Buffer Times
Buffer Times help ensure you have enough time before or after an appointment.
They can be used to provide travel time, preparation time, cleanup time, or simply prevent last-minute bookings.
Setting Up Buffer Times
Go to Sesami Admin Portal > Services > [select a service] > Manage
Scroll to the Buffer Time section
Configure the options:
Before each appointment
Blocks time before every booking
After each appointment
Blocks time after every booking
Before the first appointment of the day
Blocks time from the current time
Enter the buffer duration in minutes
Click Save
Buffer time appears in the Admin Calendar after a booking is created, but is not visible on the storefront calendar — it simply removes those time slots from availability.
Common Setups
Business type
Before
After
Why
Hair salon
—
15 min
Cleanup between clients
Consulting
—
10 min
Notes and prep
Cleaning service
30 min
30 min
Travel time
Yoga class
15 min
15 min
Room changeover
Before Each Appointment
Use this option when staff needs preparation time before every booking.
If you set 30 minutes before each appointment:
A 2:00 PM appointment will block availability starting at 1:30 PM.
You won't be able to book another appointment that overlaps with that preparation time.
After Each Appointment
Use this option when staff need time after an appointment.
If you set 15 minutes after each appointment:
A 2:00 PM appointment ending at 3:00 PM will keep the calendar unavailable until 3:15 PM.
This is useful for cleanup, notes, or preparing for the next customer.
Before the First Appointment on the Same Day
Use this option when you need advance notice before accepting same-day appointments.
If you set 120 minutes (2 hours):
At 8:00 AM, customers can only book appointments starting at 10:00 AM or later.
At 1:00 PM, customers can only book appointments starting at 3:00 PM or later.
This setting is always calculated from the current time and updates throughout the day.
Common uses include:
Travel time
Setup time
Preparation time
Preventing last-minute bookings
It can also be used to require bookings a certain number of hours or days in advance.
If you want customers to book at least 24 hours in advance, set the buffer to 1440 minutes (1 day). For 48 hours' notice, set it to 2880 minutes (2 days), and so on.
Note: Buffer times are always configured in minutes.
Fixed Time Schedules
If you need a fixed schedule with built-in breaks (rather than dynamic buffers), set your availability manually as intervals.
Example — 30-minute service with a 15-minute break:
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM
This approach gives you full control over exactly when slots are available.
Related
Same Day Bookings — control how close to the current time customers can book
Resource Availability — set up availability schedules
Flexible Slots — control booking interval display
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