PTA FAQs

Account
How do I change the name of my account?
Go to Global Setup / Business.
At the top, select Business Settings / Business Address / Business Name.
Edit the account name.
Note: The change won't appear immediately — log out completely and log back in to see the update.

Administrators
Can I have multiple administrators on my account? 
You can set up any number of users with Administrative access. To do so, you would go to the Contacts page, select the Add > Admin... button, and then fill in the user information on the Add New Contact form. For a full-powered administrator in the Admin Level pull-down, select Administrator. 
What Administrative Access levels are there? 
Appointment Viewer - allows a contact to view the appointments made. Teachers are generally assigned only this access. 
Appointment Maker - allows a contact to make appointments in the Admin tool, but not change any settings on the account. 
Resource Administrator - allows a contact to have administrative access to specific resources (teachers). This would give the contact the ability to edit the schedule for the resource. 
Event Administrator - allows a contact to have administrative access to the entire event. Administrator - allows a contact to have full administrative access to the entire account. 
I'm getting the message "email address already exists, can't create doubles" when I add a teacher email address. What does this mean?
This means that the teacher's email address you added already exists with an account in pickAtime. In the Contacts page, search for the email address by entering it in the email box and pressing search. You should see that the teacher's email address already has an account in your Contacts.
We would like to add another person to our account and give them only report access to a teacher. Is there a way for me to do this without giving any full Admin access?
Yes, you can add another admin with the access level of Appointment Viewer. To add an Appointment Viewer do the following:
Navigate to Contacts: In the Admin UI, go to the Contacts page.
Add New Admin: Select the Add > Admin... button.
Enter Details: Fill in the user information on the Add New Contact form.
Set Access Level: In the Admin Level pull-down menu, select Appointment Viewer.
Save: Click to finish.
Note: If you see a red message stating "Vendor already has a contact with this email," do not panic. Click the blue Go back button and use the Search tool to find the existing contact by name.
Assigning Specific Access
Once the contact is created or located:
Go to the Vendor Access tab.
Locate the specific Event and Teacher this person needs to monitor.
Click the checkbox next to the name to grant report access.
First-Time Login Instructions
You can provide these steps to the new admin to help them get started:
URL: Go to pickatime.com.
Step 1: In the Login section, enter your email address and press Login.
Step 2: On the following page, you will be prompted to create a unique password for your account.

Admin UI
Why is the Appointments List red?
This means you have appointments with some sort of problem that needs attention. When a problem appointment is created, both the tab and the appointment itself turn red. There are several ways problem appointments are created — see the Problem Appointments page for details.
I see orange appointments on the Appointments List page with the status "Customer is creating this appointment." What do I need to fix?
Nothing — this is expected behavior, not an error.
Appointments still being booked appear in orange on the Appointments List page:
They can't be manually deleted or selected for email notifications while in this state.
The system automatically manages them — if the customer is inactive too long without completing the booking, it will be cancelled.
Once the customer finishes and clicks Create Appointment, the orange status disappears.
This also helps admins booking manually in the Admin UI, since it prevents you from selecting a time slot that's currently mid-booking by a customer.
How do I sort my teacher roster?
On the Appointments page, select the Teachers drop-down.
Select Sort Teachers.
This sorts teachers using the order set under Global Setup / Business / Account Level Display Options / Display Contact Name As (Last Name, First Name, or First Name Last Name).
Every time I change "Open scheduler to customers" on one event, it changes on my other events too. Why are my events connected?
Go to Events Preview / Events Settings.
Under Propagator Mode / Propagate Changes To, change the setting from "all events of this type" to "only the current event."
Is there a way to let parents only see a certain event on our account?
Yes — use the Category Sort option to control which events are visible and how they're displayed.

Appointments
I'd like to offer Virtual appointments part of the day (e.g., morning/early afternoon) and In-Person for another part (e.g., evening). Can I set that up?
Yes — create separate time slots for each type:
Use the Virtual slot type for morning/early afternoon hours.
Use the In-Person slot type for evening hours.
A participant accidentally booked an In-Person appointment but needs Virtual instead. How do I change the appointment type?
Option 1: Participant self-service
Go to My Appointments.
Locate the appointment and click Edit.
Change the Appointment Type and press Edit Appointment. 
Option 2: Admin
Open the event in the Admin UI.
Locate the resource and corresponding time slot.
Click the appointment, then click Edit Appointment.
Change the Appointment Type and select OK.
I want to change ALL booked appointments from In-Person to Virtual (or vice versa). How do I do this?
Open the event in the Admin UI, then go to Event Management.
Click Slots / Update Slots.
In the Slot Updater pop-up:
Set the desired time range.
Choose the new type from the Slot Type drop-down.
Click OK.
A confirmation message will show how many existing appointments will be updated.
Click OK to proceed — all affected appointments will be updated to the new type.

Appointment Fields
Can I prompt my parents for a phone number? or additional information?
See the following page for complete details on collecting information from your parents:
Collect Parent Information
Best Practices
With the PTA product, the parent name and email address are collected when the parent logs in. The student name is collected when the parent connects their student to their account.
Because this information has already been collected, parents should not be asked to enter it again each time they book an appointment.
On the Settings / Appointment Fields page, you generally should not include prompts for Student Name, Parent Name, or Email Address. Removing these unnecessary fields makes the booking process quicker and avoids duplicate data entry.

