> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.avoca.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How to use booking windows in the Avoca Dashboard

> This article explains how to configure **Booking Windows** in the Avoca Dashboard so your AI assistant offers the right arrival windows, respects your policies, and avoids overbooking.

### What booking windows do

Booking Windows control **when** Avoca is allowed to book jobs, by:

* Defining which **services** and **appointment types** can be booked
* Mapping those to **ServiceTitan business units** and **service areas**
* Marking which time windows are **bookable**, **emergency‑only**, or **blocked**
* Applying rules like **lead hours** and **start‑day buffers** so you are not overbooked at the last minute

Booking Windows work for both **ACP/AdCap** and **non‑ACP** ServiceTitan setups.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

### Step 1 – Open Booking Windows

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Log in to your Avoca Dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    In the left navigation, go to **Scheduling** → **Booking Windows**.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Confirm you see:

    * A **Service & Appointment Types** (or similar) section, and
    * A **Business Units & Availability** section.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)
  </Step>
</Steps>

If you do **not** see Booking Windows in your dashboard, contact your Avoca Customer Success Manager.

### Step 2 – Set up service and appointment types

In the first tab (Service & Appointment Types), define the "scenarios" you want Avoca to book for.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

1. **Service Types**

   Add the trades you offer (for example: HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Garage Doors).

2. **Appointment Types**

   Use these to reflect different booking rules, such as:

   * Maintenance
   * Service / Repair
   * Sales / Estimates
   * Custom scenarios (for example, "Service – Equipment 10+ years old").

3. **Residence Types**
   * If rules differ for **Residential vs Commercial**, select both.
   * If they are the same, select **Residential** only to keep configuration simple.

4. **Service Areas**
   * Make sure your service areas are configured in **Settings → Integrations → Service Areas** first.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)
   * Select the service areas where you want Avoca to book.

Every unique combination of **Service Type × Appointment Type × Residence Type × Service Area** becomes a scenario that can have its own booking rules.

<Tip>
  **Tip:**

  If a scenario does not make sense (for example, "Garage Door Maintenance" when you do not offer that), disable it instead of configuring it.
</Tip>

### Step 3 – Map scenarios to business units

Next, switch to the **Business Units & Availability** tab.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

For each scenario you want Avoca to book:

<Steps>
  <Step>Select the **Service Area** from the dropdown.</Step>
  <Step>Choose the matching **ServiceTitan Business Unit** (for example, "HVAC – Service – Austin").</Step>
  <Step>Save.</Step>
</Steps>

This mapping allows Avoca to:

* Pull the correct **arrival windows** from ServiceTitan (for ACP/AdCap users).
* Use the right **capacity** and job types behind the scenes.

### Copying configurations to save time

When setting up multiple service areas or unit mappings with similar configurations, you can use Avoca's copy features to avoid manual re-entry:

#### Copy from another service area

Use this when you want to replicate an entire service area's configuration to another service area.

<Steps>
  <Step>Select the target service area from the dropdown.</Step>
  <Step>Click **Copy from another service area** at the top of the Business Unit Mappings table.</Step>
  <Step>Select the source service area you want to copy from.</Step>
  <Step>Click **Copy configuration**.</Step>
</Steps>

**What gets copied:**

* Business unit assignments
* Arrival windows (time slots and their bookable/emergency/closed status)
* Start days buffer settings

Avoca automatically matches mappings between service areas based on service type, appointment type, and residence type. Only matching combinations will be copied.

<Note>
  **Example:**

  If your "Austin" service area has HVAC Service configured with specific windows and a 21-day buffer, copying to "Dallas" will apply those same settings to the Dallas HVAC Service mapping—saving you from manually recreating the entire schedule.
</Note>

#### Copy between unit mappings

Use this when you want to copy arrival windows from one mapping to another within the same service area.

<Steps>
  <Step>Find the source mapping row you want to copy from.</Step>
  <Step>Click the **Copy** icon in the Actions column to select it as your source (the row will highlight in amber).</Step>
  <Step>Find the target mapping row where you want to paste the configuration.</Step>
  <Step>Click **Copy here** in the Actions column of the target row.</Step>
</Steps>

**What gets copied:**

* All arrival windows from the source mapping
* The bookable/emergency/closed status for each window
* Window names and lead hours

The business unit assignment and start days buffer are **not** copied—only the arrival window schedule itself.

<Tip>
  **When to use each copy feature:**

  * **Copy from service area** – When expanding to a new region and want to replicate your entire booking setup.
  * **Copy between mappings** – When two different appointment types (like "Service" and "Maintenance") should use the same weekly schedule.
</Tip>

### Step 4 – Configure booking rules (lead hours and buffers)

On each scenario, configure the rules that control **how far in advance** and **how soon** Avoca can book:[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

1. **Lead Hours**
   * Controls how close to the **end of a window** Avoca can still book it.
   * Example: If a window is **8am–12pm** and lead hours are **2**, then at 11am that window will no longer be offered.
2. **Cutoff Hours** (where available)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)
   * Limits how far into the future Avoca offers slots.
   * Example: If Cutoff Hours are **72**, Avoca will only offer availability within the next 3 days.
3. **Start Days Buffer**
   * Controls how many days from today the **earliest** slot can appear.
   * Example: If Start Days Buffer is **21**, customers will only see appointments **3+ weeks out** for that scenario.

