Set Up a Service Calendar for a Dog Grooming Business

Service Calendars let a dog grooming business define each service, assign the right groomers, and reserve specific stations and tools for every appointment. Customers book online and the system prevents double-booking of staff, rooms, or equipment.

What a Service Calendar does

• Automated booking: customers self-serve without calling the salon.
• Resource control: reserve grooming stations, tubs, clippers, dryers per appointment.
• Staff scheduling: groomer hours flow into customer-facing availability.
• Service grouping: organize offerings under "Bath & Brush" or "Full Grooming".
• Multi-service bookings: let clients add bath plus nail trim in one appointment.
• Branded booking page: add images and colors to match the business.

Step 1: Add staff and availability

1. From the sub-account dashboard, go to Settings > My Staff > Add User.
2. Enter the groomer's name, email, and extension.
3. Set permissions to limit access where needed.
4. Define availability — for example, Mark works Mon/Wed/Fri 9am-5pm and Henry works Tue-Sat 11am-7pm.
5. Click Save.

Step 2: Create groups for grooming services

1. Open Calendars > Calendar Settings.
2. Go to Preferences > Account Preference and toggle Service Menu on.
3. In the Calendars tab click + New Group.
4. Enter Group Name, Description, URL slug, and template (Classic or Neo).
5. Click Create.

Step 3: Create the Service Calendar

1. Select a group from the left sidebar and click Create Calendar.
2. Choose Service Booking from the calendar types.
3. Fill in Service Name, Assigned Staff, Custom URL, Service Duration, and Availability.
4. Click Advanced Settings for branding, payments, notifications, rooms, and equipment.

Service Details

Upload a Service Logo. Use a clear Service Name (e.g. "Full Groom"). Add a Description like "60-minute full groom including bath, haircut, and blow-dry." Assign the service to its Group and set a Custom URL like /full-groom-booking.

Appointment & Staff

Set the Appointment Invite Title (placeholders like {{contact.name}} personalize it). Assign one or more groomers under Team Members. Define a Meeting Location — salon, station, or video link — and pick a Meeting Color for the internal calendar.

Rooms

Assign a physical space — "Grooming Station 1" for full grooms, "Bathing Tub" for bath and brush. Once a customer books, that space is reserved and cannot be double-booked.

Equipment

Link tools required for the service — high-velocity dryers, clipper kits — and specify available quantity. Sparkforge reserves the equipment per booking so it isn't overbooked across appointments.

Edit existing Service Calendars

Go to Meetings > Service Calendars (v1), find the calendar, and click the pencil icon under Actions. Adjust service name, staff, availability, notifications, or resources without rebuilding the calendar.

Step 4: Build a Service Menu

1. Open Meetings > Service Calendars (v1) > Service Menu.
2. Click + Create Service Menu.
3. Enter Menu name, Description, URL slug. Choose a Form and toggle Consent if needed.
4. Under Additional Options, toggle Add Guests, Multiple Service Selection, and Staff Selection as needed.
5. Click Select Services and choose the groups or calendars to include.
6. Drag handles in Arrange your services to put popular items first.

Share the Service Menu link with customers as the single booking page for the business.