Same-Day Reservations

PocketSuite's Same-Day Reservations feature lets you book, staff and bill daycare visits where clients arrive and leave on the same day. Each day a client attends is its own reservation, with its own drop-off, pick-up, team member and payment. It's built for doggy daycare, and it works for any business with daily drop-off and pick-up, like camps and childcare.

In this article:

• How to turn on Same-Day Reservations
• How to create a same-day reservation item
• How pricing works
• How capacity works
• How to book a same-day reservation
• How clients book online
• The Same-day reservations dashboard
• How to check in a walk-in
• Requires Review
• Checking out and payment
• Packages
• Frequently asked questions

Note: Your existing Reservations are now called Overnight reservations so you can tell the two types apart. Your items, bookings and settings haven't changed, and clients see the names you give your items.

How to turn on Same-Day Reservations

To get started, go to Settings > Features > Same-Day Reservations and toggle on.

You don't need Overnight reservations turned on to use Same-Day Reservations.

How to create a same-day reservation item

1. Go to Settings > Same-day reservations.
2. Tap to create a new item. The editor opens with the title "Same-day reservation."
3. Enter a Name and Price.
4. Choose how you charge under Charge by. See How pricing works below.
5. Set the Duration. Choose Flexible if the length changes with each booking, then set a Minimum duration.
6. Set the Capacity, the number of clients you can have at the same time.
7. Set up Check-in and Check-out. Choose Any time, a Flexible check-in or check-out appointment, or a Default time, and set the availability windows.
8. Tap Save.

An item is either Same-day or Overnight, and it can't be converted later. If you need the other type, create a new item.

Note: The Duration list only shows lengths that fit in one day. If the item has no check-in or check-out windows, PocketSuite uses your business hours. For example, business hours of 10am to 6pm allow up to 8 hours. The longest option is 12 hours.

Offering half day and full day

Create two items, for example "Half day" and "Full day," each with its own price, capacity and packages.

How pricing works

Charge by has four options:

• Fixed: a flat rate per day. The price shows as "Per day." This is the default.
• Per 15 min, Per 30 min and Per hour: you charge for the client's actual time in your facility, from check-in to check-out, rounded up to the next block.

For example, a 37 minute visit on Per 15 min bills as 45 minutes. A 20 minute visit on Per hour bills as one full hour. The minimum charge is always one block.

On time-based items, you and your client see an estimated cost when you book, based on the estimated pick-up time. The final charge is confirmed at check-out.

Deposits and check-in payments are set as dollar amounts. A deposit can equal the item price but can't be higher, and a deposit plus a check-in payment can't be higher than the total. On time-based items, the limit is the charge for the minimum duration.

Changing how an item is charged

You can change Charge by after bookings exist. Reservations already booked keep the price they were booked at, and new bookings use the new option. You can't change between Per 15 min, Per 30 min and Per hour while a reservation on that item is checked in.

Important: If clients have packages for the item with credits left, you'll see a "Change pricing?" warning before switching from Fixed to a time-based option. After the change, those credits can't be used on new bookings for that item. Bookings already made with a package keep it.

How capacity works

Capacity counts how many clients are in your facility at the same time, not how many come during the day. With a capacity of 8, you can book 8 clients from 9am to noon and 8 more from noon to 5pm.

Each team member also has a Same-day reservation capacity setting, which caps how many same-day reservations they can be assigned to at once. It starts at 1 and is separate from their overnight reservation capacity.

If you lower an item's capacity, existing bookings stay as they are. The new limit applies to new bookings.

How to book a same-day reservation

1. Start a new booking and choose your same-day item.
2. Pick a date. Dates that are full show as unavailable.
3. Set the check-in and check-out times.
4. On time-based items, set an estimated pick-up time to see the estimated cost.
5. Assign a team member. Solo accounts skip this step.
6. To book more dates, add another session for each date, or set the reservation to repeat.
7. Complete the checkout.

Repeating a same-day reservation: On the availability screen, set the reservation to repeat, the same way you would for an overnight reservation. Choose the repeat option before you pick the start date, since it locks once the start date is set. Each date in the series is its own reservation with the item’s price and check-in and check-out settings.

