Practical guide

Account for travel between appointments

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-23

Quick answerAn employee or asset cannot be in two locations merely because the appointment times do not overlap. Include the transition interval.
What to know

Model the gap you actually need

Imagine an appointment ending at one branch at 11:00 and another starting elsewhere at 11:10. A ten-minute calendar gap is only usable if the person and required equipment can complete the transition in that time. Include packing, travel and preparation where relevant. This is an original scheduling example, not a vendor routing claim. Do not infer travel-aware scheduling from a product’s ability to list several business locations.

What to know

Distinguish a fixed allowance from routing

A fixed buffer may be a workable approximation when transitions are predictable. Variable travel between addresses is a different problem and may need a dedicated routing or dispatch system. Keep those categories separate when evaluating appointment software. We have not established automatic route optimization for the products in this guide. If variable travel is essential, make it a must-have requirement rather than expecting a location label to calculate the journey.

What to know

Test the change of place

Build a fictional sequence with two appointments at the same branch, then replace the second with a different branch. Record the earliest acceptable start under each scenario. Ask whether the proposed configuration can represent that difference without staff editing every request. Also test the equipment transfer if a movable asset is involved. A staff calendar may be free while the required item remains at the previous location.

What to know

Choose an honest booking promise

When transition time cannot be represented reliably, a request-for-confirmation process may be more appropriate than instant acceptance. Explain the review step clearly to the customer. Do not publish unrestricted slots and rely on staff to repair conflicts afterward. A narrower set of dependable booking times can be more useful than broad apparent availability that repeatedly requires rescheduling. Revisit the rule when locations, travel patterns or service durations change.

Continue when useful

Next: Shared resource pool or separate location inventory?

Pool resources only when they are genuinely interchangeable and available at the location where the appointment occurs.

Open Shared resource pool or separate location inventory? →

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. Trafft employee configuration — Merchant documentation · trafft.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-23
  2. Trafft booking settings — Merchant documentation · trafft.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-23