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What you will accomplish

When a customer books an appointment online and your facility requires staff approval, the request lands on the Schedule page with a Needs Approval status. You will learn how to:
  • Find every request that is still waiting on your team.
  • Open the request and read the customer, vehicle, and requested time.
  • Approve the booking so it becomes a normal scheduled event.
  • Decline the booking when you cannot take the appointment.
  • Suggest a new time when the customer’s choice does not work but you still want the business.
Why this mattersCustomers often assume “I submitted the form” means “my appointment is confirmed.” Approving or declining quickly prevents no-shows, double-booking, and phone calls asking “Am I on the calendar?”Striped or tentative styling on the calendar means the visit is not confirmed yet—see Read calendar icons and badges.
Schedule page with the Needs Approval filter active, showing a badge count and highlighted booking requests on the calendar
When bookings need review, a Needs Approval button appears near the top of Schedule. The orange number badge tells you how many requests are waiting.
Close-up of the Needs Approval button with orange highlight and a number badge showing how many booking requests are waiting
Look for this button near the Search box. The number badge is your to-do count for online booking requests.

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Before you start

  • You can sign in to the staff dashboard.
  • Your role can view and act on Schedule events.
  • You know whether your team sends automatic emails or texts when a booking is approved or declined (many facilities do).
Needs Approval means the customer completed an online booking form, but your facility has not confirmed it yet.Scheduled means your team accepted the time and the event is treated like any other appointment on the calendar.

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What the customer sees while waiting

When someone books online and your facility requires approval, the customer usually receives a message that their request was received—not that the time is confirmed.
While status is Needs Approval: Do not tell the customer they are “on the calendar” until you click Approve (or they accept a Suggest New Time offer).After you approve: The visit becomes normal scheduled work. Depending on your notification settings, the customer may get a confirmation email or text with the date and time.After you decline: The customer is typically notified the request was not accepted. A short personal follow-up call or email can preserve goodwill.
1

Start of shift

Open Schedule and click Needs Approval if the button appears.Expected result: You see every online request waiting on your team before bays get busy.
2

After lunch on busy days

Check Needs Approval again. Mid-day bookings are easy to miss when the phone rings.Why this matters: Fast responses reduce “Did you get my request?” calls and help customers plan their drive.
3

End of day

If the badge still shows a number, either approve, decline, or suggest a new time before you leave.Expected result: Customers are not left wondering overnight.

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Find booking requests that need approval

1

Open Schedule

Go to Schedule from the dashboard sidebar.Expected result: You see your team’s calendar, table, whiteboard, or progress board (whichever view you used last).
2

Look for the Needs Approval button

When at least one request is waiting, a Needs Approval button appears near the top of the page. A small number badge (for example 1) sits on the button so you know how many requests still need a decision.On Calendar view, pending requests may also show a diagonal stripe on the event block even before you turn the filter on.If you do not see this button, there may be no pending requests right now.
3

Click Needs Approval

Click Needs Approval to show only events waiting for a decision.Expected result: The schedule list or calendar hides confirmed work and shows only requests that still need approval. Pending events often use a warning color so they stand out.
4

Switch to Calendar or Table view

Click Filters & Settings, then choose Calendar under View Mode if you want to see requests on a timeline.For a sortable list with Status and Details on each row, choose Table instead. Table view is helpful when several requests arrived overnight.Expected result: Pending bookings are easy to scan before you open each one.

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Review several requests in Table view

When more than one customer booked overnight, Table view is often faster than clicking each block on the calendar.
1

Turn on Needs Approval

Click Needs Approval near the top of Schedule so only waiting requests stay visible.
2

Switch to Table

Open Filters & Settings, choose Table under View Mode, then close the panel.Expected result: Each row shows Status, customer, vehicle, time, and Details in columns you can scan quickly.
3

Open the row you need

Click the row (or use View details in the row menu) to open the same approval panel as on the calendar.Why this matters: Table view helps front desk staff clear a morning queue without hunting for yellow blocks on different days.
Schedule Table view filtered to Needs Approval showing pending booking rows with status and customer details
Table view plus Needs Approval is ideal when several online requests arrived overnight. Open each row to approve, decline, or suggest a new time.
Cannot find a request the customer mentioned?Clear the search box, turn off Assigned to me, and make sure Needs Approval is on. The request may be on a different day — try Month or 5 Day in Filters & Settings so you can scan a wider date range.