Appointment Limits
How can I limit parents to one appointment per teacher?
With the PTA (Parent Teacher Appointments) product, parents are limited by default to one appointment per student, per teacher/class combination.
What is PTAN?
PTAN (Parent Teacher Appointment Number) controls how many appointments a parent can book with a teacher for a given class. By default, this is set to 1 per parent per class.
To change it:
Go to Class Editor, select the teacher.
Locate the PTAN column on the far right of their class list.
Set the desired number — e.g., entering 2 lets any parent with a student in that class book 2 appointments with that teacher.
Can I allow a higher PTAN for only some students?
Since PTAN applies to an entire class, the best approach is to create a separate class containing just the students this rule should apply to:
In Class Editor, select the teacher's name.
Click Add Class.
Add the selected students to this new class.
Set the PTAN for this class to 2.
Now only parents of students in this specific class can book 2 appointments — everyone else remains at the default limit.
What's the difference between "one appointment per class" and "one appointment per teacher"?
Both settings add extra limits on top of the default booking rules:
Setting
What it limits
One appointment per class
A parent with twins/siblings in the same class (same teacher) can only book one appointment total for that class
One appointment per teacher
A parent whose student has the same teacher for multiple classes can only book one appointment with that teacher overall
Example: If Student A has Teacher B for both Math and Science, checking "one appointment per teacher" means the parent can only book one appointment with Teacher B — not one for each subject.

Appointments List
Why is the Appointments List red?
This means you have appointments with some sort of problem that needs attention. When a problem appointment is created, both the tab and the appointment itself turn red.
There are several ways problem appointments can be created — see the Problem Appointments page for details.

Canceled Appointments
Can I see a list of cancelled appointments for a specific teacher?
Go to Reports / Account Reports.
Select Cancelled Appointments.
Sort by Teacher name to find all relevant appointments.

Classes
Classes
How do I hide a class so parents can't book it?
You have two options:
Option 1: Set the class to Hidden (recommended)
Go to the Class Editor page.
Select the teacher.
Select the class from the teacher's class list.
On the right-hand side, toggle the Type column from Shown to Hidden.
This removes the class from the parent scheduler without deleting any data.
Option 2: Delete the class This permanently removes the class. Be careful to select the correct one — if you delete the wrong class, you'll need to re-import your data.
Class Scheduling Changes 
How do I add a new teacher without re-importing?
In the Admin UI, go to Class Editor.
Select Add Teacher/Team → Add Teacher.
In the Select Person dialog, enter the teacher's Last name, First name, and Email.
Click Add Contact, then click OK.
The new teacher will now appear in your Teacher list on the Class Editor page. (See also: Modifying Teacher or Room Data.)
How do I move a class from one teacher to another?
In the Admin UI, go to Class Editor.
Select the current teacher from the list on the left.
Select the class to be moved.
Click Move Class.
Select the teacher the class should be moved to.
How do I add a new student to a class?
In the Admin UI, go to Class Editor.
Select the teacher, then select the class.
If the student is already on your account: Type the student's name into the empty box on the far right of the roster and press Enter.
If the student is not yet on your account:
Click the Enroll Student icon above the class roster.
In the Select Person dialog, click Show Full Dialog.
Click Add Contact, fill in the student's information in the 
<not entered> fields, and click OK.
This adds the student to both the class and your account contacts. (See also: Modifying Enrollment Data.)
The scheduler is open, but some classes are missing. What do I do?
If you haven't made manual changes to classes/enrollment in the Admin UI: Simply re-import your updated class and enrollment files. New imports add missing data without overwriting what's already there.
If you have made manual changes (e.g., reassigning teachers, moving students between classes): Import a class file containing only the missing class(es), and an enrollment file containing only the missing enrollment.
In either case, existing appointments will not be affected.
Can we add administrators to the parent scheduler so all students can book with them?
Yes. Since administrators aren't tied to a specific roster, you'll need to create a class for them and enroll the whole school:
Add the contact — Confirm the Administrator/Counselor/Teacher is listed under Contacts. If not, add them manually, making sure a TeacherID is assigned.
Create a class — Either build a class file and import it, or add the class manually via Class Editor.
Create an enrollment file — List the StudentID for every student in the school, assigned to this new class.
Import — Import the class file (if not added manually) and the enrollment file.
Once complete, the administrator and their class will appear as bookable on parents' schedulers.
See also: Adding a class for counselors.

Contacts
Why are contacts shown in different colors?
Color
Meaning
Blue
Contact has never logged in / taken ownership of their account
Black
Contact has logged in
Red
Problem account — usually a duplicate email address

Data Edits
I edited the Room Number in Contacts, but it doesn't show up on Reports.
When a class file is imported, teacher data is copied into the resource section on the Appointments page. After that, this copy becomes independent — editing the Contacts section will not update it.
To fix a single teacher's room number: Go to the Appointments page and edit the room number directly, in the field to the right of the teacher's name.
To update room numbers for all teachers at once:
Import the Teacher file with the updated room numbers.
Import the Class file.
This will update room numbers for all individual teachers on the event.
Importing a Class file overwrites manual edits. If you've made manual changes to a class, update your Class file to match before importing — otherwise those changes will be lost.
Note: This bulk-import method does not work for Teams of Teachers — room numbers for Teams must be edited manually.

Data Files
How do I create a tab-delimited text file?
Using Microsoft Excel:
Open the File menu and select Save As....
In the Save as type drop-down, select Text (Tab-delimited) (*.txt).
Click Save. If warning messages appear, click OK or Yes.
Using Google Sheets:
Open the File menu in the top-left corner.
Hover over Download.
Select Tab-separated values (.tsv, current sheet).
This downloads the currently selected sheet as a 
.tsv file.
The birth dates for my students were imported incorrectly. How do I fix this?
Correct your student file and import it again. The system matches by Student ID and updates the Security Value (birth date) field accordingly.
My teacher/student names were reversed during import (First Name and Last Name swapped).
Correct your file and import it again. The system matches by Student ID (or Teacher ID) and updates the First Name and Last Name fields accordingly.

