Overview
Availability in the Calendar works as a cascade, across three levels, from the most general to the most specific:
- Account — the default availability for the whole operation. Set it once here and it applies everywhere.
- Calendar — can inherit the account default or define its own hours for that calendar/agent.
- Event type — can inherit what comes from the calendar (or account) or have its own hours for that service only (for example, "Demo" only on Tuesday mornings).
Each level inherits from the one above until you decide to override it. That way you don't repeat the same grid everywhere: you adjust the default once and only create exceptions where you truly need them. The times offered to the customer are always the intersection of the effective availability (after the cascade), the busy times, and the buffers.
Prerequisites
- The Calendar module enabled and at least one calendar created or connected.
- A profile allowed to configure availability.
- (Optional) An inbox with business hours defined, if you want to copy them.
Step by step
1) Set the account default:
- Open the Calendar settings and go to Availability.
- Define the default weekly time ranges and the time zone.
- (Optional) Add holidays and exception dates that apply to the whole account.
2) Refine per calendar:
- Open the desired calendar.
- Keep it on Inherit from account or choose Customize and adjust the ranges for that calendar only.
3) Refine per event type:
- Open the event type.
- Keep it on Inherit (from the calendar/account) or set its own hours for that service.
Copy the inbox's business hours (shortcut):
- On the availability screen, use Copy business hours from inbox.
- The inbox's business-hours ranges are brought in as a starting point — adjust as needed.
Copying replaces the whole grid. An inbox stores a single range per day, so a day that had two (a morning and an afternoon separated by lunch) comes back with one. If you have already split your shifts, build the ranges by hand instead of copying — or copy first and re-create the gaps after.
Settings & options
- Inheritance (cascade): each level inherits the one above (account → calendar → event type) until overridden.
- Weekly ranges: the recurring intervals per weekday when you accept appointments.
- Time zone: set per level; it directly affects the times offered to the customer.
- Holidays / exceptions: specific dates that block (or open) times, without touching the weekly grid.
- Copy business hours from inbox: imports an inbox's business-hours ranges as the availability baseline.
Use cases
- Set one hours default for the whole account and not repeat it in every calendar.
- A specific agent's calendar with hours different from the default.
- A "Demo" event type in reduced hours only, even if the calendar accepts more.
- Block a holiday for the whole account at once.
- Reuse the business hours already configured on the inbox as a starting point.
Tips, limits & best practices
- Configure the account default first and only customize where there is a real difference — fewer grids to maintain.
- Keep levels on Inherit whenever possible: change the account default and it changes for everyone who inherits.
- Check each calendar's time zone; a wrong zone shifts every time offered. (Event types have no time zone of their own — they use the calendar's.)
- Use holidays/exceptions instead of deleting ranges from the weekly grid — it's reversible and clearer.
- After copying the inbox's business hours, review them: support hours aren't always the same as booking hours.
Troubleshooting
- I changed the account default and one calendar didn't change: it is probably Customized (not inheriting). Switch it back to Inherit or adjust it directly.
- No free times appear: the cascade may have narrowed the effective availability too much; review account, calendar and event type. Review buffers and lead times too: they have their own account default under Agenda settings → Scheduling defaults, and an event type only departs from it when you fill its field in. Leaving the event type's field empty is what makes it follow the account. See Account scheduling defaults and inheritance.
- A holiday didn't block: confirm at which level you added it — account holidays apply everywhere; a calendar's, only to it.
- The inbox hours didn't come in: the inbox needs defined business hours to be copied.