Each date becomes its own reservation, with its own confirmation and reminders. You can edit the date, times or team member on one reservation without changing the others.

How clients book online

Clients choose a date from a calendar, then pick a drop-off and pick-up time within your windows. On time-based items, they choose an estimated pick-up time and see an estimated cost, with a note that the final charge is based on actual time in your facility. They can add a session for each extra date, and the total updates as they go.

Clients can also book, view and cancel same-day reservations in the client app. Cancelling one date doesn't affect the others.

Clients can’t set a reservation to repeat. If a client comes on a regular schedule, set up the repeat for them from your app.

The Same-day reservations dashboard

Same-day reservations have their own dashboard, titled "Same-day reservations." Use the dashboard switcher at the top to move between it and your other dashboards.

The dashboard shows the same-day reservations for the date you select. The status tiles at the top show counts and filter the list when you tap them. You can check clients in and out from the dashboard or from the booking record.

How to check in a walk-in

1. Open the Same-day reservations dashboard.
2. Tap Quick check-in.
3. Choose the client, their pet and the item. You can add a new client right in the flow.
4. Confirm. PocketSuite creates the reservation for today and checks the client in.

If the client already has a booking for today, quick check-in checks in that booking instead of creating a new one. The check-in time defaults to the current time, rounded up to the next billing block. An eligible package is applied automatically.

Payment and any outstanding check-in requirements are handled at check-out. Walk-ins don't get a booking confirmation, since they're already with you. Their receipt at check-out is their record.

If the date is already at capacity, you'll see a warning and can still check the client in.

Note: Quick check-in is only available to team members with Allow requirement override turned on in their team member settings.

Requires Review

Requires Review means a client is checked in but still has something outstanding, like an empty required field, a document waiting for review or an expired vaccination record.

To resolve it, open the reservation and tap Complete check-in. Work through each outstanding item. Once everything is done, the reservation moves to checked in.

You can't check a client out while their reservation is in Requires Review. Resolve the items, or have an admin override them.

Checking out and payment

Fixed items: any balance that wasn't paid at booking is collected at check-out.

Per 15 min, Per 30 min and Per hour items: when you check the client out, a check-out window shows the check-in time, check-out time and time in facility. You can edit either time before you charge. The charge screen shows the rate, the number of blocks billed and the total after any deposit or check-in payment is deducted.

An unpaid balance blocks check-out. Collect the payment, or convert the balance to an invoice to finish checking out and collect it later.

When a reservation is cancelled, only that date is refunded or credited, based on your cancellation policy. Each reservation shows as its own line on an invoice.

Packages

You can sell packages for same-day items, like a 10-day punch card. Create the package the same way you would for a service and tie it to your same-day item. When a client with an active package books that item, a credit is applied automatically, and each reservation uses one credit. You can see the remaining balance in the booking flow and on the booking record.

Note: Packages work with Fixed items only. Items charged Per 15 min, Per 30 min or Per hour can't be linked to a package.

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can I set a client up for Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week? A: Not automatically yet. Book the dates you need by adding a session for each one in the same checkout.

Q: Can I check everyone in at once? A: Bulk check-in isn't part of this release. Check clients in one at a time, and use quick check-in for walk-ins.

Q: Why does the Duration list stop at 8 hours? A: Duration only shows lengths that fit in one day. Widen your business hours, or give the item check-in and check-out windows that cover the length you need.

Q: Does a daycare visit affect my boarding availability? A: No. Same-day reservations count toward capacity only during the visit, and they never count toward overnight occupancy.

Q: Will my clients see "Overnight reservations"? A: No. The rename only affects what you and your team see. Clients see the names you give your items.

Q: Can I switch a half-day client to the full-day rate if they stay late? A: Not automatically. Adjust the charge at check-out.

If you have questions, reach out to our support team at support@pocketsuite.io.

Related articles

• Overnight reservations
• Check-in Workflow
• Packages
• Multiple sessions