# Services

Services are the bookable offerings that customers can schedule appointments for. In Sesami, services are linked to Shopify products and configured with durations, resources, locations, and other settings.

## What are Services?

A **Service** in Sesami represents a bookable offering such as:

* A 60-minute massage
* A 30-minute haircut
* A 2-hour photography session
* A 90-minute group class

Each service is connected to a **Shopify product** and configured with:

* **Duration** (product variants like "30 Minutes", "1 Hour", "90 Minutes")
* **Resources** (team members, rooms, equipment needed)
* **Locations** (where the service is offered)
* **Availability** (when the service can be booked)
* **Special features** (group appointments, instant booking, etc.)

## Creating a Service

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Create the Shopify product

1. In Shopify Admin, go to **Products > Add product**
2. Enter a clear **product title** (e.g., "Haircut", "Massage", "Consultation")
   * Do NOT include duration in the title
3. Add **variants for different durations**:
   * Click **Add variant**
   * Create variants like "30 Minutes", "1 Hour", "90 Minutes"
   * Set the price for each duration
4. Add description, images, and other product details
5. **Save** the product

{% hint style="success" %}
**Best practice**: Use variants for different durations of the same service rather than creating separate products.
{% endhint %}

See: [Quickstart - Create Service Products](/get-started/quickstart.md)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Add the service in Sesami

1. Open **Sesami** in your Shopify Admin
2. Navigate to **Services**
3. The Shopify product should appear in the list
4. Click **Manage** to configure the service
   {% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Configure basic settings

Set up the core service configuration:

* **Service name** - Automatically pulled from Shopify product title
* **Duration variants** - Automatically detected from product variants
* **Status** - Enable or disable the service for booking
  {% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Assign locations (if using multi-location)

If you have multiple locations:

1. Under **Locations & Resources**, click **Add Location**
2. Select the location(s) where this service is offered
3. Assign resources for each location
4. Save your changes

See: [Locations](/admin/locations.md)
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Assign resources

Resources are what your service needs to be bookable:

1. Under **Resources**, select required resource types:
   * **Team member** - Staff who deliver the service
   * **Room** - Physical space needed
   * **Equipment** - Tools or machines required
2. Optionally, assign **specific resources** (or leave it open to any available resource of that type)
3. Save your changes

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important**: Every service must have at least one resource type assigned, or no availability will appear!
{% endhint %}

See: [Resources](/admin/resources.md)
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Key Service Features

Once your service is created, you can enable additional features:

### Instant Booking

Skip the Shopify checkout for faster bookings:

* **Just Book** - No Shopify order created (perfect for free consultations)
* **Book + Create Order** - Create Shopify order with manual payment capture

Booking happens in just 3 steps: pick a time, enter details, confirm.

See: [Instant Booking](/booking/booking-features/instant-booking.md)

### Group Appointments

Allow multiple customers to book the same time slot:

* Perfect for classes, workshops, tours, seminars
* Set maximum number of participants per slot
* Available on Pro and Premium plans

See: [Group Appointments](/booking/booking-features/group-appointments.md)

### Cancellations & Rescheduling

Let customers manage their own bookings:

* Allow customers to cancel appointments
* Allow customers to reschedule appointments
* Set how many hours before appointment changes are allowed
* Option to automatically refund on cancellations
* Available on Pro and Premium plans

See: [Cancellations, Rescheduling and Refunds](/booking/booking-features/cancellations-rescheduling.md)

### Same Day Bookings

Control whether customers can book on the same day:

* **Disable same day bookings** entirely
* **Round-up starting interval** - Set minimum advance notice (15 or 30 minutes)

See: [Same Day Bookings and Round Up Starting Interval](/booking/availability/same-day-bookings.md)

### Buffer Times

Add time between appointments for preparation:

* **Before each appointment** - Prep time
* **After each appointment** - Cleanup time
* **Before first appointment of the day** - Opening setup

Buffer times appear only in the admin calendar, not for customers.

See: [Buffer Times Between Bookings](/booking/availability/buffer-times.md)

### Flexible Slots

Control when customers can book:

* Set slot intervals (15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes)
* Service-specific configuration
* Match booking times to your actual operations

See: [Flexible Slots](/booking/availability/flexible-slots.md)

### Storefront Calendar Start Date

Set a specific start date for the booking calendar:

* Calendar opens to your chosen date instead of today
* Perfect for seasonal services, future events, or pre-sales

See: [Storefront Calendar Start Date](/booking/availability/calendar-start-date.md)

### Online Meeting Links

Add virtual meeting links for online appointments:

* Add Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or Teams links
* Include in confirmation emails automatically
* Can be set per team member or per service

See: [Adding Online Meeting and Conferencing Links](/booking/booking-features/online-meeting-links.md)

## Managing Services

### View all services

In **Sesami > Services**, you can:

* See all services linked to Shopify products
* View service status (enabled/disabled)
* Access configuration for each service
* See which locations each service is offered at

### Edit a service

1. Go to **Sesami > Services**
2. Find the service and click **Manage**
3. Make your changes
4. **Save**

Changes take effect immediately.

### Remove a service

To remove a service from Sesami:

1. Go to **Sesami > Services**
2. Find the service and click **Manage**
3. Scroll to **Remove Service**
4. Type **Remove** to confirm
5. Click **Remove** again

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Important**: This removes the service from Sesami's booking system but does NOT delete the product from your Shopify store.
{% endhint %}

## Service Configuration Checklist

Before launching a service, verify:

* [ ] **Shopify product created** with duration variants
* [ ] **Service added** in Sesami
* [ ] **Locations assigned** (if using multi-location)
* [ ] **Resources assigned** (team members, rooms, equipment)
* [ ] **Resource availability set** for assigned resources
* [ ] **Special features configured** (instant booking, group appointments, etc.)
* [ ] **Test booking completed** from customer view
* [ ] **Confirmation email tested** and verified

## Best Practices

* **Use clear names** - "60-Minute Massage" is better than "Massage Package A"
* **Use variants for durations** - Don't create separate products for each duration
* **Assign resources carefully** - Ensure required resources are actually needed
* **Set realistic buffer times** - Don't make buffers so long that availability disappears
* **Test customer experience** - Book a test appointment to see what customers see
* **Configure locations first** - If using multi-location, set up locations before services

## Troubleshooting

<details>

<summary>Service not appearing in Sesami</summary>

Check:

* Product is **created in Shopify** with proper variants
* Product variants use correct format: "30 Minutes", "1 Hour", "90 Minutes"
* You've **refreshed** the Sesami services page

</details>

<details>

<summary>No time slots appearing for service</summary>

The most common issue! Check:

1. **Resources are assigned** to the service
2. **Availability is set** for assigned resources
3. **Timezone is correct** in Sesami Settings
4. **Booking window** allows future bookings
5. **No block-offs** covering all available dates

See: [Quickstart Troubleshooting](/get-started/quickstart.md#troubleshooting)

</details>

<details>

<summary>Customer can't complete booking</summary>

Check:

* Service is **enabled**
* Resources have **availability** for the selected time
* Selected location (if multi-location) has **resources assigned**
* No **conflicting bookings** at that time

</details>

## Related

* [Quickstart Guide](/get-started/quickstart.md) - Complete setup walkthrough
* [Resources](/admin/resources.md) - Assign team members, rooms, equipment
* [Locations](/admin/locations.md) - Multi-location setup
* [Instant Booking](/booking/booking-features/instant-booking.md) - Skip checkout
* [Group Appointments](/booking/booking-features/group-appointments.md) - Multi-participant bookings
* [Set Up Resource Availability](/booking/availability/resource-availability.md) - Configure working hours


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