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Review one booking request

1

Click the pending event

Click the event card or calendar block for the request.A details panel opens. At the top you should see a message such as This booking request needs your approval.
2

Confirm the customer and vehicle

Check the customer name, company (if shown), and vehicle year, make, and model.If more than one car belongs to this customer, read the plate or notes so you approve the correct vehicle.
3

Confirm the requested date and time

Read Scheduled for (or the time shown on the event). Compare it with your real availability, staff assignments, and bay capacity.Expected result: You are confident you know what the customer asked for before you approve or decline.
4

Read the notes

Scroll through any notes the customer or your booking form collected. They often include arrival instructions or special requests.
Event details panel for a pending booking showing Approve, Decline, and Suggest New Time buttons with customer and vehicle information
Pending bookings show large action buttons: Approve, Decline, and Suggest New Time. Read the details first, then choose the outcome that matches your availability.

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Approve the booking

Use Approve when you can honor the requested time (or you already agreed to it by phone and the online request matches).
1

Click Approve

In the event details panel, click Approve.Why this step matters: The customer is usually notified that the appointment is confirmed. Your team can now plan staff, bays, and customer communication around a real scheduled event.
2

Wait for the confirmation message

The app saves the change and shows a success message when approval finishes.Expected result: The event status changes from Needs Approval to Scheduled (or your team’s normal scheduled label). It appears on the calendar like other confirmed work.
3

Assign staff or a vendor after approval

If your team uses Assigned to, open the event again and choose the responsible team member or outside vendor, or use Update, assign, or reschedule an event.Assigning someone helps them find the job with Assigned to me on busy days.

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Decline the booking

Use Decline when you cannot take the appointment at all (fully booked, wrong service type, customer not accepted, and similar cases).
1

Click Decline

Click Decline in the event details panel.
2

Confirm the decline

Read any confirmation message carefully, then confirm.Expected result: The request is removed from active scheduling. The customer is typically notified that the booking was not accepted (depending on your notification settings).
3

Follow up by phone or email when appropriate

A short personal message after a decline can preserve goodwill, especially for valued customers.
Decline vs cancelDecline is for requests that were never confirmed. If you already approved an appointment and plans change later, use Cancel or delete a scheduled event instead so your history stays accurate.

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Suggest a new time

Use Suggest New Time when you want the business but the customer’s chosen slot does not work (bay busy, staff out, needs more notice, and similar cases). This keeps the request on your Schedule while you offer a time that actually works for your team.
1

Click Suggest New Time

Click Suggest New Time in the pending event panel.Expected result: The event opens in Edit Event mode so you can pick a new date and time.
2

Choose the new date and time

In the When section, pick the time you want to offer the customer.Expected result: The calendar preview updates to the new slot you selected.
3

Add a clear note in Notes

Update Notes with a short, polite message. Example: “Our detail bay is full at 2 PM. We can do 10 AM the same day instead.”The app may start with a default message. Replace it with words your customer will understand.
4

Click Save Changes

Click Save Changes.Expected result: The customer is notified according to your facility’s booking settings. The request stays in Needs Approval or moves forward based on your event type rules until the customer accepts the new time.
Edit Event form on Schedule with date and time fields and a Notes box for the customer message
After Suggest New Time, the When section and Notes field are where you pick the new slot and explain the change in plain language.
Email links from notificationsSome facilities send emails that include action links. If a team member opens a link with approve, decline, or reschedule in the address, the Schedule page may open that exact booking for review. Always confirm the customer and vehicle before you click Approve.

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What success looks like

  • The Needs Approval count returns to zero (or drops by the number you handled).
  • Approved events show as normal scheduled work on Schedule.
  • Declined requests no longer block the calendar as active appointments.
  • Customers receive clear communication instead of being left unsure.

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Common mistakes to avoid

Approving without checking the vehicleCustomers with multiple cars can book the wrong vehicle by mistake. Always match year, make, model, and plate before you click Approve.
Leaving requests overnightTreat Needs Approval like an inbox: review it at the start of each shift and after lunch on busy days. Fast responses reduce support calls.

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Troubleshooting

I never see Needs ApprovalYour event type may not require approval. An admin can open the event type in Settings > Events & schedule, click Edit, and turn on Require Approval under Access & Status. See Configure event types for step-by-step help.
The Approve button is missingYou may be viewing an already scheduled event, or your role may not have permission to approve bookings. Ask a team admin to review permissions in Settings → Team.
I approved the wrong eventOpen the event and use Update, assign, or reschedule an event to fix the time or assignment. If the appointment should not exist, follow Cancel or delete a scheduled event.

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What to do next