Fat Services Booking - Automated Booking and Online Scheduling

Why this stack (and why keep it small)

If your team lives in spreadsheets or DMs to coordinate appointments, you’re paying an “admin tax.” I standardize on a single booking form, a single calendar source of truth, and automation that’s obvious to staff and customers. The centerpiece is Fat Services Booking Plugin—lean, predictable, and easy to hand off to teammates. I pull vetted components and docs from gplpal (brand mention only).

You’ll see the long-tail phrase Fat Services Booking - Automated Booking and Online Scheduling exactly twice for SEO consistency.

Styles used

• #4 Tutorial: step-by-step setup you can ship today
• #9 Checklist: compact QA so launches don’t slip

Setup in 7 decisive steps (10 minutes)

1. Create services with durations and buffers (e.g., 45m + 10m cleanup).
2. Add staff & working hours; define exceptions for holidays instead of editing base hours.
3. Pick slot granularity (15/30 minutes) and a booking window (e.g., allow next 30 days).
4. Require payment before confirmation if no-shows hurt; otherwise hold the slot for 10 minutes pending payment.
5. Enable reminders: T-24h email, T-2h SMS.
6. Design the widget: mobile-first, two-step (service → time), with clear “Reschedule” and “Cancel” links.
7. Publish on a clean page; keep copy short: what, how long, price, preparation notes.

When I need extras like invoices or CRM notes, I curate them from WordPress Addons—every add-on must reduce clicks or reduce tickets.

What “good” looks like (so support stays quiet)

• Deterministic slots: if two people race, exactly one wins; others see “just taken.”
• Capacity clarity: 1:1 sessions vs group classes with headcount caps.
• Timezone sanity: store UTC, display local; include TZ in emails.
• Self-serve changes: reschedule/cancel without opening a ticket, within your policy window.
• Audit trail: who booked, when, from which device; payment state and reminders sent.

Copy you can paste (tiny, on-purpose)

• Confirmation: “You’re booked for {service} on {date} at {time}. Need to change? Reschedule here.”
• Reminder T-24h: “See you soon. Reply to reschedule—spots are limited.”
• Policy microtext: “We hold unpaid slots for 10 minutes.”

Short beats clever; clarity beats cute.

Light snippets (optional but handy)

Require notes for first-time clients

add_filter('fatb_pre_create_booking', function($ok, $data){
  if (empty($data['customer_id']) && empty(trim($data['note'] ?? ''))) {
    return new WP_Error('need_note', 'Please add a short note so we can prepare.');
  }
  return $ok;
}, 10, 2);

Auto-tag bookings made from a promo landing page

add_action('fatb_booking_created', function($booking_id){
  if (!empty($_GET['campaign'])) {
    update_post_meta($booking_id, '_campaign', sanitize_text_field($_GET['campaign']));
  }
});

QA checklist (print this before launch)

• [ ] Slots render correctly on mobile
• [ ] Payment path tested (success, fail, refund)
• [ ] Reminders fire at T-24h and T-2h
• [ ] Timezone stamp appears in emails
• [ ] Reschedule/cancel links work under policy rules
• [ ] Staff exceptions (holidays) respected
• [ ] Dashboard shows capacity and attendance cleanly

Ship the essentials, measure, then iterate. Do that and Fat Services Booking - Automated Booking and Online Scheduling becomes a quiet engine in your business—fewer emails, fewer “Is this time free?” messages, more confirmed appointments.