Buffer time
What is buffer time?
Buffer time is a block of minutes that a scheduling tool keeps free before or after each booked meeting, so appointments never sit back to back. On a booking page, a buffer quietly removes the start times that would sit too close to another commitment, so you get time to prepare, write notes or run over.
How does buffer time work?
A booking tool checks every possible start time before it shows it. With buffers set, it stretches each candidate slot by the buffer before and the buffer after, and offers the slot only if that whole stretched span is free in your calendar.
An example: you offer 30-minute calls and set a 15-minute buffer after. Someone books 10:00 to 10:30. The tool now treats you as busy until 10:45, so the next slot it can offer starts at 10:45, not 10:30. A buffer before works the same way in the other direction: with 10 minutes before, a slot that would start right after another meeting ends is not offered.
Buffers sit next to other booking rules. Minimum notice stops last-minute bookings, a daily limit caps how many meetings a day can hold, and a booking window sets how far ahead people can book.
How much buffer time should you set?
Start from what actually happens around your meetings rather than from a round number. Every minute of buffer removes bookable time, so a buffer that is too large makes you look busier than you are.
| Situation | Buffer that helps |
|---|---|
| Calls often run over | A buffer after, roughly the usual overrun. |
| You read a form or file before each call | A buffer before, long enough to prepare. |
| You write notes or a follow-up after each call | A buffer after. |
| Short, routine calls that never overrun | None, or a few minutes for a break. |
How do you set buffer time in Meeto?
Open Availability in your Meeto dashboard and find “Default buffers & limits”. There you set “Buffer before” and “Buffer after” in minutes, up to 240 each, along with “Minimum notice” in hours, “Max bookings” per day and the “Booking window” in days. The buffers, notice and daily limit apply to every meeting type on your booking page; a meeting type can set its own booking window.
Your booking page then offers a slot only when the slot plus its buffers is clear of your existing bookings and of the busy times in your connected Google or Apple calendar. The scheduling guide covers the rest of the setup.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests see my buffer time?
No. A guest simply sees fewer start times on the booking page. Nothing on the page or in the invitation says that a buffer exists.
What is the difference between buffer time and minimum notice?
Minimum notice is measured from now: it stops someone from booking a slot that starts in ten minutes. Buffer time is measured around each meeting: it keeps a gap before or after every booked appointment, whenever it is.
Does buffer time apply to meetings I schedule myself?
Buffers decide which times your booking page offers to guests. When you schedule a meeting yourself from the dashboard, you pick the time directly, so leave the gap yourself if you want one.
Can different meeting types have different buffers in Meeto?
No. Meeto's buffers are set once for the whole account and apply to every meeting type. The meeting type editor links back to Availability, where they are changed.
Put it to work
Open your Meeto account to set it up, or explore the working product first.