Data Imports
Help! I imported last year's data / the wrong class file.
The easiest fix is to delete all classes and re-import the correct file:
Go to Class Editor and check "Show Only Classes" (far right-hand side).
Select your first class, then Shift+click your last class to highlight all classes.
Click Delete Selected Classes.
Import the correct class file.

Date
I need to change my event date, but keep the existing appointments. How do I do this?
Yes — you can move your slots and appointments to the new date instead of recreating them.
Go to the Appointments page
Select the original date on the calendar (left-hand side).
Click Slots / Move Slots.
Select the new destination date.
You'll have the option to email participants notifying them of the change.
Note: Moving slots does not automatically update the date listed on the Event Setup page — you'll need to correct that separately.

Duplicate PTA
I'd like to use the Duplicate PTA option, but it's not enabled.
What Duplicate PTA does: Creates a full copy of a past event, including the same class and enrollment data — but not time slots. This is intended only for events with unchanged enrollment, such as full-year classes. Since using it incorrectly could overwrite intended changes, we enable it selectively rather than by default.
If you plan to import new data files:
You don't need Duplicate PTA — instead, create a new event using a previous event as a template, which copies over your previous settings (without enrollment data):
Go to Events / Preview.
Click Add.
In the Template Event drop-down, select your previous event.
Click Add.
If your new event will use the exact same enrollment data as the previous one:
Let us know, and we'll enable Duplicate PTA for your account.

Emails
How can I view any emails that have been sent? 
This can be viewed on the individual contact level. On the Contacts page, you can search for a contact by name. Then click on the contact and then click on the small Log tab. This will show a log of appointments booked, canceled, and any emails sent. 
How do I turn off my E-Mail Reminders?
To turn off your reminder emails, go into the Events Management / Settings / Notification Setup page, and under the Reminder email option, you will see a check box labeled " Send Reminder Emails". Uncheck this box.
E-Mail Reminders
Recommended: Include a table of appointments in the reminder email
Go to Settings / Notifications Setup.
Select the Reminder Email option.
Check the box labeled "Replace the Email Body with the Printable Schedule of Appointments" (located above the body field).
This replaces the email body with a table-formatted schedule of appointments, which includes room numbers. Any text entered in the Header field will appear above this table.
The table's format is controlled separately, under CUI / Messages / Print Schedule.
Set up when reminders are sent
Go to Settings / Notifications Setup
Select the Reminder Email option
Check the box to require a reminder.
Enter the number of hours before each appointment that the reminder should be sent.
Under Send Reminder Emails, click the green + to add an automatic reminder, then enter how many hours before the appointment it should go out (e.g., 24, 48).
You can add multiple reminders by repeating step 4 — for example, one at 48 hours and another at 24 hours.
Can I change the time/verbiage of my reminder emails?
Yes, you can change the verbiage and add/remove the times of your Reminder Emails at any time. These updates will apply to all appointments.
I'm testing the confirmation email and I have not yet received it. Does it take a long time?
The confirmation email is sent approximately 20-25 minutes after the parent books their appointments. We do not send the email immediately, as we wait to make sure the parent has completed booking all their appointments
I booked and canceled some test appointments. Will I receive any emails?
If you book and then immediately cancel your appointments, pickAtime will send a cancellation email, but not the confirmation one. Also, for the PTA product, we wait 20 minutes before sending out an email; this is to ensure that the parent has finished booking their appointments. 
How do I display the Class name in the Confirmation email to my parents?
The Macro Field for Class Name is $(CLASS_NAME). If you are using the Printable Schedule option for the Email Confirmation (recommended), then add a Class Name Column heading on the Settings / CUI Messages page under Print schedule / Print schedule headings. Then add in the macro for Class Name on the Print schedule / Print schedule appointment.

Events
Starting a new event with all old data removed
Go to the Events page and click Add to create a new, empty event.
Go to Global Setup / Contacts, click Show Advanced Options, then click Remove All Customers.
Select the access level to delete, starting with Event Administrators.
Parents and teachers will then need to log in as new contacts and create new passwords.
⚠️ Important: Only remove contacts before importing your new data — not after. Doing this after importing can delete data you still need.
I have two events sharing some of the same teachers — how does blocking/booking work across them?
If a teacher is shared across two events, the system prevents double-booking automatically:
Booking a slot on one event blocks the corresponding slot on the other event.
Blocking a slot on one event also blocks the corresponding slot on the other event.
If you need to block time for a teacher on one event only (not the other), use Delete Time Slots instead of the block feature — deleting does not carry across events, while blocking does.

Links
Which link should I give parents — the account-level scheduling link, or the event-specific link?
If you only have one open event: You can use either link — both will take parents to the same place. Use the account-level link, found under Global Setup / Business / Account URL.
If you have multiple open events: The account-level link will show parents all open events in a pull-down to choose from. The event-specific link takes parents directly to that one event — but if other events are also open, parents will still see the event table and can toggle to the others.
To direct parents to only one event, with no option to toggle to others, use the Category Option instead.
Customizing Your Account URL
Check the box "Set Custom URL."
Enter your preferred text — this becomes the 
XXX portion of 
https://pickatime.com/XXX.
Example: Entering 
myschool creates 
https://pickatime.com/myschool.
New custom URLs take 5–10 minutes to become active.

Invoices
How do I view my invoices?
Log in and select Reports / Account Reports.
Choose Account / Invoices and Payments from the report pull-down.
Click an invoice # to view details.
Can I pay by credit card?
Yes:
Follow the steps above to open an invoice.
Click "Click Here" within the report.
Select Pay by Credit Card.
Can you take my payment over the phone?
No — phone payments aren't supported. Please use the credit card option above.

