Booking & scheduling glossary
Plain-English definitions of the booking, scheduling and payment terms that come up when you sell your time — from booking page and no-show to UPI and GST invoice.
24/7 availability
Clients can book any time of day, even when you are offline.
Advance payment
Collecting payment at the moment a client books, before the appointment.
Appointment reminder
An automatic message that nudges a client before their appointment.
Availability
The hours and days you let clients book, synced to your calendar.
Booking link
The single shareable URL that opens your booking page.
Booking page
A personal web page where clients see your services and book a time.
Buffer time
A gap automatically held before or after each appointment.
Cancellation policy
Your rules for refunds and changes when a client cancels.
Commission
A percentage of each booking the platform keeps.
Digital product
A downloadable item (guide, template, recording) sold from your page.
Direct booking
A client booking straight with you, not through a marketplace or agent.
Double booking
Two clients booked into the same slot by mistake.
Google Calendar sync
Two-way linking of your bookings with your Google Calendar.
GST invoice
A tax-compliant invoice that itemises the GST charged on a service.
Intake form
Questions a client answers while booking, so you arrive prepared.
Lead time
The minimum notice required before a slot can be booked.
Meeting link
The video-call URL auto-created for an online booking.
No-show
A client who books an appointment and never turns up.
Payment gateway
The service that securely processes a client's online payment.
Payout
The transfer of your earned booking money to your bank account.
Placeholder meeting
A calendar hold that reserves time before the real meeting is confirmed.
Platform fee
A small fixed charge per booking, instead of a percentage cut.
Preferred time
The time slot a client asks for when requesting an appointment.
Recurring meeting
A meeting that repeats on a fixed pattern, such as every Tuesday at 6 pm.
Reschedule
Moving an existing booking to a new time without rebooking.
Round-robin booking
Spreading bookings evenly across several team members.
Soft booking
A tentative reservation held without payment or full confirmation.
UPI payment
India's instant bank-to-bank payment system (PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm).
WhatsApp reminder
An appointment reminder delivered over WhatsApp.
Ready to put these into practice? Create your booking page or try the free calculators.