Time slot: what it means
DefinitionA time slot is a specific block on the calendar, with a start and an end, that a customer can pick when booking. Unlike an arrival window, a slot reserves a defined stretch of the provider's time, which suits appointments where the provider stays in one place.
How it works in a service business
Slots work well for salons, groomers, consultations and shop visits, where the provider is already on site and the length of the service is known. For jobs at the customer's address, slots get risky because the drive before and after is not part of the slot. The tradeoff is precision against flexibility: exact slots look professional and cut confusion, but they leave small unusable gaps between bookings. A common mistake is offering slots every thirty minutes for a ninety minute service, which creates gaps nobody can fill. Make slot starts line up with the typical service length, and add travel padding if you go to the customer.
Example
A mobile groomer offers ten, twelve and two o'clock slots because each full groom takes about two hours, so the day fills without leaving awkward fifteen minute holes.
Where Apex touches this
In progress
Part of this is built. The rest is not. Status as of 2026-10-07; the badge shows the least-built feature involved.
- BK04Show real availability to visitors(Built, rolling out)
- BK05Exact time slots (not windows)(In progress)
Apex Flow Scheduler is in early access. See how we label status.
Related terms
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