Parents
A parent has forgotten her password
In the Admin UI, select the Contacts tab.
Search by name for the parent in the Search Control boxes.
Select the parent's record — their email will display in the middle section.
Click Reset PW.
A parent says they booked an appointment, but can't see it when they log in
Go to Contacts and search for the parent by first or last name.
Select the small Log tab to review their activity.
The log will help you identify what happened:
The parent booked with one email but is logging in with a different email
The parent booked, then cancelled, and never re-booked
The parent never actually booked an appointment
How do parents view and manage booked appointments on mobile?
Tap the three-bar menu at the top of the page.
Under Main Navigation, select My Appointments (shown in green).
This displays a list of all booked appointments.
Next to each appointment, tap the three-bar menu to see up to four management options.
A parent wants a longer appointment than our standard 15-minute slots. How can I accommodate this?
You'll need to book this manually through the Admin UI, since it requires overriding the normal one-appointment-per-parent-per-teacher rule.
In the Admin UI, schedule the appointment for the parent (see Making Parent Appointments, above).
Since the parent needs more time, book a second, consecutive appointment with the same teacher.
This second appointment will be flagged with a red box, since it breaks the one-appointment-per-parent-per-teacher rule.
Select the flagged appointment and click Confirm Appointment to force it through.
How can I see the appointments my parents have made?
Go to Contacts and search for the parent's name.
Confirm you have the correct parent — check the name and email address shown on the right-hand side.
Select the Appointments tab.
This displays a list of all appointments the parent has made. From here, you can print or email the schedule directly to the parent.
Is there a way to see when a conference was scheduled (not the conference time, but when the booking was made)?
Option 1: Add the field to a report
Go to Reports.
Click Additional Report Fields.
Select Appointment Fields.
Check the box next to Created Date.
Option 2: Check an individual contact's log
Go to Contacts.
Locate the contact.
Select the small Log tab.
How can I log in as if I were the parent?
Go to Contacts.
Locate and select the parent's name.
Click Login As.
This logs you in as the parent from your administrative account, without needing their password.
From here, you can:
View any appointments the parent has already booked
Make, change, or cancel appointments on their behalf
Note: The parent will still receive confirmation/reminder emails for any bookings made this way. The system logs the action in the Log section of the parent's contact record, noting that an admin booked on their behalf.
 
A parent entered her student's name instead of her own when creating an account
Option 1: Have the parent correct it herself
Have the parent log back in.
Select Edit Profile.
Update the name field to reflect her own name.
Option 2: Correct it from the Admin UI
Go to the Contacts page.
Locate the parent's record.
Edit the name directly.
How do parents identify their student?
Parents identify their student using two pieces of information:
A Student ID
A Security Value (typically the student's birthdate)
By default, the Student ID is numeric. However, if parents aren't likely to know a numeric ID, you can instead set the Student ID to a concatenation of first and last name (e.g., 
BenjaminFranklin) to make it easier for them to identify their student.
My parents don't know their child's Student ID
You can change what parents are prompted to enter.
Step 1: Switch the Student ID format
Go to Global Setup / Business.
Under Account Level Settings / Miscellaneous, check "Use First + Last Name as Student ID."
Parents will now enter the student's first and last name instead of a numeric ID. They'll still need to enter the Security Value (typically the student's birthdate, if that's what you imported).
Step 2: Update the prompt labels (recommended)
Go to Settings / CUI Messages.
Under Student, locate the StudentID and SecurityValue prompts.
Update the labels with formatting examples, such as:
StudentID prompt: "Student First Name + Last Name (e.g., BenjaminFranklin)"
SecurityValue prompt: "Student Birth Date (e.g., 04/12/99)"
A parent gets "failed to find student with the values supplied"
This means the values the parent entered don't match what's on file for the student.
Option 1: Verify the values match
Go to Contacts and search for the student by name.
On the right-hand side, check the Student ID and Security Value on file.
Confirm the parent is entering these exactly as imported.
If you've checked "Use First + Last Name as Student ID" (under Global Setup / Business / Miscellaneous), make sure the parent is entering the student's first and last name concatenated together (e.g., 
BenjaminFranklin) — not a numeric ID.
Option 2: Add the student to the parent's account directly
On the Contacts page, search for the parent by name.
Select the parent, then select the small Parents-Students Map tab.
Under Student List, click the green Add button.
In the Select Person dialog, locate and select the correct student, then click Add.
The student will now appear in the parent's Student List, and they'll be able to log in and view their student's teachers.
How do I make an appointment for a parent in the Admin UI?
Select the Appointments tab.
Select the correct date on the calendar (left-hand side).
Select the correct teacher, then click the time slot where you'd like to schedule the appointment.
Click the green plus sign. This opens the Select Person dialog.
Select the student:
If the student is on the teacher's roster, select their name from the list on the right and click OK.
If not, uncheck "Students of [Teacher Name]," search for the student by name, select them, and click OK.
This opens the Create Appointment dialog.
Now, link the parent:
If the parent is already associated with the student: Their name will display automatically. Select the correct class (if more than one), then click OK.
If the parent is not yet associated with the student: Click the green + button. Search for the parent by name in the upper-left search boxes. If found, select their name and click OK, then select the correct class and click OK.
If the parent is not found at all: Enter the parent's First Name, Last Name, and Email (if available), then click Add Contact → OK. Select the correct class and click OK.
Once complete, the appointment box will display both the parent's and student's names.
How do I change an appointment from one parent to another parent?
You can move an appointment from one parent to another from the Appointments page.
On the far right-hand side of the Appointments page, under Select Student, locate the student and click OK. This displays all appointments booked for that student.
Select the appointment you want to move, then choose Appointments > Edit Appointment.
In the Edit Appointment dialog box, select the new parent from the Parent drop-down list.
If the new parent is not listed, click the green plus (+) icon next to the Parent field. Locate and select the new parent, then click OK.
The new parent's name will now appear in the appointment. Click OK to save the change.
The new parent is now connected to the student, and the appointment has been moved to that parent. 
Repeat these steps for any additional appointments you want to move. Once the new parent has been connected to the student, their name will appear in the Parent drop-down list when you edit the remaining appointments.
How do I handle divorced parents who need separate appointments?
By default, the system allows only one appointment per parent per teacher. For divorced parents, use the Clone Student feature to create a second student record, allowing the second parent to book their own appointments with the same teachers.
Go to Contacts and locate and select the student.
Click Clone Student. This creates a duplicate record for the student.
If the second parent is already attached to the student: You'll be prompted to "clone and separate." Selecting this lets you assign the cloned record to the second parent.
If the second parent is not yet attached to the student: Have the second parent log in and locate the student by entering:
The Student ID followed by an asterisk (e.g., 
1234*)
The student's birthdate
They'll then be able to schedule their own set of appointments.
How do I search for a parent or student?
Select the Contacts tab.
In the Search box, enter the parent's or student's first or last name.
Click Search.
Tips:
To list all contacts, leave the search box empty and click Search.
Not sure how a name is spelled? Try a partial search (e.g., just the first few letters) to widen your results.

