If you run a small business, you know the pain of juggling appointments—especially when the same clients want the same slot every week (or month). Forgetting to book them manually? That’s how you end up with double bookings, missed revenue, and a lot of apologizing. If you’re using Setmore, you can automate a lot of this with recurring appointments. This guide will walk you through how to set them up, what works well (and what doesn’t), and how to keep your sanity.
Why Recurring Appointments Matter (and What to Watch Out For)
Recurring appointments are a lifesaver for things like weekly coaching sessions, ongoing services (think: therapy, tutoring, cleaning), or any situation where a client needs the same slot on a regular basis. The idea is simple: set it once, and the system does the rest.
But here’s the thing: recurring bookings are only as good as the system managing them. Double-check the fine print in your scheduling tool. Some systems make this easy; others bury it behind paywalls or weird workarounds.
Setmore does a decent job here, but it’s not perfect. Here’s what you need to know before you dive in:
- Recurring appointments are only available on paid plans. If you’re on the free version, you’re out of luck. You’ll need at least the Pro plan.
- You can set up recurring appointments for both staff and customers. It works for solo operators and teams.
- Not every repeat scenario is supported. You can do daily, weekly, or monthly recurrences, but if you want “every third Thursday” or other odd intervals, you’re stuck.
If you’re cool with those limits, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Step 1: Check Your Setmore Plan
Before you waste time hunting for a button that isn’t there, make sure you’re on a paid Setmore plan. As of mid-2024, recurring appointments are locked behind the Pro tier.
How to check: - Log in to your Setmore dashboard. - Click your profile/account name at the top right. - Look for “Billing” or “Subscription.” - If you’re only seeing “Upgrade” or a free plan label, you’ll need to pony up.
Pro tip: If you just need recurring appointments for a trial run, Setmore sometimes offers free Pro trials—worth taking advantage of before committing.
Step 2: Set Up Your Services and Staff
Recurring appointments only work if your services and staff are set up right.
- Add your services: Go to Settings → Services. Make sure each service you want to offer on a recurring basis is listed, with the correct duration.
- Assign staff: If it’s not just you, make sure each staff member is assigned to the right services.
- Set staff working hours: Recurring bookings can get messy if your availability isn’t accurate. Update your hours under Staff profiles.
Don’t skip this: If you change your hours or add staff later, existing recurring appointments won’t always update automatically. Make a habit of double-checking your calendar after major changes.
Step 3: Creating a Recurring Appointment
Alright, here’s the meat and potatoes.
From the Calendar (Back Office)
- Go to your calendar.
- Click an empty slot for the time you want the recurring appointment to start.
- In the appointment window, fill out:
- Customer name (or add new)
- Service
- Staff member
- Look for the “Repeat” or “Recurring” option—this is usually a checkbox or dropdown.
- Pick how often you want the appointment to repeat:
- Daily: Every day, every weekday, etc.
- Weekly: Every X weeks, on specific days.
- Monthly: On a specific date (e.g., 15th) or a pattern (e.g., second Tuesday).
- Set the end date or number of occurrences (e.g., “repeat for 10 weeks” or “until July 31”).
- Save the appointment.
Heads up: Setmore won’t let you double-book a staff member. If you try to set up a recurring slot that clashes with something else, it’ll block you.
From the Customer Side (Online Booking Page)
- Recurring appointments can’t be set up by customers themselves through the public booking page. Only you (the admin or staff) can create recurring slots.
- If customers want to be booked regularly, you’ll need to set this up for them.
Real talk: This is a pain point for some businesses. If letting clients self-book recurring slots is a dealbreaker, Setmore might not be the right tool for you.
Step 4: Managing and Editing Recurring Appointments
Recurring appointments aren’t “one and done”—life happens, schedules change, and clients ghost. Here’s how to deal.
Viewing Recurring Appointments
- Each occurrence shows up as a separate entry in your calendar.
- The original (parent) appointment links to the whole series.
Editing One or All
- Click into any instance of a recurring appointment.
- You’ll get the choice:
- Edit this event only
- Edit all future events
- Make your changes (time, staff, service, etc.) and save.
What works: Editing future events is straightforward and doesn’t break anything. You can skip or reschedule a single session without nuking the whole series.
What doesn’t: You can’t change the entire recurrence pattern (e.g., switch from weekly to monthly) mid-series. You’ll need to cancel the series and start a new one.
Canceling Recurring Appointments
- You can cancel a single session or the whole series.
- Canceled appointments will free up the slot for other bookings.
Pro tip: Always confirm with your client before nuking a whole series. Setmore doesn’t notify them of changes unless you check the “send notification” box.
Step 5: Best Practices and Pitfalls
Recurring appointments are a time-saver—but only if you keep them under control. Here’s what experienced users wish they’d known sooner:
- Audit your calendar monthly. Old or forgotten recurring appointments can pile up and block new bookings.
- Communicate with your clients. Setmore can send reminders, but don’t assume your clients read them. A quick text or email never hurts.
- Watch out for holidays and exceptions. Recurring appointments don’t skip public holidays automatically. Mark those days off in your calendar or edit the series in advance.
- Staff changes can break things. If a staff member leaves or changes their hours, you’ll need to manually update or reassign their recurring bookings.
- Limit your advance window. Don’t book a year’s worth of appointments unless you’re sure they’ll stick. People’s schedules change.
Ignore: Don’t bother with plug-ins or integrations unless you really need them. Setmore’s built-in recurring feature is fine for most small businesses.
What Setmore Gets Right—and Where It Falls Short
What Works
- Simple UI: Setting up a recurring appointment is fast, once you know where to click.
- Flexible patterns: Covers most common repeat intervals (daily, weekly, monthly).
- Easy edits: You can tweak or skip individual sessions without headaches.
What’s Annoying
- No customer-side recurring booking: Only admins can set up recurring appointments. Customers can’t do this themselves.
- Limited custom patterns: Can’t handle “every third Thursday” or other oddball requests.
- Pro plan required: Not available on the free plan, which feels stingy.
If your needs are basic, Setmore gets the job done. If you want more flexibility or client-side recurring, you’ll need to look elsewhere (or live with some manual work).
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Recurring appointments in Setmore aren’t rocket science, but you do need to set them up thoughtfully—and check in regularly to avoid surprises. Don’t overcomplicate things. Start with your most reliable clients, set up a few recurring slots, and see how it goes. If you run into snags or outgrow Setmore’s options, there are other tools out there—but for most small businesses, this will cover 90% of your needs.
Remember: The best system is the one you actually use. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of “it mostly works.”