Not every booking deserves an instant place on your calendar.
Sometimes you need a moment to review, confirm, and decide – before a client locks in your time. Whether you’re managing a high-demand clinic, an exclusive salon, or a consultancy with limited hours, control over appointment confirmations is essential.
That’s where SimplyBook.me steps in.
With the Approve Bookings custom feature, you can set appointments to enter a pending state until you give the green light. It’s a simple yet powerful tool that helps you approve client bookings manually, keeping your schedule tight, focused, and aligned with your priorities.
And yes – clients are kept in the loop with automatic notifications, so everyone stays informed without you lifting a finger.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how the feature works, how to activate it, and how different businesses are already using it to filter out the noise and stay in control.
I. What Is the “Approve Bookings” Custom Feature?
The Approve Bookings feature in SimplyBook.me lets you decide which appointments get confirmed – and which don’t.
Instead of letting every booking request instantly fill up your calendar, this feature puts new appointments into a Pending state. From there, you can manually approve or decline each request based on your own criteria – client fit, time availability, or internal policies.
Once approved, the booking becomes official and visible in your calendar. If declined, the slot is released and the client receives a polite notification.
This feature is ideal for service-based businesses that:
- Need to screen or qualify clients
- Offer limited-time or exclusive services
- Want to add a layer of human oversight to their scheduling process
💡 Important: To use this functionality, you’ll need to activate the “Approve Bookings” custom feature from your SimplyBook.me admin panel.
🔐 And remember: SimplyBook.me is HIPAA-compliant and ISO 27001 certified, ensuring your client data is managed securely at every step – including during booking approvals.
II. When & Why to Use Booking Approval
Approving bookings manually might sound like an extra step – but for the right business, it’s a game-changer.
The Approve Bookings feature empowers service providers to control appointment confirmations, reduce no-shows, and optimize their calendar around high-value clients or time-sensitive services. Here’s when it really shines:
Healthcare & Wellness Clinics
Need to screen patients before intake? Running limited-time vaccination slots or specialist consults?
Use case: Approve only verified or referred patients to avoid no-shows or misbookings.
💡 Bonus: Combine with medical intake forms for a seamless triage process.
Consultants, Coaches & Legal Services
Time is money – and not every inquiry is worth it.
Use case: Review each booking request to confirm budget, scope, or intent before you commit your time.
Tutoring & Educational Programs
Your group workshop has 10 seats. Only students who meet certain criteria should get in.
Use case: Approve student sessions based on experience level, prerequisites, or course availability.
Beauty, Spa & Wellness Businesses
Not every appointment is standard.
Use case: Add booking approval for high-end treatments, after-hours services, or appointments that need custom prep.
Field Services & On-Site Consults
Your team might not be available in every area at every time.
Use case: Approve appointments based on location, availability, or travel costs before confirming.
Why It Matters
- Filter bookings before they hit your calendar
- Reduce no-shows and irrelevant requests
- Offer exclusivity for high-demand services
- Control peak-hour load and staff allocation
With SimplyBook.me’s booking approval system, you decide who gets confirmed – and when. It’s the smart way to run a more focused, more profitable schedule.
III. Step-by-Step: How to Enable the Approve Bookings Feature
Activating booking pre-approval in SimplyBook.me is a quick setup that gives you full control over your calendar.
Follow these steps to turn on the Approve Bookings custom feature and start manually reviewing appointment requests before they’re confirmed:
- Log into your SimplyBook.me admin interface
- Enable Approve bookings custom feature in your Custom features section.
- Navigate to Calendar//Pending bookings to check the bookings waiting for approval and accept or decline them.
- The client will receive the confirmation email only after your approval.
- If you decline the booking there will be no notification to the client.
📌 Important:
Prepaid bookings are going to be approved automatically. Only free services and bookings with “Pay Later” option can be approved/rejected.
If the client booked using Multiple bookings custom feature(or other batch bookings) all appointments from multiple bookings pack are approved if one session is approved. The way around is to edit reservations you want to reschedule and cancel reservations you want to decline first, and then approve the pack.
IV. Client Experience: What Clients See
While booking pre-approval gives you full control, it’s equally important that the client’s experience remains smooth and professional – and SimplyBook.me delivers exactly that.
