Staff calendar on a phone: slots, breaks and hours

A service worker doesn't sit at a computer. They're in the workshop, the studio or at a client's. If a booking can only be changed from the reception computer, the change stays in someone's memory or on paper until the next break, and in the meantime someone books that same time online.

Short answer: in a phone calendar a staff member must see their day, add a break, extend a time, change working hours and reach the needed date in a couple of taps. All changes must immediately reach the times offered online too.

Made for the phone, not just squeezed down

The NUNDINAE admin works its own way on a phone:

• At the bottom is a quick bar: Today, Calendar, POS, Customers and Menu.
• At the top are the logo and a menu whose button shows the number of new notifications.
• The menu opens across the screen: large buttons, notifications and all pages in groups.
• Tables are shown as cards, with each row's fields one under the other and buttons below the card.

Everyone sees only what they have permission for. Dark mode follows the device setting.

The timeline under your finger

Selecting a time. Hold your finger still on an empty cell for half a second, the phone vibrates, then drag to the time you want. The page doesn't move along. A quick swipe scrolls as usual, and a short tap selects 30 minutes.

From the selected time you can:

• book for a client. The staff member and time are pre-filled and the confirmation goes to the client straight away.
• add a break. Optionally with a reason such as "lunch". The reason is visible on the timeline.
• block the time. For a meeting, training or other work.

Extending. Is the work taking longer? Grab the bottom edge of the booking and drag down, in steps of 15 minutes. Dragging up shortens it and the time frees up online straight away. The client, price and invoice stay the same, and no email is sent to the client.

If the new end reaches the next client, the system asks for confirmation. The start can't be changed this way; an earlier start means moving the booking, and the client then gets an email.

A date six weeks away

For recurring services, clients often ask: "The same time in six weeks?" Stepping day by day on a phone is slow. The date picker has a month grid, the number of bookings per day and quick buttons for +1, +4, +6 and +8 weeks. The date is shown right under the button. The same buttons are in the book-for-a-client form.

Working hours for a single day

A doctor's appointment or a parents' meeting doesn't have to change the whole weekly schedule. In the calendar you tap a staff member's name and can:

• change that day's hours or mark a day off,
• add a break so the day is split into parts,
• write a reason and return to the regular schedule if needed.

Times offered online immediately follow the new working hours. If a booking falls outside them, you see a warning with the time and client. The system doesn't automatically write to the client: move the appointment or contact them yourself.

With the right permission, a staff member can change their own working hours, but only in their own calendar.

What else a staff member has in their pocket

• Today view. The day's clients by time, who's now and who's next, and the client card warning under the name.
• Completed and invoice. Marks a visit as completed, adds materials used and products bought to take home, and sends the invoice.
• POS. Sells on the spot and takes goods out of stock.
• Stock check. On a tablet, or on an Android phone with Chrome, the camera can read a barcode. You can also search by name.
• Notifications. The main email address and the staff member get an email about a new appointment, a move, a cancellation and a "no-show". The email says who did it.
• Evening email. Optionally, the next day's clients every evening, and the next week's work on Sunday.

Who can do what

By default, a staff member sees only their own clients and calendar. A past day is locked, so the work reaches the invoice and the commission calculation on the same day. If necessary, a manager corrects it. I described permissions and the audit log in self-hosted or cloud software.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to install an app?

No. The admin works in the phone's browser at its ordinary address. No separate app from a store is needed.

Does it also work on a tablet?

Yes. A tablet works well for the POS or reception. A POS tablet can be set to a longer session if needed.

What happens if the network drops?

The calendar needs a network connection. If "Complete sale" at the POS was interrupted and you try again, the sale is still saved only once.

Can a client change their own appointment?

Currently they can cancel online, but not move it. To do that, they cancel and book a new one, or call.

Try the calendar with your own services

Order NUNDINAE or ask for a demo. I'll show you the calendar on a phone and you can try for yourself whether it suits your working day. For a general list, see booking system: what it must do.