Microsoft bookings

Use this check order in Microsoft Bookings, because the available slots are commonly affected by service duration, buffer time, time zone, staff availability, and whether the service is using business hours or custom hours.

1. Check the service duration and buffer time
   • Go to Bookings > Services > [affected service].
   • Verify the Duration is exactly what is intended for that service.
   • Check whether buffer time is enabled.
   • If buffer time is on, review both Before and After values.
   • Buffer time is included in availability calculations, so a service can appear to ignore the requested window when there is not enough time for both the appointment and its buffer.
2. Check whether the service is using the correct availability model
   • In the service settings, confirm whether the service is using default business hours, custom hours, or bookable when staff are free.
   • If only a very specific window should be available, use the service setting that matches that exact window rather than a broader free/busy model.
   • If the service is tied to staff availability, the visible slots can be reduced or shifted by the assigned staff schedule.
3. Check staff availability
   • Go to Bookings > Staff > [assigned staff member].
   • Confirm the staff member is using the expected hours.
   • If the service depends on staff availability, mismatched staff hours can override the window expected on the booking page.
4. Check the booking page time zone
   • Go to Bookings > Booking page > Region and time zone.
   • Confirm the current time zone is correct.
   • If needed, enable Always show time slots in business time zone.
   • A time zone mismatch can make the booking page show times that look outside the intended window.
5. Check Outlook time zone and working hours
   • In Outlook on the web: Settings > General > Region and time zone.
   • Also verify working hours match the intended schedule.
   • If Outlook and Bookings are not aligned, the booking page can show unexpected times.
6. Test with a simplified service
   • Create or edit one service with:
     • the exact intended duration
     • no buffer time
     • the exact custom availability window
   • Then test the public booking page in a private browser window.
   • If the simplified service works, the issue is likely caused by buffer, duration, staff hours, or time zone settings in the original service.
7. If the service should not be publicly bookable while testing
   • Go to Bookings > Services > [service].
   • Under Publishing options, turn the service Off until the configuration is correct.
   • This hides the service from the booking page without deleting it or affecting existing bookings.

If the problem is that extra times appear after a booking is made, the most likely cause is the service Duration or buffer time. A 45-minute duration or added buffer can create unexpected slots such as :45 times.

If the problem continues after checking all of the above, a support case may be needed because some issues can require backend investigation.

• Configure service availability in Microsoft Bookings
• Set your Microsoft Bookings scheduling policies
• Custom Booking hours not working - Microsoft Q&A
• Difficulty with Bookings - Microsoft Q&A
• Bookings showing wrong times - Microsoft Q&A
• Define your services in Shared Bookings