A temporary reservation is an automatic slot block that is active while a customer fills in the booking form. This function prevents another customer from booking the same time slot at the same time, a problem that can occur especially with high-demand appointments or limited availability. Without a temporary reservation, double bookings or frustrating situations could arise in which a customer fills in the form only to find out at the end that the slot has been taken in the meantime.
How it works
- As soon as a customer selects a time slot and starts filling in the booking form, the slot is provisionally reserved for a configurable period (typically 5-15 minutes)
- Other customers who open the booking page during this time see the slot as not bookable or marked with the notice "Currently being booked"
- If the first customer completes the booking within the time limit, the temporary reservation becomes a fixed booking
- If the customer does not complete the booking within the time limit (e.g. because they leave the page, take too long or close the browser), the temporary reservation is automatically released and the slot becomes available again
- Optional: a countdown timer in the booking form shows the customer the remaining time ("You have 8:32 minutes left to complete this booking")
Why is a temporary reservation important?
Without a temporary reservation
- Customer A selects 10:00 am and starts filling in the form
- Customer B opens the page at the same time, sees 10:00 am as available and also starts booking
- Customer A completes the booking first
- Customer B completes the booking a few seconds later
- Problem: Two bookings for the same slot, a conflict!
With a temporary reservation
- Customer A selects 10:00 am → the slot is temporarily reserved
- Customer B opens the page → 10:00 am is shown as "not available"
- Customer A completes the booking → the temporary reservation becomes a fixed booking
- Customer B selects a different slot → no conflict
Configurable parameters
- Duration of the temporary reservation: Typically 5-15 minutes, depending on the complexity of the booking form
- Countdown visible? Yes/No: some operators show a countdown ("10 minutes left"), others do not (to avoid creating stress)
- Behavior on expiry: Automatic release of the slot or a warning to the customer ("Your reservation is about to expire")
- Resumption: Can the customer reserve the same slot again after their first reservation has expired?
Benefits
- Preventing double bookings: A major technical and organizational problem that the temporary reservation prevents
- Fairness: The customer who selects a slot first also has the chance to book it
- Better user experience: Customers are not frustrated because their chosen slot is suddenly gone
- Legal certainty: Clear assignment of who booked which slot
Drawbacks and challenges
- Blocked slots: If many customers select slots at the same time but do not complete the booking, many slots can be temporarily blocked
- Time pressure: A countdown can create stress and lead to hasty decisions
- Abuse: In theory, someone could deliberately block many slots temporarily (very rare in practice)
Technical implementation
The temporary reservation is stored in the database with a timestamp. A background process (cron job or scheduler) regularly checks (e.g. every minute) whether temporary reservations have expired and releases them automatically. The booking calendar shows in real time which slots are firmly booked, temporarily reserved or available.
Example process with a time limit
- 10:00 am: The customer selects a slot for Monday 3:00 pm → temporary reservation until 10:15 am
- 10:05 am: The customer fills in the form
- 10:10 am: The customer enters payment details
- 10:12 am: The booking is completed → the temporary reservation becomes a fixed booking
- Alternative: The customer leaves the page at 10:08 am → at 10:15 am the slot is automatically released again
Best practices
- Choose an appropriate duration: 10 minutes is enough for most forms; complex forms (e.g. with file uploads) may need 15 minutes
- Clear communication: Customers should be informed about the reservation ("This slot is reserved for you for 10 minutes")
- Do not create panic: The countdown should be visible but not alarming
- Offer an extension: If the customer is almost done but time is running short, offer an option to extend
Special cases
- High load: With very many simultaneous visitors, almost all slots may be temporarily reserved; clear communication helps ("Many customers are booking right now, please try again in a few minutes")
- Group events: For appointments with limited capacity (e.g. a workshop with 10 spots), temporary reservation is particularly important
- Mobile use: Filling in the form on a smartphone can take longer, so a longer reservation period may be appropriate
Difference from other forms of reservation
- Temporary reservation: Short-term, while the form is being filled in, automatic
- Waiting list: Long-term, for fully booked appointments, manual/semi-automatic
- Binding booking: Permanent, after the booking process has been completed