When a caller says "I want to book a cleaning Tuesday at 3" and your AI says "I'm sorry, we don't have any availability then" — but you swear you have openings — work this list.
1. Confirm the service is bookable
Settings → Services → click the service in question.
- ✅ Active toggle is on
- ✅ Online bookable toggle is on (the AI uses the same gate as your booking page)
- ✅ At least one provider in the Available with list (or "Any provider")
If any of these is off, fix it and the AI will start offering the service on the next call.
2. Check the booking rules
Settings → Online Booking → Booking Rules:
| Rule | Common gotcha |
|---|---|
| Minimum lead time | Defaults to 24 hours — same-day requests get rejected |
| Maximum advance | Defaults to 60 days — "next March" gets rejected |
| Cancellation window | Doesn't block new bookings; only edits/cancels |
If your AI rejects "today at 4pm" but you'd have taken it, drop minimum lead time to 1 hour (or 0).
3. Check your business hours
Settings → Hours. The AI only books inside the windows you define. Don't forget:
- Lunch break — many practices have a 12–1pm gap; that hour is unavailable
- Day of week — closed Saturdays? Then Saturday requests get rejected
- Holidays — set them in Settings → Hours → Holidays to override regular hours
4. Check the timezone
Settings → Locations → edit your location. Timezone must match where the practice physically operates. If it's wrong by even one zone, the AI compares requests against the wrong clock — common symptom is bookings working for half the day and failing for the other half.
5. Check Google Calendar for hidden conflicts
If you've connected Google Calendar for a provider, everything on their calendar blocks bookings — lunch, focus blocks, all-day events, personal appointments. Open the provider's Google Calendar and look at the requested time for any event.
Fixes:
- Mark non-blocking events as Free (Google Calendar event detail → Show me as: Free)
- Or disconnect the calendar and rely on FrontDesk's internal calendar only
6. Check provider assignment
Settings → Services → service → Available with. If the service is restricted to specific providers and those providers are out, on time-off, or fully booked, the slot won't show.
7. Run a fresh test booking
Open your booking page (book.frontdesk.care/your-slug) in an incognito window and try to book the same slot. If the booking page shows no availability either, the fix is one of steps 1–6 above. If the booking page shows availability but the AI doesn't, contact support with the call ID — that's a real bug we'd want to fix.
What's next
- Set up online booking (and test on yourself)
- Manage appointment types
- Connect Google Calendar