Bookings
Recurring Bookings (Series)
Set up repeating appointments at a fixed interval, weekly to every 12 weeks or custom, so regular clients are automatically booked on their preferred schedule.
Last updated 30 July 2026
Set up repeating appointments so regular clients are automatically booked at their preferred interval, every 4 weeks, every 6 weeks, or any custom schedule.
TL;DR
- Create recurring series by toggling 'Recurring appointment' in the booking form and choosing an interval
- AI-suggested intervals require PRO; recurring series themselves are available on all plans
- One standalone staff-led primary service and its selected add-ons repeat in the same visible Runbook order
- Service combos, multiple standalone primary services and resource-only bookings cannot recur on web or mobile
Overview
Recurring bookings let you:
- Create a series of appointments at a fixed interval (1 to 52 weeks)
- Choose how the series ends, after a set number of appointments or by a specific date
- See all upcoming series occurrences at a glance and cancel individual appointments or the entire remaining series
- Get AI-suggested intervals based on the customer's visit history
- Receive a one-tap rebook prompt after completing each series appointment
Note
Recurring bookings are available on all plans. The AI-suggested interval feature requires a PRO subscription.
Creating a Recurring Series
On Web
- Open the booking form (press N, use Cmd+K, or click an empty calendar slot)
- Select one standalone staff-led primary service and any linked add-ons, then choose the staff member, date, time, and client and arrange the Runbook
- Toggle "Recurring appointment" on (the toggle is in the booking form with a repeat icon)
- Choose an interval under Repeats:
| Preset | Interval |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Every 1 week |
| Fortnightly | Every 2 weeks |
| Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Every 4 weeks | Every 4 weeks |
| Every 6 weeks | Every 6 weeks |
| Every 8 weeks | Every 8 weeks |
| Every 12 weeks | Every 12 weeks |
| Custom | Enter any number from 1 to 52 weeks |
- Choose an end condition under Ends:
| End Condition | How It Works |
|---|---|
| After N appointments | Set the total number of appointments (2 to 52). Use the stepper or type a number. |
| By date | Pick an end date. Appointments are created up to that date. |
- A preview line confirms: "Creates [N] appointments, next on [date]"
- Click Create Series
A confirmation email and/or SMS is sent for the first appointment in the series.
On Mobile
- Open a new booking (tap the + button or tap an empty calendar slot)
- Select one standalone staff-led primary service and any linked add-ons, then choose the staff member, date, time, and client and use Earlier and Later to arrange the Runbook
- Toggle "Recurring appointment" on
- Tap an interval button: 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks, or Custom
- For a custom interval, enter the number of weeks (1 to 52) in the text field
- Choose an end condition:
- Tap "After [N] appts" and use the + / − stepper to set the count
- Tap "By date" and select an end date from the date picker
- Tap Create Series
A toast confirms: "Recurring series created ([N] appointments)".
Tip
If the customer has visited before for the same service, OpenChair suggests an interval based on their visit history (PRO only). The hint "Suggested based on visit history" appears below the interval buttons. You can accept the suggestion or choose a different interval.
Multi-Service Bookings
Recurring series can contain one standalone staff-led primary service plus its selected add-ons. That produces a multi-line Runbook when add-ons are selected, and every occurrence preserves the complete visible order.
The main service remains the primary service for party pricing, resource and proficiency rules, even when an add-on appears earlier in the Runbook.
Note
Service combos and multiple standalone primary services cannot recur on web or mobile. Resource-only bookings are also blocked on both platforms. Mobile additionally blocks age-restricted recurring bookings.
AI-Suggested Interval (PRO)
When creating a recurring series for an existing customer, OpenChair analyses their completed booking history and suggests an interval.
The suggestion is based on the median gap between the customer's last 10 completed appointments for the same service. If the customer has at least 2 prior visits, a suggestion appears:
On web: A button shows "History suggests [interval]" (e.g., "History suggests fortnightly"). If there are 5 or more data points, a badge shows the sample size (e.g., "8 visits").
On mobile: The hint "Suggested based on visit history" appears below the interval buttons, and the suggested interval is pre-selected.
The suggestion auto-populates the interval but does not lock it, you can change it at any time.
Series Conflict Detection
When a series is created, OpenChair checks each occurrence for staff availability conflicts (overlapping bookings, roster gaps). Conflicted appointments are flagged but still created.
After creation, if conflicts are detected:
- A warning message appears: "[N] appointment(s) in this series have a staff availability conflict and have been flagged. Review them in the calendar and reassign if needed."
- Each conflicted appointment shows a red "Conflict" badge in the series detail view
Conflicts do not block series creation, they are informational so you can review and adjust as needed.
Viewing a Series
Series Badge
Bookings that belong to a series show a series badge on the booking detail panel:
On web: "Part of series" or "Part of series · Appointment [N]" (e.g., "Part of series · Appointment 2"). Click the badge to open the full series detail.
On mobile: The badge shows the interval and ordinal (e.g., "Fortnightly · #2" or "Every 6w · #3"). Tap the badge to view the series detail screen.
Series Detail View
The series detail view shows all appointments in the series with their status.
Header: Service name, interval (e.g., "fortnightly"), and staff name.
