> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://zovi.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Booking settings
> Choose how clients book with you: native in-app booking, an external link, WhatsApp, or a phone call. Fine-tune your slots, notice periods, and confirmations.
**Booking** settings control how clients request appointments and, if you take
bookings natively, exactly how your availability works. Open **Settings** from
the account menu in the top-right, then select the **Booking** tab and choose
**Save settings** when you're done.
## Booking Mode
**Booking Mode** decides what happens when a client taps **Book** in your app.
Choose one of four modes:
| Mode | What clients get |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Native** | Clients pick a treatment, staff member, and time slot and book directly in your app. Zovi manages your calendar. |
| **External URL** | Clients are sent to a booking link you already use (for example, another scheduling tool). |
| **WhatsApp** | Clients are handed off to WhatsApp to arrange their appointment with you by message. |
| **Call to book** | Clients are prompted to phone your clinic to book. |
Three of the modes need a detail from you:
* **External URL**: enter the **Booking URL** clients should be sent to. It's
required for this mode.
* **WhatsApp**: enter your **WhatsApp** number, including the country code.
* **Call to book**: enter the **Phone number** clients should ring.
The extra settings below only apply when **Booking Mode** is set to **Native**.
In the other three modes, scheduling happens outside Zovi, so the slot and
approval options don't appear.
### Booking Mode and the AI Advisor
**Booking Mode** also decides how the in-app **AI Advisor** books for a client who
asks in a chat.
* On **Native**, the advisor completes the booking inside the conversation.
* On the other modes, it hands the client off to the route your clinic already
uses: your booking page, WhatsApp, or your phone number.
The advisor always resolves the most specific booking link available: the
package's link first, then the treatment's, then your clinic default.
Change your **Booking Mode** and the advisor follows automatically. There's no
separate setting to keep in step. See the
[AI Advisor](/advisor/overview) for what else it can do.
## Slot configuration (Native)
When you choose **Native**, a **Slot Configuration** section appears. These
settings shape which times clients can pick.
| Setting | What it controls |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Slot interval** | How far apart bookable start times are (for example, every 15 or 30 minutes). |
| **Buffer** | Padding added around each appointment so back-to-back bookings leave you time to reset. |
| **Minimum notice** | How far in advance a client must book, in hours. Stops last-minute bookings you can't prepare for. |
| **Advance limit** | How far into the future a client can book, in days. |
| **Cancellation window** | How close to the appointment a cancellation counts as late. Cancellations inside this window are **flagged as late** so you can see them. |
The **Cancellation window** doesn't block the cancellation itself. Clients can
still cancel inside it, and those cancellations are flagged as late so you can
spot a pattern and follow up. Use **Minimum notice** if you want to stop
no-notice bookings.
The **Cancellation window** isn't only an internal flag. The same number is
written into the cancellation terms your clients read, which tell them they can
cancel or reschedule free of charge up to that many hours before their
appointment, and that cancellations after the window may not be refundable. So
changing it changes your published cancellation policy.
## Confirmation & approvals (Native)
The **Confirmation & Approvals** section decides whether new bookings are live
straight away or wait for your say-so.
* **Auto-confirm**: bookings are confirmed automatically the moment a client
books. Best for high-volume clinics that want a frictionless flow.
* **Manual confirm**: new bookings arrive as `Pending` and a team member must
**Confirm** each one. Best when you want to vet every appointment first.
You'll approve pending bookings from the [appointments calendar](/appointments/calendar),
where each booking's status moves from `Pending` to `Confirmed`.
### Staff time-off approval
The same section has a **Staff time-off approval** switch. Turn it on to require
that time-off requests from your team are **approved** before they block the
calendar. With it off, requests apply automatically. You manage and approve those
requests on each person's **Time off** tab under [Teams](/settings/staff).
## Related
See, confirm, reschedule, and complete bookings.
Set working hours and handle staff time off.