Skip to content
Calendars & Appointments

Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows

Learn how Count available days only skips closed days in GHL Customer Care booking windows for Meetings, Services, and Rentals so customers see useful dates.

7 min read1,656 words6 explained imagesUpdated Tue, 1 Sep at 8:08 AM
View as markdownOpen in ClaudeOpen in ChatGPT
Each image has a one line explanation. Switch to full detail for the step it belongs to, the fields and buttons involved, examples and the whole procedure.
On this page
  1. Key Benefits of Count Available Days Only
  2. How Available Days Are Counted
  3. What Happens When a Day Is Fully Booked?
  4. How Minimum Scheduling Notice Works with Available Days
  5. How Date-Specific Hours Affect the Booking Window
  6. How It Works with Team Calendars
  7. Count Available Days Only for Meeting Calendars
  8. Count Available Days Only for Services
  9. Count Available Days Only for Rentals
  10. How To Set Up Count Available Days Only
  11. Frequently Asked Questions
  12. Related Articles

The Count available days only setting helps keep booking windows focused on days when your business is actually available. Instead of using weekends, closed days, or other unavailable days to fill the booking window, GHL Customer Care can skip those days and continue to the next available ones. The setting is available for Meeting Calendars, Services, and Rentals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is Count Available Days Only?

The Count available days only setting changes how GHL Customer Care decides which days are included in a booking window. It is useful for businesses that do not operate every day of the week and want customers to see the full number of available booking days.

A booking window controls how far into the future a customer can book. Normally, GHL Customer Care counts every calendar day, including weekends and days when you are closed.

When Count available days only is turned on, GHL Customer Care skips days that are not part of your availability schedule and continues counting until it reaches the number of available days you configured.

Simple Example

Suppose your business is open Monday through Friday and your booking window is set to 2 days.

If a customer visits your booking page on Friday:

  • With the setting off, Saturday and Sunday can count as the two days, even though you are closed.

  • With the setting on, Saturday and Sunday are skipped, so the customer can see Monday and Tuesday instead. 

This helps prevent booking pages from appearing empty when you actually have availability just a few days later.

Key Benefits of Count Available Days Only

Using available days instead of every calendar day creates a booking window that better matches the days your business actually works. This is especially helpful for businesses with weekends off, alternating schedules, or only a few working days each week.

  • Show more useful booking dates: Customers see days when your business is scheduled to be available instead of having closed days use up the booking window.

  • Support flexible schedules: The setting works with schedules such as Monday/Wednesday/Friday or other non-standard workweeks.

  • Work with advance notice: GHL Customer Care first applies your Minimum Scheduling Notice and then begins counting available days.

  • Support team calendars: For round robin and collective calendars, a day counts when at least one assigned team member has availability.

  • Respect one-time schedule changes: Days added or blocked using date-specific hours are included or skipped automatically.

  • Work across booking types: The feature is available for Meeting Calendars, Services, and Rentals.

How Available Days Are Counted

An available day is based on the availability schedule connected to the calendar, service, or rental. Understanding this is important because the setting looks at whether the day is scheduled as available, not whether every appointment time is still open.

When the setting is turned on, GHL Customer Care looks ahead and skips days that are outside your availability schedule.

For example, if you are available only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and the booking window is set to 5 days, GHL Customer Care continues looking forward until it finds five scheduled available days. 

Important: Make sure your availability schedule is configured before turning this setting on. If no availability is configured, the booking page may show no available dates.

What Happens When a Day Is Fully Booked?

A fully booked day can still count as an available day.

The setting checks whether the day belongs to your availability schedule. It does not check whether every appointment time on that day has already been booked. A fully booked day may therefore count toward the booking window but show no available time slots. 

How Minimum Scheduling Notice Works with Available Days

Minimum Scheduling Notice controls how much advance notice customers must give before making a booking. GHL Customer Care applies this waiting period first and then begins counting available days for the booking window.