Appointment list: Each appointment shows:
- Date and time (e.g., "Wed 12 Mar 2026", "10:00 AM - 11:00 AM")
- Status icon, green checkmark (completed), blue circle (upcoming), grey cross (cancelled/no-show)
- "Conflict" badge if flagged
Empty state: When all appointments are done: "All appointments completed."
Cancelled series: If the series has been cancelled, a "Cancelled" badge appears in the header.
Cancelling Series Appointments
Cancel a Single Appointment
- Open the series detail view (click/tap the series badge on any appointment)
- Click Cancel next to the appointment you want to remove
- Confirm: "Cancel the appointment on [date]? The rest of the series will continue."
- Click Cancel appointment
The individual appointment is cancelled. Deposit handling follows your venue's cancellation policy. The rest of the series continues as scheduled.
Cancel All Remaining Appointments
- Open the series detail view
- Click Cancel all remaining ([N]) at the bottom
- Confirm: "This will cancel [N] upcoming appointment(s). Completed appointments will not be affected."
- If deposits are held, the dialog warns about the total at risk
- Click Cancel all remaining
All future appointments in the series are cancelled. The series status changes to Cancelled. Completed appointments remain on record.
Warning
Cancelling all remaining appointments processes deposit refunds or forfeitures according to your venue's cancellation policy for each individual booking. This cannot be undone.
Rebook Prompt After Completion
When you complete an appointment that belongs to a series (or where the customer has a suggested interval), a rebook prompt appears automatically.
On web: A banner shows:
- "Rebook [customer name]?"
- "[Service] · [Staff] · in [N] weeks ([date])": showing the suggested next appointment
- "Rebook →" button to create the next appointment in one tap
- "Dismiss" to close the prompt
On mobile: The same prompt appears:
- "Rebook [customer name]?"
- "[Service] · [Staff] · in [N]w ([date])"
- "Rebook →" to create the next appointment
- "Change details" to open the booking form with pre-filled details
When you tap Rebook →, OpenChair checks for staff conflicts at the proposed time. If the slot is clear, the next appointment is created immediately. If there is a conflict, an error appears: "Staff member has a conflicting appointment at the proposed time. Please choose a different time.": use "Change details" to pick an alternative.
Upcoming Series Appointment Value (PRO)
On the Intelligence page and in Reports, "Upcoming Series Appointment Value" shows the stored value of pending and confirmed recurring-series appointments over the next 90 venue-calendar days. It also shows appointment and series counts, the confirmed/pending mix, and weekly totals.
This is a current snapshot of scheduled appointment value. It is not guaranteed revenue or payment received, and it does not account for deposits, discounts, refunds, tips, tax treatment, or profit.
On FREE plans, this card shows a lock icon and "Unlock with PRO".
Platform Differences
| Feature | Web | iPad | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create series | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Eligible Runbook | One standalone staff-led primary service plus add-ons | Same | Same |
| Combo recurrence | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| Age-restricted recurrence | Yes | Not available | Not available |
| Interval presets | Dropdown (7 + Custom) | Buttons (7 + Custom) | Buttons (7 + Custom) |
| AI-suggested interval | Yes (PRO) | Yes (PRO) | Yes (PRO) |
| Series badge | "Part of series" text | Badge with interval | Badge with interval |
| Series detail view | Sheet | Full screen | Full screen |
| Cancel individual | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cancel all remaining | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rebook prompt | Banner | Banner | Banner with "Change details" |
| Series value report | Intelligence + Reports | Intelligence + Reports | Intelligence + Reports |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| No AI interval suggestion appears | The AI suggestion requires a PRO subscription and at least 2 prior completed bookings for the same customer and service. |
| Conflict badges on series appointments | Conflicts are informational, the appointments are still created. Review each flagged appointment on the calendar and reassign to a different staff member or time if needed. |
| Series services appear in the wrong order | Return to the booking form and arrange the Runbook before creating the series. Every occurrence keeps that visible order. |
| Recurrence is missing after selecting services | Keep one standalone staff-led primary service and its add-ons. Remove any combo or additional standalone primary service. |
| "Set an end date" button won't activate | You selected "By date" as the end condition but haven't picked a date yet. Tap the date picker and select an end date. |
| Rebook says "conflicting appointment" | The staff member already has a booking at the proposed rebook time. Tap "Change details" to pick a different time or staff member. |
| Series shows as "Cancelled" but I only cancelled one appointment | Check whether someone clicked "Cancel all remaining" instead of cancelling a single appointment. Individual cancellations leave the series active. |
FAQ
How do I create a recurring appointment?
Toggle "Recurring appointment" on in the booking form after selecting a service, staff member, date, time, and client. Choose an interval (Weekly to Every 12 weeks, or a custom number of weeks from 1 to 52), set an end condition, and click Create Series.
Can I cancel one appointment in a recurring series?
Yes. Tap the series badge on any appointment to open the series detail view. Click Cancel next to the individual appointment and confirm. The rest of the series continues as scheduled.
What is the AI-suggested interval?
For existing customers, OpenChair analyses their completed booking history and suggests an interval based on the median gap between their last 10 appointments for the same service. A PRO subscription and at least 2 prior visits are required. The suggestion is pre-populated but not locked, you can change it.
Can I use multiple services in a recurring series?
A recurring series can include one standalone staff-led primary service plus its selected add-ons. Arrange those items in the Runbook before creating the series and every occurrence repeats the complete order. Service combos and multiple standalone primary services cannot recur on web or mobile.