Passwords
A parent is having trouble with her password.
Parents have three options:
Self-service reset: Click Forgot Password to receive a reset email.
Admin reset: You can reset it for them in the Admin UI:
Go to the Contacts tab.
Search for the parent by name.
Select the parent's record — their email will display in the middle section.
Click Reset PW.
Contact support: Email support@pickatime.com to have it reset.
How do I change my password?
Log in to your pickAtime account. Click on the menu icon on the upper right-hand side, and then select the Edit Profile / Change password option
A parent is having trouble with her password.
Parents can click on the Forgot Password option, and they will get an email that will allow them to reset their password. They can also email support@pickatime.com to reset it as well.
Alternatively, in the Admin UI, you can reset the parent password. 
In the Admin UI, select the Contacts tab
Search by name for the parent in the Search Control boxes.
When you locate the parent record, click on the record, and you will see the parent's email displayed in the middle section. 
Click on the Reset PW button.
I imported a new teacher password this year, but only last year's password works.
Once a teacher has taken ownership of their account and set their own password, importing a new password will not override it.
To reset passwords manually:
Go to Global Setup / Contacts.
Click Show Advanced Options.
Under Default Password, click Reset Admin Password.
Select the access level you'd like to reset (e.g., Appointment Viewer) to reset passwords for all teachers at that level.
My teachers are seeing "contact the Administrator" for their password.
This appears when a new password has been imported for teachers.
Quick fix: Let affected teachers know the password you imported.
Bulk fix: Reset passwords for all teachers at once:
Go to Global Setup / Contacts.
Click Show Advanced Options.
Click Reset Admin Passwords.
You can also update the default password setting from this same section.
I'm trying to reset a parent's password, but I get an error saying I can't.
This happens when the parent's account is also linked to another pickAtime organization (e.g., a different school). For privacy reasons — since appointments on other accounts may be confidential — admins cannot reset passwords for accounts shared across organizations.
Solution: Have the parent contact support@pickatime.com directly for a password reset.

Reports
Our conferences were last month — how do I view past Reports?
Log in to your account and select Reports / Event Reports.  
You'll see two date fields — From and To.
Enter the date range covering your past conference dates.
This will pull report data for that specific period.
Can I email each parent their schedule?
Yes:
Go to the Reports / Event Reports section.
Select Parents' Schedule from the report pull-down.
Select the orange Email Report button. 
Select send to each parent(s)
Each parent will receive their own appointment schedule in a table format.
Can I email each teacher their schedule?
Yes:
Go to the Reports / Event Reports page.
Select the Teachers' Schedule report.
Select the orange Email Report button. 
Select send to each teacher(s)
Each teacher will receive their own individual schedule.

Rooms
I edited the Room Number in Contacts, but it doesn't show up on Reports.
When a class file is imported, teacher data is copied into the resource section on the Appointments page. After that, this copy becomes independent — editing the Contacts section will not update it.
To fix a single teacher's room number: Go to the Appointments page and edit the room number directly, in the field to the right of the teacher's name.
To update room numbers for all teachers at once:
Import the Teacher file with the updated room numbers.
Import the Class file.
This will update room numbers for all individual teachers on the event.
Importing a Class file overwrites manual edits. If you've made manual changes to a class, update your Class file to match before importing — otherwise those changes will be lost.
Note: This bulk-import method does not work for Teams of Teachers — room numbers for Teams must be edited manually.

Scheduler
Every time I change "Open scheduler to customers" on one event, it changes on my other events too. Why are my events connected?
To make changes apply only to the current event:
Go to the Events Preview page and select Events Settings.
Under Propagator Mode, change Propagate Changes to from "all events of this type" to "only the current event."
See also Propagator Settings. 
Can my event span multiple days?
Yes. To create slots across multiple days:
Go to the Appointments tab.
On the calendar (left-hand side), select your first event date.
From the Slots drop-down, select Create Slots.
Repeat for each additional date in your event.
Can multiple parents sign up for the same time slot?
Yes. You can set a maximum number of appointments allowed per slot.
When creating slots: In the Slot Generator dialog, enter the desired number in Maximum Allowed Appointments Per Slot. Once that limit is reached, the slot will no longer appear as available on the scheduling page.
To update this after slots are already created:
Go to the Appointments page.
From the Slots drop-down, select Update Slots.
Update the maximum allowed appointments for a specific time period or for all slots.
How do I add a logo to my scheduling site?
Go to Global Setup / Business.
Under Account Level Settings / Account Logo, click the Upload icon.
Do you have a Spanish/French version of the scheduling page?
Not natively — but parents can use their browser's built-in translation feature. [See instructions]
What is the link for my parents? Can I customise the link?
Your parent-facing link is your account URL, found at the bottom-left of the Global Setup / Business page. This link displays any open event on your account — if you have multiple open events, parents will see a pull-down to choose between them.
To customize the URL:
Check the box "Set Custom URL."
Enter your desired text (the 
XXX portion of 
https://pickatime.com/XXX) — for example, 
myschool for 
https://pickatime.com/myschool.
New custom URLs take 5–10 minutes to become active.
How do I test out the scheduler?
Go to the Online Scheduling link (left-hand side of the Admin dashboard) to open the live scheduler. You can add a student to your account and view the schedule for their teachers.
When testing, I see "there are no events available" or "the online scheduler is closed."
This means the scheduler isn't currently open for booking.
Fix: Go to Settings / Online Scheduler Settings and check the Booking Window start and end dates. The scheduler must be within this window to be viewable.
When testing, I see "no slots available."
This usually means one of two things:
No slots have been created for your teachers, or
All existing slots are already filled
Help! My scheduler is not open
Check the following, in order:
Booking Window dates — Confirm "Open scheduler to customers" and "Close scheduler to customers" are set correctly (Settings / Online Scheduler Settings / Booking Window).
Slots created — If parents see "there are no available times," confirm slots have been created for your teachers.
Booking window — Check the setting "Customer cannot book their appointment closer than XX hours/days." If a slot falls within this window (e.g., it's set to 1 day and the appointment is tomorrow), parents won't be able to book it.
Our conferences got snowed out — how do we move all slots and appointments to a new date?
Go to the Appointments page for your event.
Select the conference date from the calendar.
Click Slots / Move Slots.
Select the destination date.
You'll have the option to email all affected parents about the change.
We have conferences on two days and need to cancel just one day, while keeping the other open for booking.
Go to the Appointments page for your event.
Select the date to cancel from the calendar.
Click Slots / Delete Time Slots.
Specify the dates/times to delete.
The system will show how many appointments exist on the slots being deleted, and let you choose whether to cancel those appointments and send a cancellation email.
How can I sort my teachers alphabetically on the scheduler?
On the Appointments page, open the Teachers drop-down.
Select Sort Teachers.
This sorts teachers based on the Display Contact Name As setting under Global Setup / Business / Account Level Display Options — switch this between First, Last and Last, First to change the sort order.
Our scheduler is closed, but parents can still cancel appointments.
This is expected. Once the scheduler closes, parents can still log in (if they have the link) to view their schedule — but they cannot book new appointments.
Whether they can cancel depends on your cancellation window setting: "Customer cannot cancel their appointment closer than XX hours/days" (Settings / Online Scheduler Settings / Appointment Cancellations). If cancellation isn't allowed, parents will see a message instructing them to call the school instead.
How do I add the class name to the scheduler and parent emails?
On the scheduler:
Go to Settings / Online Scheduler Settings / Scheduler Settings.
Check "Separate legend for each child" and "Display class names."
On the printable schedule/email: Add the class name macro 
$(CLASS_NAME) to CUI Messages / Print Schedule / Print Schedule Headings/Footer.
We've opened the scheduler, but some classes are missing.
If no manual changes were made in the Admin UI, simply re-import your updated class and enrollment files. New imports add missing data without overwriting existing data.
If manual changes were made (e.g., reassigned teachers, moved students): Import a class file with only the missing class(es), and an enrollment file with only the missing enrollment.
Either method is safe — existing appointments will not be affected.
We've opened the scheduler and need to remove some classes.
Go to the Class Editor page and delete the relevant classes.
Deleting a class will not delete any appointments already booked for that teacher.

Students
How do I see the classes my students are enrolled in?
In the Admin UI, go to the Contacts page and search for the student.
Select the small Appointments tab to view all classes the student is enrolled in.
Confirm this list includes every class you expect to see.
To add the student to a class:
Go to the Class Editor page.
Select the teacher, then the class.
Click the Enroll Student icon.
I need to correct a student's birthdate.
Go to the Contacts page and search for the student by name.
Update the Security Value field (this stores the birthdate).
I need to add a new student.
Go to the Class Editor page and select the teacher, then the class.
Click the Enroll Student icon (above the roster, far right).
In the Select Person dialog, click Add Student, then fill in the student's details — First Name, Last Name, Security Value, and Student ID — in the fields marked 
<not entered>
Press Add
Click OK. The student will now appear in the roster.
To enroll this student in additional classes: Type the student's name into the entry box for that class, using your account's selected name format (Last, First or First Last). When the system finds a match, press Enter — the student will be added to the roster.
My student's schedule has changed — how do I move them to a different class?
To remove a student from a class:
Go to Class Editor, select the teacher, then the class.
Locate the student and click the red X to the left of their name.
To add the student to a new class:
Go to the Class Editor, select the teacher, then the class.
Type the student's name into the entry box, using your account's selected name format (Last, First or First Last).
Press Enter when the system finds a match — the student will appear in the class roster.
How do I remove duplicate students?
Go to Event Management / Class Editor.
Check "Show Only Classes" (right-hand side).
Select all classes (use Shift to multi-select), then click Delete Selected Classes.
Go to Global Setup / Contacts / Advanced Options, and click "Remove Students Not Enrolled in a Class."
Note: After this, parents will need to re-attach the new/correct version of the student to their account.

Snow Day
Our conferences got snowed out — how do we move all slots and appointments to a new date?
Go to the Appointments page for your event.
Select the conference date from the calendar.
Click Slots / Move Slots.
Select the destination date.
You'll have the option to email all affected parents about the change.
We have conferences on two days and need to cancel just one day, while keeping the other open for booking.
Go to the Appointments page for your event.
Select the date to cancel from the calendar.
Click Slots / Delete Time Slots.
Specify the dates/times to delete.
The system will show how many appointments exist on the slots being deleted, and let you choose whether to cancel those appointments and send a cancellation email.

Teachers
How do I sort my teacher roster?
On the Appointments page, open the Teachers drop-down.
Select Sort Teachers.
This sorts teachers using the order set under Global Setup /  Business / Account Level Display Options / Display Contact Name (Last Name, First Name, or First Name Last Name).
"Email address already exists, can't create duplicates" — what does this mean?
This means the teacher's email is already associated with an existing pickAtime contact.
To check: Go to Contacts, enter the email in the search box, and click Search. You should find an existing record using that address.
A teacher is no longer available — how do I cancel all her appointments?
Go to the Appointments List page.
Search for all appointments on your event.
Sort by Parent Last Name, then by Resource (teacher), by clicking the column headers.
Locate the teacher's appointments, select them, and click Delete Selected.
How do I edit a teacher's room number?
Go to the Appointments page — the room number is editable in the field to the right of the teacher's name.
How do I set different slot durations for different grade groups (e.g., 15-min for 3rd grade, 20-min for 4th–5th grade)?
Go to the Appointments page.
Select your first 3rd-grade teacher, then hold Ctrl and select the rest of the 3rd-grade teachers.
From the Slots drop-down, select Create Slots.
Enter the conference start/end times and set duration to 15 minutes.
Repeat the process for 4th–5th grade teachers, setting duration to 20 minutes.
How do I stop teachers from getting an email every time an appointment is booked?
Go to Settings → Notification → Resource Email Notification.
Uncheck "For resources assigned to a contact, send appointment notification via email."
I see a grey slot that says "An appointment has been booked with [teacher name] at this time."
This means either:
A different teacher contact is attached to this resource, or
Multiple teachers are attached to the same resource
The system blocks double-booking, so it greys out the conflicting slot.
To fix:
Go to Class Editor and select the affected teacher resource.
Click Assign Contact/Team → Assign Contact.
In the dialog, select the correct teacher contact, then click OK.
I see "Teacher not available" in the Admin UI.
This means the teacher already has a conflicting appointment — either:
Booked in their own role as a parent, or
Booked as part of a team they belong to
Can I email my teachers their schedule?
Yes:
Go to Report Selection.
Select Teachers' Schedule.
Click Email Report.
My teacher is at two events (e.g., High School and Middle School). Blocking their slots in one event blocked them in the other too — why?
This is expected. Blocking slots affects every event sharing that teacher's contact record (matched by email), so blocking time in one event blocks the corresponding time everywhere.
Deleting slots, however, does not carry across events — it only affects the event you're working in. If a teacher is unavailable at one school but available at another, delete (not block) the slots on the unavailable event.
How do I set my teachers' passwords?
You have two options:
Import a password via the teacher file, or
Let teachers create their own the first time they log in (if no password was imported)
How do I reset the password for one teacher?
Go to Contacts and search for the teacher.
Select their name, then click Reset PW.
This resets their password to your account's default (123456, unless customized).
To change the default password, go to Global Setup / Contacts / Show Advanced Options / Default Password.
How do I reset passwords for all teachers at once?
Go to Global Setup / Contacts / Show Advanced Options.
Click Reset Admin Passwords.
Select the access level to reset — choose Appointment Viewer to reset all teachers.
The Reset PW button isn't available for a teacher — why?
This typically happens when the teacher's email is also used as a parent account at another school. Since the email is shared across two separate accounts, neither account can reset the password independently.
Solution: Have the teacher use Forgot Password, or email support@pickatime.com for a manual reset.
A teacher can't view her schedule — how do I fix this?
Check the following in Contacts:
Confirm she's logging in with the email address on file.
Confirm her Admin Level is set to Appointment Viewer.
Confirm the box next to her name under Resource Access is checked.
Imported teachers are automatically configured correctly. If a teacher was added manually, you'll need to set both of these yourself.
Quick check across all teachers: Go to Account Reports → List of Teachers to review access levels at a glance.
How do teachers view their schedule and log in?
Teachers log in using your school's account URL, entering their email and password. Each teacher only sees their own schedule.
How do I block out time for a teacher?
You have two options:
Delete the slots: Appointments / Slots / Delete Time Slots
Mark them unavailable: Appointments / Slots / Update Time Slots, then select "Make Unavailable" for the desired time range
How do I correct the spelling of a teacher's name?
Go to Appointments, select the teacher's name.
From the Teachers drop-down, select Assign Contact.
In the Select Person dialog, correct the spelling, then click Select.
A teacher is being replaced by a long-term substitute — how do I update this for parents?
If all of a teacher's classes are transferring to a new teacher, reassign them directly:
Go to Class Editor.
Select the teacher to replace, then click Assign Contact/Team → Assign Contact.
Search for and select the new teacher, then click Select.
How do I set up different slot durations for the same teacher (e.g., 15-min and 30-min classes)?
To create two different slot durations for one teacher, you'll list them twice in the Class Editor — once per duration.
Step 1: Add the teacher a second time
Go to Class Editor.
Click Add Teacher/Team → Add Teacher.
In the Select Person dialog, locate and select the teacher, then click Select.
The teacher's name will now appear twice in the Class Editor.
Step 2: Move one class to the second listing
Select the second listing of the teacher's name.
Select the class that needs the different duration (e.g., Kindergarten).
Click Move Class, and move it to the duplicate listing.
Step 3: Rename each listing for clarity Edit each listing's name so you can tell them apart when creating slots — for example:
Sue Smith - Kindergarten
Sue Smith - First Grade
Step 4: Create separate slot durations Go to the Appointments page. You'll see both listings, and can create slots with different durations for each (e.g., 30 minutes for Kindergarten, 15 minutes for First Grade).
Since both listings share the same underlying contact, the system prevents double-booking — booking one listing automatically blocks the corresponding time on the other.
I imported teachers, but they're not showing up on the Appointments page.
Imported teachers appear in Contacts immediately, but they won't appear on the Appointments or Class Editor pages until a class has been imported for them.

Teams
How do teams work?
A team can be either:
A simple label for one teacher (e.g., "Team Blackhawks"), or
A combination of individual teachers
When a team combines multiple teachers, pickAtime concatenates their names — for example, "Andrea Smith; Barbara Zook."
Double-booking protection: The system automatically prevents a teacher from being booked twice at the same time, even across different teams or roles.
Example 1 — Shared teacher across two teams: If "Andrea Smith" is on both Team A (Andrea Smith; Barbara Zook) and Team B (Andrea Smith; Bob Jones), booking a slot with Team A automatically blocks the corresponding slot for Team B.
Example 2 — Individual + team overlap: If Andrea Smith and Barbara Zook each also have individual teacher profiles, booking a slot with individual teacher Andrea Smith will block the corresponding slot for Team (Andrea Smith; Barbara Zook) — since Andrea is now unavailable. However, Barbara Zook's individual slot remains open, since she is still free.
Our school has a team-taught class. Can I create a team for it?
Yes. You can assign two teachers to a single class and create shared slots for them as a team. Each teacher can still have separate slots for classes they teach individually — the system ensures neither is double-booked, and each teacher can view their schedule both as part of the team and individually.
Option 1: Set this up during import In your class file, enter the class name under 
ClassID, and list both teacher IDs under the 
Teacher column, separated by a semicolon.
Option 2: Combine teachers into a team after import
Go to Class Editor / Add Teacher/Team / Add Team.
In the Select Person dialog, search for and select the first teacher, then click Add to Team (top-left corner).
Repeat for the second teacher.
Once both teachers appear in the top-left list, click OK.
You can then create a new class for this team, or move an existing class to it from an individual teacher.
I've already imported my data with two separate teachers and classes — how do I combine them into a team?
Step 1: Create the team
Go to Class Editor → Add Teacher/Team → Add Team.
In the Select Person dialog, search for and select the first teacher, then click Add to Team.
Repeat for the second teacher.
Once both teachers appear in the top-left list, click OK.
Both teachers will now appear in Class Editor as a combined team, separated by a semicolon (e.g., Teacher A; Teacher B).
Step 2: Move existing classes to the team
Select Teacher A, select their class, and click Move Class → select the Teacher A; Teacher B team.
Repeat the same process for Teacher B's class.
Select Teacher A individually and click Remove Teacher. Repeat for Teacher B.
Step 3: Create slots for the team
On the Appointments page, select the new combined team (Teacher A; Teacher B).
From the Slots drop-down, select Create Slots.
Optionally, add a room number.

Time Slots
I created slots on the wrong date — how do I fix this?
Go to the Appointments page.
Open the Slots drop-down and select Move Slots.
This moves all slots (and any existing appointments) to a new date. You'll have the option to email anyone whose appointment is being moved.
My slots are 20 minutes long, but I want a 30-minute break in the middle.
If your break doesn't match your slot duration or a multiple of it (e.g., 20-minute slots with a 30-minute break), you'll need to create slots in two sections:
Create slots for the time before the break.
Create slots for the time after the break.
Why are some of my time slots grey?
Grey slots mean the teacher is unavailable at that time — typically because they're:
Attending meetings as part of a team, or
Booked elsewhere as a parent making their own appointments
Click the grey slot to see a message explaining where the teacher is booked.
Why are some of my time slots yellow?
Yellow slots indicate the scheduled time has already passed. These slots are hidden from parents/participants.
Fix: Check the date on these slots, then either delete them or move them to the correct date.
Slots on the correct (current/future) date will appear blue, indicating they're active and bookable.
I created time slots with the wrong duration.
Slot duration cannot be edited after creation. You'll need to:
Delete the slots with the incorrect duration.
Create new slots with the correct duration.
I created time slots with the wrong duration, and customers have already booked appointments.
Slot duration still cannot be edited directly — you'll need to delete and recreate the slots. However, since appointments already exist, you have options for handling them:
Go to Slots / Delete Time Slots.
A dialog will show you the number of existing appointments on the slots you're about to delete.
Choose how to handle them:
Cancel them — optionally send an email asking customers to reschedule, or
Hold them — the default option moves affected appointments to a holding area on the Appointments List page, where you can review and manually cancel or reschedule each one.

Working in the Admin UI
Help! The time slot boxes in the Admin UI are too small. How do I adjust this?
You have two options:
Option 1: Resize manually Hover your cursor over the time labels in the left-hand column, then click and drag to stretch or shrink the slot boxes.
Option 2: Adjust the global display setting
Go to Settings / Vendor View Setup.
Adjust the Time Slot Display Scale.