Group sessions, waiting list and reminders

Beyond one-to-one appointments, Kraft Booking handles group sessions (classes, workshops, tours) with a limited number of seats, an automatic waiting list, client self-service changes within the deadline you set, and email reminders to reduce no-shows.

Group sessions

Create a group service

1. Open Kraft Booking › Services, create a service (Create a service) or click Edit.
2. In Capacity (seats per slot), enter the number of seats: more than 1 = shared group session.
3. The client chooses the number of seats they book (family, group of friends), up to the capacity. There is no per-booking maximum separate from the capacity, and no minimum number of participants.
4. Click Save service.

Schedule the sessions

The service offers two Scheduling modes:

• Based on team schedules: sessions are offered on the staff member's schedule grid, like a one-to-one appointment, and seats are shared between clients who choose the same time;
• Dated sessions only (events): the session takes place at a date and time you set.

For dated sessions:

1. On the Services page, Dated sessions section, choose the service, the staff member, the Date, the Time, the number of Seats and a Title (optional).
2. Click Add session.
3. Repeat for each date: there is no automatic recurrence, each session is added one by one.

On your site, the form offers the available dates and shows the number of seats left for each time. The price is multiplied by the number of seats booked; online payment works as for a standard appointment.

Waiting list

The waiting list is automatic: there is nothing to enable. When no slot is available on the chosen day, the form shows "No more space that day? Leave your email: we will let you know if a place becomes available." and a Notify me button.

When a place becomes available (an appointment is cancelled or rescheduled), the first 3 people registered (in order of registration) receive an email "A place has become available" at the same time, with a Book now button. The place is not reserved for them: the first one to book gets it. There is no confirmation deadline and no choice of notification mode.

The email link leads to the page set in Kraft Booking › Appointment settings › Appointment booking page.

The waiting list requires no payment at sign-up. The client only pays when they book the freed place.

Client self-service changes and cancellations

To limit phone calls, your clients can reschedule or cancel their appointment themselves from the "Manage my appointment" link received by email (the same principle as the guest portal): Reschedule appointment ("New date", "See times", "Confirm the new time") and Cancel appointment.

In Kraft Booking › Appointment settings, Cancellation and rescheduling by the client section:

Past this deadline, the client sees "The online change deadline has passed…" and can write to you. There is no maximum number of reschedules to set, and cancellation does not trigger an automatic refund: refunds are made from the booking record (Refund button), with the service fee refunded pro rata.

For a group session, a cancellation frees the seat and notifies the waiting list.

Email reminders

Reminders noticeably reduce no-shows.

1. Open Kraft Booking › Appointment settings, Automatic reminders section.
2. Tick Reminder the day before (24 h before) and set the Last-minute reminder (hours before, 0 = off), 2 hours by default.
3. The text of appointment emails is fixed: it includes the service, the staff member, the date, the time, the location, the video link and a Manage my appointment button. It follows the design set in Settings › Email design and content.

Reminders only concern confirmed appointments and are each sent only once. The staff member receives an email for every new appointment, reschedule or cancellation if Notify the staff member by email is ticked; there is no daily summary. Reminders rely on the WordPress scheduled task (checked every 15 minutes): if you notice delays, see the "Cron is not running" section of the Troubleshooting article.

Cancelling a group session

There is no button to cancel a whole session. In Kraft Booking › Appointments, cancel each appointment of the session (Move / cancel › Cancel): each participant is notified by email. Then refund each one from their booking record.

Key points

• A group service has a capacity greater than 1, either on the schedule grid or as dated sessions added one by one.
• The waiting list is automatic and notifies up to 3 people when a place becomes available, with no payment at sign-up.
• Clients can reschedule or cancel themselves up to the deadline you set.
• Two automatic email reminders: the day before and a few hours before the appointment.