Car collection times, key drops and courtesy cars

Plan the two ends of every job, not only the work: when and how the customer leaves the car, how they get to work without it, and when they collect it. Give each of these its own service where it helps: an early or evening-before key drop, a courtesy car with one place per car and per day, and short collection slots in the late afternoon. Put the practical rules in each description, and tell customers yourself when the car is ready.

These are examples. On Book, a service has a name, an optional description shown on your page, and a price, and each slot has its own capacity. Each customer books one place; a full slot is hidden from your page, and your page doesn't show how many places are left.

For customers who start work early, a drop-off before opening lets them leave the car and go. For others, leaving it the evening before is easier, and you can start at 8:00 with the car already there. Create each as a service with a short window and several places, and say in the description how it works: where to park, where to leave the keys, what to write on the key envelope.

If you use a key box, don't write its code in the description: the description is public. Give it by phone or message once the booking is in.

A courtesy car is a resource like a bay: you have one, two, maybe three. Create a "Courtesy car" service and open one slot per working day, from opening to closing, with one place per courtesy car. A customer who needs one books the courtesy car on the day of their job, next to their job booking. When all cars are taken for a day, that day disappears from the page.

Put the conditions in the description: driving licence to bring, fuel policy, where to return it, what happens if the job runs over to the next day. Book doesn't handle deposits or rental contracts; keep those in your usual paperwork. A slot sits within one day, so if the car is kept overnight, book the next day's place yourself from your calendar.

Late afternoon can turn into a queue at the counter: customers paying, asking about the work, waiting for the keys. Short collection slots spread them out. Open 15-minute slots from mid-afternoon to closing, with one or two places depending on who can hand over cars, and repeat them on the chosen weekdays until an end date.

Book doesn't send "your car is ready" messages. When the job is done, call or message the customer as you do today and add your booking link: they pick a collection slot that suits them. If you agree a time on the phone, book it yourself from your calendar; enter their email if they should get a confirmation.

You receive an email for each new booking with the note. The customer gets a confirmation with a calendar file.

A part that doesn't arrive can move everything: the job, the courtesy car and the collection. Customers can't move bookings online; reschedule them from your bookings list and call the customer, since Book doesn't email them about changes. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited bookings and services, no commission and no contract.