Minimum Scheduling Notice always uses regular calendar time, even when Count available days only is turned on. Weekends and closed days can therefore count toward the notice period. 

For example:

  • Today is Thursday.

  • Minimum Scheduling Notice is 2 days.

  • Your business is open Monday through Friday.

  • Your booking window is 3 days.

  • Count available days only is turned on.

The 2-day notice period is applied first. If that period ends during the weekend, GHL Customer Care finds the next available day and then begins counting your three available booking days. 

How Date-Specific Hours Affect the Booking Window

Date-specific hours let you change your normal schedule for one particular date. The Count available days only setting uses these changes when deciding which days should count.

For example:

  • If you are normally closed on Saturday but add hours for one specific Saturday, that Saturday can count as an available day.

  • If you normally work on Monday but mark one specific Monday as unavailable, that Monday is skipped.

You do not need to turn the setting off and back on after changing your availability. GHL Customer Care uses the updated availability when calculating the booking window. 

How It Works with Team Calendars

Team calendars can have different availability for different staff members. GHL Customer Care considers a day available when at least one assigned team member is scheduled to accept bookings that day.

This behavior applies to round robin and collective calendars. If no assigned team member has availability on a particular day, GHL Customer Care skips that day when Count available days only is enabled. 

For example, if one team member works Monday and Wednesday while another works Tuesday and Thursday, all four days can count toward the booking window because at least one team member is available on each day.

Count Available Days Only for Meeting Calendars

Meeting Calendars use the Date Range setting to control how far into the future customers can book. Turning on Count available days only makes that range count days from your availability schedule instead of every calendar day. 

Count Available Days Only for Meeting Calendars (image 1 of 6) What this shows Meeting Calendars use the Date Range setting to control how far into the future customers can book. What this shows Illustrates the "Count Available Days Only for Meeting Calendars" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "Count Available Days Only for Meeting Calendars" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: Meeting Calendars use the Date Range setting to control how far into the future customers can book. Turning on Count available days only makes that range count days from your availability schedule instead of every calendar day. Immediately after, the guide continues: Services use a Booking Window to control how far ahead customers can schedule. When using a Range based booking window, you can turn on Count available days only to skip days when the service is not staffed or available. Image 1 of 6 What this coversMeeting Calendars use the Date Range setting to control how far into the future customers can book. Turning on Count available days only makes that range count days from your availability schedule instead of every calendar day.
Buttons and menus referenced Date RangeCount available days only
Next stepServices use a Booking Window to control how far ahead customers can schedule. When using a Range based booking window, you can turn on Count available days only to skip days when the service is not staffed or available.

Count Available Days Only for Services

Services use a Booking Window to control how far ahead customers can schedule. When using a Range based booking window, you can turn on Count available days only to skip days when the service is not staffed or available.

Note: For Services, Count available days only works with Range based booking windows. It does not apply when Date-based is selected because Date-based booking uses fixed start and end dates.
Count Available Days Only for Services (image 2 of 6) What this shows Note: For Services, Count available days only works with Range based booking windows. What this shows Illustrates the "Count Available Days Only for Services" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "Count Available Days Only for Services" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: Note: For Services, Count available days only works with Range based booking windows. It does not apply when Date-based is selected because Date-based booking uses fixed start and end dates. Immediately after, the guide continues: Rentals use the Maximum Advance Booking Window to control how far into the future customers can start a rental booking. When Count available days only is turned on, GHL Customer Care counts only days when the rental listing is available. Image 2 of 6 What this coversNote: For Services, Count available days only works with Range based booking windows. It does not apply when Date-based is selected because Date-based booking uses fixed start and end dates.
Buttons and menus referenced Booking WindowRange basedCount available days onlyDate-based
Next stepRentals use the Maximum Advance Booking Window to control how far into the future customers can start a rental booking. When Count available days only is turned on, GHL Customer Care counts only days when the rental listing is available.

