Creating a booking service
A service is one thing a client can book from you, like "Family portrait session", "Wedding photography" or "Christmas minis". It holds the price, length, location, paperwork and payment rules, so each booking that comes through it behaves exactly the way you want.
You can build as many services as you like on any plan. Free lets you publish 1 at a time, Plus 5 and Pro unlimited. See How many services can I publish?
Creating a new service
- Go to Bookings → Services and choose Add service.
- In the New service dialog, type a Name. Write it the way you'd say it to a client.
- Under How can clients use this service?, pick Inquiry, Direct booking or Mini sessions.
- Choose Continue. The service opens in its editor as a draft.
The mode can't be changed later, so take a second over it. Inquiry vs direct booking vs mini sessions helps if you're torn.
The editor tabs
What you see depends on the mode.
| Tab | Direct booking | Mini sessions | Inquiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Details | Name, description, link, cover image | Same | Same, plus pricing and location |
| Price & duration / Price & slot | Currency, price, tax, length, add-ons | Currency, price, tax, slot length, spots per slot, add-ons | (not shown) |
| Availability & location / Dates & location | Location, schedule, cancellation policy | Location, dates, cancellation policy | (not shown) |
| Booking flow / Inquiry flow | Six steps from client details to confirmation | Same six steps | Three steps |
An inquiry service only has Details and Inquiry flow, because there's no time slot or payment to set up yet. The flow tabs are covered in Adding a contract and questionnaire to booking.
Writing the details
Service name and Service description are what clients read on your booking page. Use the description to answer the questions you get every week: what's included, how long editing takes, what to wear, where to park.
Service URL is the end of the link this service answers at, like wedding-photography. CoreHue checks it as you type and shows Available or Unavailable. Stick to lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens.
Cover image shows on the service's card on your booking page. Upload a JPEG or PNG up to 5 MB. Once it's uploaded, use the focal point button to mark the part of the photo that matters, so the crop keeps it on every screen size.
Publishing a service
- Choose Publish at the top of the editor.
- If anything is missing, the dialog lists each item with the tab it sits on. Click a line to jump straight to it, fix it, and try again.
- If everything's ready, the dialog shows the web address the service will use. Choose Publish to confirm.
If your booking page is still off, the dialog warns Your booking page is off and the button reads Publish anyway. The service is published but nobody can see it until you turn the page on under Bookings → Settings → Booking page.
Once it's live, the button at the top becomes View page, or Turn on booking page if the page is still off.
Service statuses
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Still being built. Clients can't see it. |
| Published | Live on your booking page and bookable. |
| Unpublished | Was live, now switched off. Its link stops working. |
| Archived | Put away. Clients can't inquire or book, and your setup and history stay. |
Managing your services
Each service in the list has a ⋯ menu:
- Unpublish takes a live service off your page until you publish it again.
- View page opens the service's public page, handy for copying its link. While your booking page is off, this item reads Turn on booking page instead.
- Archive puts it away. Restore brings an archived service back.
- Delete removes the service and its setup for good. Past bookings, inquiries and proposals stay in your history.
Editing a live service
Changes apply to new bookings straight away. Bookings already made keep the terms they were made under, so changing your price doesn't change what someone already agreed to.
A client who's partway through booking when you save a change keeps their held time and finishes on the version of the service they started with. If they reload the page, they start again on the updated service. Mini session dates that already have bookings or holds keep their times.
Frequently asked questions
Can I duplicate a service?
No. CoreHue doesn't have a duplicate button for booking services. Create a new one with Add service and copy across the settings you want to keep.
What size should my cover image be?
Any JPEG or PNG up to 5 MB works. A landscape photo with the subject near the middle crops best, and you can set the focal point after uploading.
Does deleting a service delete its bookings?
No. Deleting removes the service and its setup, but past bookings, inquiries and proposals stay in your history.
Why can't I publish my service?
The publish dialog lists exactly what's missing, like a price, a payment method or a saved signature for a required contract. If you're at your plan's published service limit, Publish opens an upgrade prompt instead of the dialog. See How many services can I publish?