Overview We have the menu (Order Page); now we need to open the restaurant. In this module, we will configure the "brain" of Spiro to decide who gets the job, when they are available, and how the system communicates with agents after they book.
Step 1: Choose Your Scheduling Method ⚙️
Navigate to Settings > Scheduling. Open the Scheduling Method box. You have two choices:
Manual: Clients request a time, but nothing is confirmed until you review it. You must manually assign a photographer and send a confirmation email.
Automatic (Recommended): The system books the appointment instantly based on photographer skills, service area, and Google Calendar availability.
Note: Automatic is by far the most popular choice as it saves massive amounts of admin time.
Step 2: Assignment Logic (Who gets the job?) 🚗
If you have multiple photographers, you need to tell Spiro how to distribute the work.
Closest Drive Distance (Best for efficiency): The system assigns the job to the photographer who is geographically closest to the listing. This drastically reduces drive time and gas costs.
Priority: Assigns jobs to your "Lead" photographer first until they hit a specific job count or dollar amount.
Round Robin: Distributes jobs equally in a circle (Person A, then Person B, then Person C).
Solopreneurs: If you are a single user, you can skip this section!
Step 3: Order Page Controls 🛒
Scroll down to Order Page Options to control how strict your booking rules are.
Switch to Manual if No Availability: (Highly Recommended: ON). If your calendar is full, this allows the client to still place the order so you don't lose the sale. You can figure out the scheduling later.
Client Selects Photographer: Toggle Yes if you want agents to choose their favorite shooter from a dropdown. Toggle No to keep it simple.
Allow Same Day Booking: Decide if clients can book you for today. You can set specific cutoff times (e.g., "No same-day bookings after 12:00 PM").
Step 4: Buffers & Success Messages 💬
Scroll down to Scheduling Settings.
Cancellation Buffer Time: How close to the shoot can an agent cancel? (e.g., Setting this to 1 Hour means they can self-cancel up until 60 minutes before the job).
Order Completion Text: This is the message the agent sees on their screen immediately after buying.
Pro Tip: Use this to set expectations! Example: "Thanks for your order! You will receive a confirmation email shortly."
Show Tracking Page Button: This shows a "Pizza Tracker" style link. We recommend turning this OFF to avoid confusing agents, as they get tracking info via email anyway.
Step 5: Calendar Invites 🗓️
Scroll to the bottom Agent Appointment Invite Settings.
Calendar Attachment: Toggle this ON.
Why? This attaches an
.icsfile to the confirmation email. Agents can double-click it to instantly add the photoshoot to their own Google or Outlook calendar, reducing "no-show" risks.
Step 6: Save & Verify
Click Save Changes at the bottom of each section. If you made changes to "Cancellation Reasons" or "Reschedule Reasons," ensure those are clear for your clients.
Next Up:
We have the rules set. Now, let's define exactly where you work and how much you charge for travel.