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 set up
Settings → Services → open the service in question.
- It is listed, with the right Length (the AI searches for a gap as long as the service).
- Performed by is empty (any provider) or names providers who work that day.
"Internal only" keeps a service off your booking page and client portal; it doesn't stop the AI offering it on the phone.
2. Check the AI's booking window
The AI never offers a time sooner or further out than its booking window:
| Where | Setting | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Assistants → AI Voice | Booking lead time (the near edge) | 4 hours |
| Assistants → AI Voice | How far ahead can callers book (the far edge) | 90 days |
| Settings → Services → service → Booking window | Earliest and Latest for that service; Practice default uses the two above | Practice default |
If your AI rejects "today at 4pm" but you'd have taken it, shorten the lead time (or set it to No buffer). Your online booking page has its own rules under Online Booking → Booking Settings (24 hours' notice and 60 days out by default); they don't apply to phone calls. A service's own Booking window applies on the booking page too, inside those rules.
3. Check your business hours
Settings → Locations, the location's business 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: add them under Settings → Locations → Holiday closures so the AI does not book on closed days
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. A 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 → Performed by. If the service is limited 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 and 3–6 above. If the booking page shows it but the AI doesn't, first compare the two booking windows (step 2). If they allow the time and the AI still refuses, 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