PackBook Documentation
Offers, embeds, plans, payments, and portals
PackBook helps service businesses sell bookable offers, embed checkout on any website, create private client plans, and keep payments, appointments, credits, emails, and client portals connected.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
- An active workspace where PackBook is installed
- A Stripe account if you want to sell paid offers online
- At least one connected calendar with availability configured
Connect Stripe
- Open Setup in the PackBook sidebar.
- Click Connect Stripe.
- Complete Stripe onboarding in the new tab.
- Return to PackBook. The Stripe card should show Ready.
Stripe is required for paid checkout. No-payment offers and client plans can be used for scheduling-only workflows.
Core Concepts
Choosing the right workflow
| Need | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sell the same service repeatedly | Offer | Reusable checkout with its own pricing, calendar rules, and sharing options. |
| Put booking directly on a website | Offer + Inline Embed | Keeps the buyer on the page while PackBook handles availability and checkout. |
| Use an existing website button | Direct Button URL | Paste the public checkout URL behind any existing button. |
| Share from a desk, flyer, or event | QR Code | Sends the client to the same public checkout from a phone scan. |
| Build a custom schedule for one client | Client Plan | Staff chooses the client, visits, providers, and exact or recurring times. |
| Book two or more providers together | Multi-provider Visit | Every selected provider calendar must be available at the same time. |
| Client already paid outside PackBook | Record offline sale | Creates paid credits and a portal link without charging through Stripe. |
Offer vs Client Plan
Offers are reusable public products. Use them for links, embeds, popup buttons, compact cards, and QR codes. Client Plans are Pro private schedules for one specific client, usually created by staff.
Session vs Visit
A session is a credit in the client balance. A visit is the real appointment time. In multi-provider mode, one visit can create appointments on several calendars while consuming one logical credit.
Flexible vs Multi-provider
Flexible calendar choice means the buyer picks one allowed calendar. Use it when any provider can deliver the service. Multi-provider visit means every selected provider must be free together.
Manual vs Recurring Plans
Manual is best when every visit has its own date and time. Recurring is best when the pattern is stable, such as weekly or every two weeks. PackBook checks every generated visit before creation.
Calendar duration, interval, and buffers
Meeting duration is how long the appointment lasts. Meeting interval controls how often start times appear. Pre/post buffers protect time before and after the appointment. PackBook checks the whole protected window, not only the visible visit duration. For example, a 30-minute visit with 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after needs 60 clean minutes on the calendar.
Payment modes and offline sales
Paid upfront charges the client online before confirmation. No payment skips Stripe but still creates appointments, credits, and portal access. Record offline sale is different: it is used from Sales when the client already paid outside PackBook. It creates paid credits from a published offer, sends a portal link, records no Stripe charge, and does not book appointments immediately.
Offers
Create an offer
- Go to Offers in the sidebar.
- Click + New, then choose New Offer.
- Fill Offer identity: name, short description, long description, and optional cover image.
- Set Commercial: Paid upfront or No payment, sessions, price, validity, and cancellation window.
- Set Booking: choose Flexible calendar choice or Multi-provider visit.
- Select the allowed calendars or required provider calendars.
- Click Save draft, then Publish when the offer is ready.
Booking modes
- Flexible calendar choice lets the buyer choose one allowed calendar for each session.
- Multi-provider visit requires every selected provider calendar to be available at the same time for each visit.
Calendar rules
PackBook reads meeting duration, interval, and buffer data where available. If selected calendars have different rules, PackBook uses the safest value so buyers cannot over-book a provider calendar.
Sharing an Offer
Where sharing lives
Open a published offer and use Share this offer. The available tabs are Link, Embed, Allowed Domains, and QR Code.
Link
Use Public checkout link for bios, messages, email, SMS, and simple buttons. Use Direct button URL when another website already has its own button.
Embed
Use Inline checkout to show PackBook directly inside a page, Popup button to open checkout in a responsive modal, or Compact card to show a small offer summary with a call to action.
Allowed Domains
Inline, popup, and compact card embeds only load on domains you explicitly allow. Public checkout links and QR codes do not require allowed domains.
QR Code
Use Download PNG for printed material, front desks, events, and local service locations. Copy QR URL copies the checkout destination.
Client Plans
Client Plans are available on Pro. Use them when staff creates a private schedule for one known client.
Create a private plan
- Go to Plans or click + New from Offers and choose New Client Plan.
- In Plan details, choose Free booking or Record paid.
- Enter the client details, plan name, visit count, price if applicable, and visit duration.
- Choose Single provider visit or Multi-provider visit.
- Choose Manual visits or Recurring visits.
- Click Check availability.
- If every previewed visit is available, click Create plan.
Manual vs recurring
Manual lets you add exact visit dates with + Add visit. Recurring generates a weekly, every-2-weeks, or monthly series from one start date and a visit count.
What Create plan does
PackBook creates the client record, appointment credits, calendar appointments, and a private client portal link. If multi-provider is selected, each logical visit reserves all selected provider calendars at the same time.
Checkout, Payments, and Credits
Paid offers
The buyer selects the required slots, enters their details, and pays through Stripe. After payment succeeds, PackBook creates the appointments, records the sale, sends confirmation email, and opens the client portal flow.
No-payment offers
No-payment offers skip Stripe checkout. PackBook still creates appointments, credits, client records, and portal access.
Client portal
Each client receives a private portal link. From the portal they can view remaining credits, book unused sessions or visits, reschedule, or cancel within your rules.
Sales and Refunds
Sales
Open Sales to view paid, refunded, and all transactions. Click a sale to see client details, credits, appointments, actions, and refund tools.
Record offline sale
From Sales, click Record offline sale to create client credits for a client who already paid outside PackBook. It requires a published offer, does not create a Stripe charge, applies no PackBook transaction fee, and emails the client a portal link so they can book remaining credits.
Sale actions
Sale detail pages include Copy portal link, Resend portal email, Pause, Reactivate, and Refund. Session rows can be marked Complete, No-show, or Cancel.
Pricing and Billing
Starter
Starter has no monthly cost. It includes public offers, checkout sharing, multi-slot booking, client portal, automated emails, Stripe Connect payouts, and email support.
Pro
Pro lowers the transaction fee to 1%, removes the per-transaction cap, and unlocks advanced workflows such as Client Plans with manual, recurring, and multi-provider visits, manual/offline client creation, custom email templates, badge removal, and priority support.
Manage billing
Open Setup to see Stripe status, this month's gross sales, PackBook fees, your active plan, and the Open app billing or Manage subscription button.
Troubleshooting
A paid offer cannot be published.
Open Setup and confirm Stripe shows Ready. Paid offers require Stripe. No-payment offers do not.
An embed does not load.
Open the offer, go to Allowed Domains, add the exact website domain, and click Save allowed domains.
A plan preview says a visit is unavailable.
The selected time conflicts with provider availability, meeting duration, buffers, or an existing appointment. Pick another time, shorten the custom visit duration if appropriate, or adjust the provider calendar rules in your workspace.
Need help?
Email support@packbook.app. We respond within 24 hours on business days.