Count Available Days Only for Rentals

Rentals use the Maximum Advance Booking Window to control how far into the future customers can start a rental booking. When Count available days only is turned on, GHL Customer Care counts only days when the rental listing is available. 

The counting begins after the Minimum Scheduling Notice period, helping customers receive the full number of available days configured for the rental.

Count Available Days Only for Rentals (image 3 of 6) What this shows The counting begins after the Minimum Scheduling Notice period, helping customers receive the full number of available days configured for the rental. What this shows Illustrates the "Count Available Days Only for Rentals" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "Count Available Days Only for Rentals" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: The counting begins after the Minimum Scheduling Notice period, helping customers receive the full number of available days configured for the rental. Immediately after, the guide continues: Turning on this setting takes only a few steps, but the location is different for Meeting Calendars, Services, and Rentals. Make sure availability has already been configured before enabling it. Image 3 of 6 What this coversThe counting begins after the Minimum Scheduling Notice period, helping customers receive the full number of available days configured for the rental.
Buttons and menus referenced Maximum Advance Booking WindowCount available days only
Next stepTurning on this setting takes only a few steps, but the location is different for Meeting Calendars, Services, and Rentals. Make sure availability has already been configured before enabling it.

How To Set Up Count Available Days Only

Turning on this setting takes only a few steps, but the location is different for Meeting Calendars, Services, and Rentals. Make sure availability has already been configured before enabling it.

For Meeting Calendars

  1. Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings.

  2. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit.

  3. Select Booking rules.

  4. Find Date range.

  5. Turn on Count available days only.

  6. Click Save changes.

How To Set Up Count Available Days Only (image 4 of 6) What this shows Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings. What this shows Illustrates the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit. Select Booking rules. Find Date range. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes. The navigation path used here is Calendars > Calendar Settings. Immediately after, the guide continues: Go to Calendars > Services. Open Global settings. Select Service settings. Under Booking window, select Range based. Set the number of days customers should be able to book ahead. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes. Path: Calendars > Calendar SettingsImage 4 of 6 Where to goGo to Calendars > Calendar Settings. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit. Select Booking rules. Find Date range. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes.
Buttons and menus referenced For Meeting CalendarsCalendars > Calendar SettingsEditBooking rulesDate rangeCount available days onlySave changesFor ServicesCalendars > ServicesGlobal settingsService settingsBooking window
Next stepGo to Calendars > Services. Open Global settings. Select Service settings. Under Booking window, select Range based. Set the number of days customers should be able to book ahead. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes.
All 6 steps in this procedure
  1. Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings.
  2. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit.
  3. Select Booking rules.
  4. Find Date range.
  5. Turn on Count available days only.
  6. Click Save changes.

For Services

  1. Go to Calendars > Services.

  2. Open Global settings.

  3. Select Service settings.

  4. Under Booking window, select Range based.

  5. Set the number of days customers should be able to book ahead.

  6. Turn on Count available days only.

  7. Click Save changes. 

How To Set Up Count Available Days Only (image 5 of 6) What this shows Go to Calendars > Services. What this shows Illustrates the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: Go to Calendars > Services. Open Global settings. Select Service settings. Under Booking window, select Range based. Set the number of days customers should be able to book ahead. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes. The navigation path used here is Calendars > Services. Immediately after, the guide continues: Go to Calendars > Rentals. Open the listing you want to update. Select Booking settings. Find Max advance booking window. Set how far ahead customers should be able to book. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes. Path: Calendars > ServicesImage 5 of 6 Where to goGo to Calendars > Services. Open Global settings. Select Service settings. Under Booking window, select Range based. Set the number of days customers should be able to book ahead. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes.
Buttons and menus referenced For Meeting CalendarsCalendars > Calendar SettingsEditBooking rulesDate rangeCount available days onlySave changesFor ServicesCalendars > ServicesGlobal settingsService settingsBooking window
Next stepGo to Calendars > Rentals. Open the listing you want to update. Select Booking settings. Find Max advance booking window. Set how far ahead customers should be able to book. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes.
All 6 steps in this procedure
  1. Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings.
  2. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit.
  3. Select Booking rules.
  4. Find Date range.
  5. Turn on Count available days only.
  6. Click Save changes.

