Cobot's booking calendar is a powerful feature that allows bookings from both the admin and member portal. You can charge for bookings, enable members to book for free, or customize member plans to allow for booking credits.
Check out our External Bookings add-on if you want to let non-members or visitors book your resources.
Calendar Views
Cobot allows multiple views of your calendar. Go to Calendar » Calendar to see the normal calendar view allows you to switch between three main perspectives: day, week, and month:
Switch over to the timeline view by going to Calendar » Timeline for a linear representation of your space's schedule, showing you the chronological sequence of events.
Making a Booking as an Admin
Before admins or members can make a booking, you must first populate your Resources. After you have done this, go to Calendar » Calendar.
To make a booking, double-click on the day/time you want the booking to start or click on 'New Booking' in the top right corner.
In the form that pops up, you can select:
The date of the booking.
The time the booking should start.
The length of the booking duration.
Which resource the booking is in.
The admin or member name.
Admins must also be added as a member to make bookings in their name. Check out this guide to learn how to do this.
If you book under a member's name, the charge for the booking (if applicable) will be automatically added to the member's account.
If you do not attach a member's name, the time and resource will be blocked, and no further actions will occur.
You can also add a title to the booking or publicly visible comments that will appear in the completed booking on the calendar.
Recurring Bookings
Create recurring bookings for your members to increase revenue and retention. To create a recurring booking, click on '+Repeat' in the booking form before clicking on 'Book Now.'
From the drop-down menu, choose how often you would like the booking to happen:
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Yearly
You can choose how many times that booking should happen and the end date. Any charges will be applied only after the booking takes place.
Cobot will automatically check against all other bookings in your calendar. You will be able to create bookings for all dates where there is no conflicting booking and will be shown a list of any dates that already have a booking.
**Recurring bookings can only be created by admins at this time.
Editing or Canceling a Booking
As a space admin, you can cancel any booking at any time. Members can only cancel their own bookings before the period they selected starts.
To cancel a booking, click on it and click 'Delete Booking.' The new prices will be applied to the member's account.
Single bookings can be deleted for either recurring or singular bookings; however, it is not currently possible to edit a single booking in a recurring booking series. You must delete the booking (or bookings if they are recurring) and create a new one with the desired changes.
Making a Booking as a Member
Members can make bookings from their member portal under their 'Bookings' tab. They will see:
An overview of their upcoming and past bookings.
A portal to create a booking; all prices reflect the member's plan settings.
You can customize member plans to allow for booking credits that are automatically applied when your members make bookings.
Members will only be able to create bookings according to the resource settings. Check out this guide to learn more on this.
Keeping Track of Bookings
As a space admin, you can see the list of a member's recent bookings in their member profile under Bookings & Access » See Past Bookings.
General statistics concerning the bookings and the use of your resources can be found under the tab Analyze » Bookings.
Advanced Booking Options
Setting Open Hours and Calendar Blockers
Block your calendar for upcoming public holidays, renovations, or closure dates, and ensure both your members and external visitors are informed. Display your open hours clearly so no one is left standing in front of a closed door.
Click here to learn how to set these up.
Restricting Member Access to Resources
You can restrict access to individual resources for members within their member profiles. This is helpful if you have equipment that only certain members are allowed to use or meeting rooms that only premium members pay for.
To set this up, go to Manage » Members » Click on the member name » Bookings » Manage Resource Access » Check 'Member only has access to selected resources.'
Once there, de-select all resources you do NOT want your member to be able to create bookings in. These will then be hidden from their booking options in their member portal.
You can override these restrictions and create bookings for all members in the admin portal under Calendar » Calendar. The booking will appear on the calendar, in the member's booking history, and charged when applicable.
On-The-Spot Room Booking With a QR Code
Print out and display a QR code outside your meeting rooms or your resources if you want to allow members to reserve spaces on the spot. You will need to link it to your member-facing booking page:
