Pause after appointment is a per-service field for internal cleanup, reset, or buffer time between bookings. Customers never see it — they only see slot times. But because it is added to the service duration when Zimun lays out the slot grid, getting it right (or wrong) directly controls which start times your customers will see on the booking page.
This guide explains what the field does, how to read the resulting slot grid, and the common gotcha that surprises new operators: "why don't the slots start on the hour anymore?"
1. Where to set it
Open Settings → Services and edit a service. Under the Duration field you will find "Pause after appointment (minutes)". The default is 0; the allowed range is 0 to the service duration (a 60-minute service can have a pause of up to 60 minutes, a 30-minute service up to 30, and so on).
The help text "Optional internal cleanup/reset time. Customers do not see this value." reflects what the field is for: a turnover window for cleaning, paperwork, room reset, equipment swap, or simply breathing room between sessions.
2. The pause is added to the duration to make the slot grid step
The most important thing to know: the booking page lays out start times in increments equal to the service duration PLUS the pause. A 50-minute service with a 10-minute pause produces 60-minute steps. A 25-minute service with a 5-minute pause produces 30-minute steps. A 30-minute service with no pause produces 30-minute steps.
That step is what spaces the visible slots. With 30-minute steps you get 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30. With 60-minute steps you get 09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00. Same staff member, same working hours — different visible slots.
There is one cap: if duration + pause exceeds 60 minutes, the visible slot grid steps every 60 minutes even though each appointment still blocks for the full sum. A 90-minute service with no pause shows offered start times every 60 minutes, not every 90 — but a customer who books at 09:00 still occupies the staff member through 10:30.
3. The common gotcha: non-clock-aligned combinations
If the sum of duration and pause does not divide evenly into 60 minutes, the slot grid drifts off clock times. A 30-minute service with a 5-minute pause yields a 35-minute step: 09:00, 09:35, 10:10, 10:45. To customers — and to operators who expect the next slot at 09:30 — that reads as a bug or a missing slot.
If a customer says "why isn't there a slot at 10:00?" or you wonder "why has the picker stopped offering round-hour times?", the first place to look is duration + pause, not staff availability or resource conflicts.
4. How to pick clean values
Aim for a sum that divides into 60: 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Examples that keep slots on clock-times:
- 25-minute service + 5-minute pause = 30-minute step (slots at :00 and :30).
- 50-minute service + 10-minute pause = 60-minute step (slots on the hour).
- 20-minute service + 10-minute pause = 30-minute step (slots at :00 and :30).
- 15-minute service + 0-minute pause = 15-minute step (slots every quarter hour).
A 30-minute service with no pause gives the densest clean grid: a slot every 30 minutes. Add pause only when the cleanup is real; if the service truly needs no reset time, leave the field at 0.
5. What customers see, what operators see
Customers see only slot start times. They do not see the pause value, they do not see the post-appointment buffer on the calendar, and the slot is not labelled "(includes 10 min pause)". From their perspective there is just availability.
Operators see the underlying appointment as the duration only — a 50-minute appointment renders as a 50-minute block on the schedule view, not a 60-minute one. The pause is invisible chrome that controls when the next slot opens, not part of the appointment record.
6. Plan requirement
Pause after appointment is available on every plan, including Free.
7. Summary
Pause adds internal turnover time to a service. Customers do not see the value, but it adds to the duration when Zimun lays out slots. Pick duration + pause combinations that sum to a clean fraction of 60 (15, 20, 30, 45, 60) and the slot picker will keep offering recognizable clock-aligned times. If a customer ever reports "I cannot find a slot at the expected time", check the duration + pause sum before anything else.