What are availability sets?

Availability sets allow you to easily manage your availability over multiple Bookable Schedules.  When you create your first Bookable Schedule, it automatically creates an availability set called "Available hours" using the availability you specified during the setup.  While creating or editing subsequent Bookable Schedules, you'll have the option to use the same availability set or create a new one.  

What exactly are availability sets?

An availability set contains two important sets of information.  First, it includes the range of hours you are available to have appointments booked.  Second, it contains the list of calendars that Boomerang will check for scheduling conflicts.  

Why are availability sets separate from the Bookable Schedule?

Availability sets are maintained separate from the Bookable Schedule to allow for easy updating of availability across multiple schedules.  For example, if you no longer wish to take appointments on Friday, simply remove the Friday time slots from your availability set and any linked Bookable Schedules will automatically be updated.

Didn't this used to work differently?

Yes, previously all these options were set individually for each Bookable Schedule.  If you're still trying to wrap your head around the change, we made this infographic breaking it down for you: