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Advanced Appointment Features - Linked Bookings and Multi-Service

15-20 minutes

Tutorial 12.2: Advanced Appointment Features - Linked Bookings and Multi-Service

Introduction

Some salon treatments require multiple services or multiple time blocks. A colour appointment might need an initial application, processing time, and then a blow dry. A bridal party might book several services back-to-back. Luminate handles these complex bookings through linked appointments - multiple appointments connected together that maintain timing relationships.

This guide covers creating multi-service bookings, understanding how linked appointments work, and managing complex colour treatments that need processing time between services.

Who this is for: Salon owners, managers, and staff who book complex treatments involving multiple services.

What you'll learn:

  • Creating multi-service bookings
  • Understanding linked appointments and booking groups
  • Managing processing time between services
  • Updating status for linked appointments
  • Moving and rescheduling linked bookings

Time to complete: 15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Staff members set up in your salon
  • Services created with appropriate durations
  • Some services configured with processing time (for colour treatments)
  • The Appointments page accessible

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Understanding Multi-Service Bookings

In Luminate, each appointment handles one service. When a customer wants multiple services, the system creates linked appointments - separate appointments connected by a booking group ID.

For example, if a customer books "Root Touch-up + Full Colour + Blow Dry":

  • Three separate appointments are created
  • They share the same booking group ID
  • They're sequenced (1, 2, 3) to maintain order
  • Linked appointment indicators appear on the calendar

Why this approach?

  • Each service can be assigned to different staff if needed
  • Processing time (e.g., colour development) can be scheduled between services
  • Individual services can be billed separately if required
  • Flexibility to complete services at different times if circumstances change

Step 2: Create a Multi-Service Booking

To book multiple services for one customer:

  1. Go to Appointments from the sidebar

  2. Click New Appointment

  3. Search for and select a Customer

  4. Select the Staff Member who will perform the services

  5. Look for the Add Another Service option below the service selector

  6. For each service:

    • Select the service from the dropdown
    • The duration automatically populates
    • Processing time (if configured on the service) is factored in

  7. Set the Date and Start Time for the first service

  8. The system calculates subsequent appointment times based on:

    • Service durations
    • Processing time between services

  9. Review the Booking Timeline showing all services with their times

  10. Click Save to create all linked appointments

Example timeline for a colour appointment:

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Root Touch-up (60 min)
    35 min processing time (until 10:35 AM)
10:35 AM - 12:35 PM: Full Colour (120 min)
    35 min processing time (until 1:10 PM)
1:10 PM - 1:40 PM: Blow Dry (30 min)

Step 3: Identify Linked Appointments on the Calendar

Linked appointments display visual indicators on the calendar:

  • A link icon appears on appointment cards that are part of a group
  • Hovering over the link icon shows "Linked appointment (X in group)"
  • The appointments appear sequentially on the calendar for the assigned staff

In the Today or Week view:

  • Look for the small link icon on appointment cards
  • Cards from the same booking group share the same customer name

Step 4: View Linked Appointment Details

To see all appointments in a booking group:

  1. Click on any linked appointment card on the calendar
  2. The appointment detail page opens
  3. A Linked Services section shows all other appointments in the booking group
  4. You can click on any linked service to navigate to that appointment

The linked services section displays each service name with its start time, making it easy to see the full booking at a glance.

Step 5: Update Status for Linked Appointments

When changing the status of a linked appointment (e.g., marking as arrived, completed, or cancelled), you'll be asked whether to apply the change to all appointments in the group.

  1. Click on a linked appointment to open it
  2. Use the status buttons to change the status (e.g., click Arrived)
  3. A dialog appears titled Linked Appointments explaining this appointment is part of a group
  4. The dialog asks: "Would you like to change the status to [Status] for:"
  5. Choose:
    • All X Appointments - Updates all linked appointments in the group
    • This Appointment Only - Updates only this specific appointment

Best practice: For arrivals and completions, update all linked appointments together to maintain consistency.

Step 6: Move a Linked Appointment

When you drag a linked appointment to reschedule it, the system validates that the move doesn't break processing time constraints:

  1. Click and hold on a linked appointment card
  2. Drag it to a new time slot
  3. If the move would violate processing time requirements (e.g., moving the second service too close to the first), a warning dialog appears titled Linked Appointment Constraint
  4. The dialog shows all appointments in the linked group with their times and processing requirements
  5. You can:
    • Cancel Move - Abort the move and keep the original time
    • Move Anyway - Proceed with the move despite the constraint warning

Moving all linked appointments: To reschedule the entire booking group, you need to move each appointment individually. The system warns if you're creating conflicts.

Step 7: Cancel a Linked Appointment

To cancel a linked booking:

  1. Open the appointment (click on it in the calendar)
  2. Click the Cancel button
  3. A confirmation dialog appears first to confirm the cancellation
  4. If confirmed and the appointment is linked, a second dialog appears asking about the linked group
  5. Choose:
    • All X Appointments - Cancels all linked appointments in the group
    • This Appointment Only - Cancels only this specific appointment

Important: Cancelling just one service from a group may leave orphaned appointments. Consider whether the remaining services still make sense without the cancelled one.

Step 8: Cut and Paste Linked Appointments

You can use the clipboard to move appointments:

  1. Hover over an appointment card to reveal the action buttons
  2. Click the Cut (scissors) icon in the top-right of the card
  3. For linked appointments, a dialog appears titled Linked Appointment asking:
    • "Would you like to cut all linked appointments or just this one?"
  4. Choose:
    • Cut All X Appointments - Cuts all linked appointments in the group
    • Cut Only This One - Cuts just this single appointment
  5. The cut appointment(s) appear in the Clipboard panel (in the left panel tabs, alongside Waitlist)
  6. Navigate to the new date/time
  7. Drag from the clipboard or click on an empty time slot to paste

Tip: The Clipboard panel is accessed via the tabs on the left side of the calendar view. Switch between "Waitlist" and "Clipboard" tabs to see cut appointments.

Common Pitfalls

"The processing time isn't being added"

Processing time is configured per service. Go to Services > Edit the service and check the Processing Time field. This is the gap added after this service before the next one begins.

"I can't move the appointment where I want"

If a linked appointment has processing time constraints, you can't move it into a time slot that would conflict with adjacent linked appointments. Either move the adjacent appointments first, or confirm you want to override the constraint.

"Only one appointment was cancelled"

If you selected "No" when asked about cancelling all linked appointments, only that specific appointment was cancelled. The others remain active. To cancel all, you need to cancel each remaining one individually or delete and rebook.

"The linked icon isn't showing"

The link icon only appears for appointments that are part of a multi-appointment booking group. Single-service appointments don't display this icon, even if the customer has multiple separate appointments.

Tips and Best Practices

  1. Configure processing times on services - Set up colour services with their required development times so the system automatically spaces appointments correctly
  2. Use multi-service booking for same-day services - This keeps all appointments connected and easier to manage
  3. Update status for all linked appointments - When a customer arrives or completes, update all linked appointments for consistency
  4. Review the timeline before saving - The Booking Timeline shows exactly when each service will occur - verify it makes sense
  5. Book processing time realistically - Consider that customers might take breaks, so allow slightly more time than the minimum

Related Tutorials

  • Tutorial 2.2: Booking and Managing Appointments - Basic appointment creation
  • Tutorial 7.1: Creating and Managing Your Service Menu - Setting up services with processing times
  • Tutorial 12.3: Customising Your Calendar - Calendar views and filters
  • Tutorial 5.4: Time Blocks and Availability Management - Blocking time for other purposes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can linked appointments have different staff members?

Yes. When creating a multi-service booking, you can assign different staff to different services. This is useful when specialists handle certain treatments.

What if the customer only wants some of the services?

You can cancel individual appointments from a linked group. However, consider whether the remaining services still make sense (e.g., a blow dry without the preceding colour might be unnecessary).

Can I add another service to an existing linked group?

Not directly. You would need to create a new standalone appointment and manually coordinate the timing. The original booking group remains as it was created.

How does billing work for linked appointments?

Each appointment in a linked group can be billed separately or together. When you create a transaction, you can select which appointments to include. The system tracks billing status (unbilled, billed, partial) for each appointment individually.

Can I see all linked appointments in reports?

Reports show appointments individually. The booking group ID isn't displayed in standard reports, but you can see the same customer with multiple sequential appointments.

Is there a limit to how many services can be linked?

There's no hard limit, but practical considerations apply. Very long booking groups (5+ services) can become unwieldy. Consider whether services truly need to be linked or can be separate bookings.

Last Updated: January 2026