These settings help you:

* Avoid last‑minute bookings that dispatch cannot cover.
* Push certain appointment types (like routine maintenance) further into the future.

### Step 5 – Mark which windows are bookable

At the bottom of the configuration for each scenario, you will see a **weekly grid** of arrival windows.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

Each cell represents a **time window on a specific day** (for example, Monday 8–12, Tuesday 1–5). The colors mean:

* **Green** – Avoca can book any qualifying job into this window (subject to capacity).
* **Orange** – **Emergency‑only**. Avoca will only use this window for jobs classified as emergencies.
* **White** – Avoca will **not** use this window, even if there is capacity.

To configure your calendar:

<Steps>
  <Step>Choose **Bookable**, **Emergency‑only**, or **Closed** from the controls above the grid.</Step>
  <Step>Click on the cells for each day and window you want to mark.</Step>
  <Step>Save your changes.</Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  **Example:**

  * Weekdays 8–12 and 1–5 set to **Green** (bookable).
  * Weekdays 5–9pm set to **Orange** (emergency‑only).
  * Sundays left **White** (no bookings).
</Note>

### Step 6 – Name your arrival windows (what customers hear)

Each time window can have a **display name** that Avoca uses when talking to customers.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)

Common patterns:

* 8am–12pm → "morning"
* 12pm–4pm → "afternoon"
* 2pm–6pm → "late afternoon"

When you name a window, Avoca will say the **name** instead of the raw time range. The actual job is still booked into the correct ServiceTitan arrival window behind the scenes.

This keeps the conversation simple while still giving dispatch precise schedule data.

### Step 7 – ACP vs non‑ACP setups

#### If you use ACP / Adaptive Capacity (AdCap)

* Click **Import from ServiceTitan** to pull in your existing arrival windows for the mapped business unit.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)
* Then apply your **lead hours**, **buffers**, and **green / orange / white** selections.

Avoca will:

* Respect both **your ServiceTitan capacity** and your **Booking Windows rules**.
* Avoid booking into windows you have turned off or where capacity is exhausted.[\[3\]](/Configuring-Capacity-Planning-for-After-Hours-2d1f2b56d4d58030b5d5f6aaee285f31)

#### If you do not use ACP

* Create **custom arrival windows** directly in the Booking Windows UI for each time range you want Avoca to offer.[\[1\]](/Avoca-Booking-Windows-Outdated-229f2b56d4d580f2a4efd9ebb4fcaf48)[\[2\]](/205f2b56d4d580b69310d08d4065284d?pvs=21)
* Mark those windows as **bookable**, **emergency‑only**, or **closed** as described above.

Avoca will always be able to offer **custom windows**, even if you do not manage capacity in ServiceTitan.

### How Booking Windows interact with holidays and capacity

Booking Windows are one layer of your scheduling logic. They work together with:

* **Holidays** – Use **Scheduling → Holidays** to block or restrict bookings on specific dates, and optionally apply holiday fees.[\[4\]](/Setting-up-Holiday-Hours-Service-Titan-ONLY-2aef2b56d4d58031a158c973a8da0e16)[\[5\]](/How-to-Set-Up-Holidays-and-Holiday-Fees-in-the-Avoca-Dashboard-2cef2b56d4d580639d86ebfd293ca4a8)
* **Avoca Capacity** – If enabled, Avoca will combine your Booking Windows rules with real‑time capacity from ACP/AdCap for more precise control.[\[3\]](/Configuring-Capacity-Planning-for-After-Hours-2d1f2b56d4d58030b5d5f6aaee285f31)

<Note>
  **Example:**

  * Booking Windows say: "Evenings are emergency‑only."
  * Holidays say: "Christmas Day – Do not book any jobs."
  * Capacity says: "0 slots available after 9pm."
  * Avoca will only offer times that satisfy **all three** layers.
</Note>

### Expected result

Once Booking Windows are configured correctly, you should see that:

* Avoca only offers **time windows you have marked as available**.
* **Emergencies** can be routed to special windows when desired.
* Routine work (like maintenance) is pushed into the timeframes you prefer.
* Holidays and after‑hours rules are respected automatically.

If something does not look right in how Avoca is offering times, first check:

1. The **scenario** mapping (service / appointment / residence / service area).
2. The **Business Unit** and imported arrival windows.
3. The **color coding** and lead/buffer rules in Booking Windows.
4. Any **Holidays** or **Avoca Capacity** rules that might be limiting availability.

### Need help?

If you would like Avoca to review your Booking Windows setup or design recommended templates by job type, please reach out to your Avoca Customer Success Manager or email [**support@avoca.ai**](mailto:support@avoca.ai).