For Rentals

  1. Go to Calendars > Rentals.

  2. Open the listing you want to update.

  3. Select Booking settings.

  4. Find Max advance booking window.

  5. Set how far ahead customers should be able to book.

  6. Turn on Count available days only.

  7. Click Save changes.

How To Set Up Count Available Days Only (image 6 of 6) What this shows Go to Calendars > Rentals. What this shows Illustrates the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". This screenshot appears in the "How To Set Up Count Available Days Only" section of "Count Only Available Days in Booking Windows". The text alongside this image reads: Go to Calendars > Rentals. Open the listing you want to update. Select Booking settings. Find Max advance booking window. Set how far ahead customers should be able to book. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes. The navigation path used here is Calendars > Rentals. Immediately after, the guide continues: Q: Does turning on Count available days only change the number I entered for the booking window? A: No. If your booking window is set to 5 days, it remains 5 days. GHL Customer Care simply counts five available days instead of five calendar…. Path: Calendars > RentalsImage 6 of 6 Where to goGo to Calendars > Rentals. Open the listing you want to update. Select Booking settings. Find Max advance booking window. Set how far ahead customers should be able to book. Turn on Count available days only. Click Save changes.
Buttons and menus referenced For Meeting CalendarsCalendars > Calendar SettingsEditBooking rulesDate rangeCount available days onlySave changesFor ServicesCalendars > ServicesGlobal settingsService settingsBooking window
Next stepQ: Does turning on Count available days only change the number I entered for the booking window? A: No. If your booking window is set to 5 days, it remains 5 days. GHL Customer Care simply counts five available days instead of five calendar days.
All 6 steps in this procedure
  1. Go to Calendars > Calendar Settings.
  2. Find the calendar you want to change and click Edit.
  3. Select Booking rules.
  4. Find Date range.
  5. Turn on Count available days only.
  6. Click Save changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does turning on Count available days only change the number I entered for the booking window?
A: No. If your booking window is set to 5 days, it remains 5 days. GHL Customer Care simply counts five available days instead of five calendar days. 

Q: Why am I not seeing any dates after turning the setting on?
A: Check your availability settings. The feature uses your availability schedule to decide which days count. If no availability is configured, the booking page may not show any dates.

Q: Does a fully booked day still count as an available day?
A: Yes. A day that is part of your availability schedule still counts even if all of its appointment times have already been booked.

Q: Does Minimum Scheduling Notice count only available days too?
A: No. Minimum Scheduling Notice continues to count normal calendar time. GHL Customer Care applies the notice first, then begins counting the available days in your booking window. 

Q: What happens if I change my availability after turning the setting on?
A: GHL Customer Care automatically uses your updated availability when calculating which days count. You do not need to enable the setting again. 

Q: Does this work with round robin and collective calendars?
A: Yes. A day counts as available when at least one assigned team member has availability on that day.

Q: Does Count available days only work with Date-based booking windows in Services?
A: No. In Services, the setting only works with Range based booking windows.

Q: What happens when the toggle is turned off?
A: GHL Customer Care returns to counting every calendar day in the booking window, including weekends and days with no availability. 

Frequently asked questions

What Happens When a Day Is Fully Booked?
A fully booked day can still count as an available day. The setting checks whether the day belongs to your availability schedule. It does not check whether every appointment time on that day has already been booked. A fully booked day may therefore count toward the booking window but show no available time slots.

Was this guide helpful?

Related guides

Google Calendar Writer Access Error1 min read · 3 imagesHow to Re-Integrate Google Calendar for a User3 min read · 4 imagesWhy Appointment Time Slots Are Missing on Your Calendar3 min read · 5 imagesWhen {{appointment.start_time}} or any other appointment custom values are not showing up1 min read · 7 images