on. Staff choose from the same live slots as customers.
Does the daily booking limit include cancelled bookings?
No. A cancelled booking frees its place.
I ticked a vehicle type but I do not see it in my booking form.
Click Save changes, then refresh or reopen the booking form.
Can I set different booking rules for different days of the week?
Not currently. The rules apply to every day. If capacity varies, set the limit for your busiest day and adjust it before unusually busy or quiet days.
Will changing these settings affect existing bookings?
No. New rules apply to bookings created after you save.
What does "Only customers in your area" mean?
A booking is confirmed automatically only when the customer's phone number uses your garage country's dialing code. Other bookings stay Pending for your team.
What are default job stages?
They are the stages copied into a booking when it switches to project mode, for example "Intake", "Disassembly", "Repair", "Paint", "Reassembly", "QC", "Delivery". Staff can add, remove, or rename stages on each booking.
What are garage labor rates for?
They let advisors choose between garage rates and technician rates when pricing estimate labor. Cylinder rates are used first, then brand rates.
What slot lengths are available?
30 min, 1 hour, or 2 hours.
Quick Reference
| I want to... | Go here | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Allow same-day bookings | Online booking → Intake and confirmation | Turn on Same-day bookings, Save changes |
| Confirm bookings automatically | Intake and confirmation → Confirm automatically | Turn on, choose the extra options if needed |
| Set daily capacity | Capacity and time slots → Daily booking limit | Turn on, set Bookings per day (1-999) |
| Use time slots | Capacity and time slots → Arrival time slots | Turn on, set slot length and bookings per slot |
| Choose online form fields | Online booking form | Pick Hidden, Optional, or Required per field |
| Set vehicle types | Vehicle types | Tick types, Save changes |
| Require details from staff | Staff bookings and jobs → Bookings your team adds | Tick the required fields |
| Require inspection steps | Staff bookings and jobs → Inspection and completion | Set each step to Required |
| Turn on project mode | Pricing and plans → Job stages | Turn on Project mode, add stages |
| Set garage labor rates | Pricing and plans → Labor pricing | Turn on, add cylinder or brand rates |
| Turn on service plans | Pricing and plans → Service plans | Turn on, Save changes |
| Edit a WhatsApp draft | Customer messages → WhatsApp templates | Click a message, edit, save |