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Schedule Constraints

Schedule constraints limit how many appointments a team member can receive through public scheduling per week.

Overview​

Use constraints to:

  • Prevent team members from being overbooked
  • Balance workload across the week
  • Reserve capacity for non-scheduled work
  • Limit specific appointment types

Constraints are set per team member within a scheduling group. When a constraint limit is reached, that team member is hidden from availability for the rest of the week.

How Constraints Work​

The Week Boundary​

Constraints reset every Monday at midnight (company timezone). The week runs Monday through Sunday.

Counting Logic​

The system counts appointments by:

  1. Activity Category - The type of appointment (e.g., Sales Call, Consultation)
  2. Date Range - Monday through Sunday of the current week
  3. Team Member - Each person has their own constraint limits

Availability Impact​

When a team member reaches their limit:

  • They disappear from availability for that constraint type
  • They remain available for other appointment types (if no constraint or not reached)
  • Their availability returns when the week resets

Setting Up Constraints​

Step 1: Access Constraints​

  1. Open your scheduling group
  2. Find the team member in the list
  3. Click the Constraints icon (limit symbol)

Step 2: Add a Constraint​

  1. Click Add Constraint
  2. Configure the settings:
SettingDescriptionRequired
Activity CategoryType of appointment to limitYes
SubcategoryOptional narrower filterNo
Max Per WeekMaximum appointments allowed (1-99)Yes
  1. Click Save

Step 3: Verify the Constraint​

The constraint appears in the team member's constraint list showing:

  • Category name
  • Subcategory (if set)
  • Weekly limit

Constraint Types​

Activity Category Constraints​

Limit appointments by the category of activity that gets created:

Example Categories:

  • Sales Call
  • Consultation
  • Estimate
  • Follow-up

When a customer books through public scheduling, the created activity has a category. Constraints check against this category.

Subcategory Constraints​

For more granular control, add a subcategory:

Example:

  • Category: Consultation
  • Subcategory: Kitchen Design

This only counts consultations specifically for kitchen design, not all consultations.

When to Use Subcategories

Use subcategories when team members have different capacities for specialized work. For example, a designer might handle 10 general consultations per week but only 3 kitchen-specific ones.

Examples​

Sales Team Limits​

Prevent salespeople from being overbooked:

Team MemberCategoryLimit
AliceConsultation8/week
BobConsultation6/week
CarolConsultation10/week

Specialty Limits​

Reserve capacity for specialized work:

Team MemberCategorySubcategoryLimit
DaveEstimateCustom Build2/week
DaveEstimateStandard8/week

Dave can do up to 2 custom build estimates and 8 standard estimates per week.

Balanced Workload​

Ensure even distribution:

Team MemberCategoryLimit
All Sales RepsSales Call5/week
All Sales RepsConsultation3/week

Managing Constraints​

Editing a Constraint​

  1. Click the Edit icon on the constraint
  2. Update the Max Per Week value
  3. Click Save
Category Changes

You cannot change the category or subcategory of an existing constraint. Delete and recreate to change these settings.

Deleting a Constraint​

  1. Click the Delete (trash) icon
  2. Confirm deletion

The constraint is removed immediately and the team member's full availability is restored (assuming they have no other constraints at their limit).

Viewing Current Counts​

The constraint display shows:

  • The weekly limit
  • Current count (how many appointments this week)

Example: "3 of 5 consultations this week"

How Constraints Affect Availability​

Single Constraint​

If a team member has one constraint and reaches it:

  • They become unavailable for that appointment type
  • They remain available for other types (unless those also have constraints at limit)

Multiple Constraints​

If a team member has multiple constraints:

  • Each is checked independently
  • They become unavailable only for constraint types at limit
  • Other appointment types remain available

No Constraints​

If a team member has no constraints:

  • They remain available based solely on their availability schedule
  • No weekly limits are applied

Best Practices​

Start Conservative​

Begin with lower limits and increase as you understand capacity:

  • Too low - Easy to increase if team has availability
  • Too high - Leads to burnout and quality issues

Account for No-Shows​

Factor in that some appointments won't happen:

  • If you want 8 actual consultations, set limit to 10
  • Typical no-show rate is 10-20%

Consider Prep Time​

High-preparation appointments may need lower limits:

  • Custom estimates might need more prep than standard ones
  • Adjust limits based on total time investment, not just meeting time

Seasonal Adjustments​

Update constraints during busy seasons:

  • Increase during peak demand
  • Decrease during slow periods or holidays

Troubleshooting​

Team Member Not Showing Despite Capacity​

Problem: A team member should have availability but isn't shown to customers.

Check:

  1. View their current constraint counts
  2. Check if they've reached any limit
  3. Remember constraints reset on Monday

Constraint Not Counting Correctly​

Problem: The count seems wrong.

Check:

  1. Verify the activity category matches the constraint
  2. Check appointment dates are within the current week
  3. Ensure appointments weren't cancelled (cancelled don't count)

Limits Resetting Unexpectedly​

Problem: Constraints reset mid-week.

Check:

  1. Confirm company timezone is set correctly
  2. Week runs Monday-Sunday in company timezone
  3. Contact support if issue persists