When a client books a service that requires admin approval, they’ll go through the normal booking process – selecting a service, choosing a time, and entering their details. But instead of receiving an instant confirmation, they’ll see a message letting them know:
🕓 “Thank you for your request. Your booking is awaiting approval. You’ll be notified once it’s confirmed.”
What Happens Next?
If approved: The client gets a confirmation email (or SMS) with all the appointment details, just as they would for a regular booking.
If you decline the booking there will be no notification to the client.
These notifications are fully automated – no manual follow-up needed from your side (unless you want to).
Even though bookings aren’t confirmed instantly, the client experience stays seamless, transparent, and trustworthy – all powered by SimplyBook.me’s smart automation.
V. Recap: Key Benefits of Pre-Approval
Let’s zoom out and look at the big picture. Why use booking approval in the first place?
Because it’s not just about rejecting a few inconvenient requests – it’s about owning your schedule.
Top Benefits of Approving Client Bookings Manually:
- Full control over your calendar
- No more surprise appointments – you choose who gets in.
- Smarter resource management
- Prioritize high-value or urgent clients. Avoid overbookings.
- Reduced no-shows and mismatched bookings
- Vet clients before they take up valuable time.
- Custom service flows
- Use approval only where it’s needed – for VIPs, consultations, or niche offerings.
- Client clarity and professionalism
- Automatic updates keep communication polished and on-brand.
📌 Whether you’re running a clinic, coaching clients, or managing a busy studio, SimplyBook.me’s booking approval system helps you stay organized, intentional, and in full control.
🔐 And with SimplyBook.me’s HIPAA compliance and ISO 27001 certification, your booking process stays secure, professional, and aligned with industry standards.
VI. Final Thoughts: Approvals Made Easy
Giving clients an amazing experience doesn’t mean giving up control of your schedule.
With SimplyBook.me’s Approve Bookings custom feature, you can review each request, filter out mismatches, and confirm only the appointments that align with your time and priorities – all without sacrificing automation, speed, or clarity.
From healthcare clinics to beauty salons, consultants to educators, the ability to control appointment confirmations puts you in charge of your client journey – from first click to final follow-up.
Take Control Today
If you’re ready to:
Approve client bookings on your terms
Reduce scheduling chaos
And deliver a streamlined, personalized experience
Then it’s time to try SimplyBook.me’s pre-approval system.
🎯 Your schedule – Your rules
🔗 Start now with SimplyBook.me – where every booking begins with your approval.
FAQ: Approving Client Bookings in SimplyBook.me
What is the Approve Bookings feature in SimplyBook.me?
The Approve Bookings feature allows service providers to manually review each new booking request before it’s confirmed and added to the calendar. When enabled, incoming appointments are placed into a “Pending” state. You then decide whether to approve or decline each request. This feature is especially useful for businesses that want to screen clients, control overbooking, or manage limited availability services with greater precision and flexibility.
How do I enable the booking approval system?
To enable booking approval, log into your SimplyBook.me admin interface and go to Manage → Custom Features. Find and activate the “Approve Bookings” feature. Once enabled, all incoming bookings across your system will require manual approval before they’re confirmed. Clients will receive a notification that their request is pending, and you’ll be able to approve or decline it from the Reports → Bookings details section under the Pending tab.
Where can I manage pending bookings?
Pending bookings can be managed from the Reports → Bookings details → Pending bookings section within your SimplyBook.me admin panel. Just click the Pending tab to view all appointment requests awaiting approval. You can click into each booking to review client details, then choose to approve or decline with a single click. Approved bookings are confirmed and added to your schedule, while declined ones are canceled.
Will clients be notified if their booking is approved or declined?
Yes. SimplyBook.me automatically sends a notification to the client once you approve their booking. These messages can be delivered via email or SMS, depending on your system settings. You also have the option to personalize the message text using Custom Translations, which helps you maintain a consistent tone and ensure your clients clearly understand the status of their booking request and next steps.
Can I apply pre-approval to some services and not others?
No. The Approve Bookings feature in SimplyBook.me applies system-wide – meaning it affects all services once enabled. You cannot apply booking approval to just a few services while leaving others to be auto-confirmed. If you need more granular control, consider using custom booking flows or duplicating your system setup to separate approval-based services from regular ones.