> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cura.so/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating a booking manually

> Not every appointment starts in chat.

Not every appointment starts in chat. A walk-in, a phone call, a regular you book on their behalf — sometimes you need to add a booking yourself. This guide shows you how, and how to link it to the right customer so reminders and history stay tidy.

By the end, you'll have a booking on your calendar that behaves exactly like one your AI made — same statuses, same reminders.

## Before you begin

* You'll need access to the **workspace** the appointment belongs to.
* Have the **customer**, a **title** for the appointment, and the **date and time** ready.
* Set your **working hours and timezone** in Business Availability first (see [Setting working hours and availability](/bookings/working-hours-and-availability)) so times are interpreted correctly.

***

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a new booking">
    * Open **Bookings** and choose to add a new booking (or create one directly from a customer's conversation).
    * Pick the **workspace** if you manage more than one — each workspace keeps its own calendar.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add the details">
    * **Title** *(required)* — what the appointment is for, e.g. *"PRP facial"* or *"Consultation"*.
    * **Description** *(optional)* — any notes you want on the booking.
    * **Start time** *(required)* — the date and time the appointment begins. Times use your workspace timezone, shown next to the field. The booking is one hour long, so the end time is set for you.

    <Note>
      Manual bookings are one hour long. There's no service or duration picker on the booking form — pick the start time and Cura sets the end an hour later.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link the customer">
    * **Search for an existing contact** so the booking ties back to their conversation and history.
    * **Create a new contact** if this is someone you haven't messaged before — that way reminders and future chats have somewhere to live.

    <Note>
      A contact is required, and it's also what makes reminders possible: email reminders are sent to the contact on the booking.
    </Note>

    <Check>The slot is reserved on your calendar for the right customer.</Check>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm the booking">
    A new booking can be saved as a request, then **confirmed** from the booking once it's going ahead. Confirmed bookings linked to a contact get email reminders automatically.

    <Check>Your booking is on the calendar and behaves just like an AI-made one — ready to confirm, reschedule, or cancel.</Check>
  </Step>
</Steps>

***

## Troubleshooting

* **I can't pick the time I want.** It may clash with an existing event — check your calendar for that slot.
* **No reminder went out.** Confirm the booking is **Confirmed** and linked to a contact; unconfirmed bookings aren't reminded.

***

### Related articles

* [How bookings work in Cura](/bookings/how-bookings-work)
* [Confirming, rescheduling, and cancelling a booking](/bookings/confirm-reschedule-cancel)
* [Automatic booking reminders](/bookings/automatic-reminders)