Time zones play a pivotal role across Aesthetix CRM. From scheduling appointments and setting available hours on your calendar to running automated workflows and generating reports, the system relies on time zone settings to determine when things happen. Getting these settings right helps you communicate with leads and patients at appropriate times and avoid sending messages outside of business hours. This article explains how time zones work at the account and user level, why consistent settings matter, and how to disable alternate time zones for single-time-zone businesses.
Time zone settings affect several core areas of Aesthetix CRM:
Scheduling — appointment booking, calendar availability, and available hours all depend on time zone settings.
Workflows — wait steps, step delays, and window settings (both at the workflow level and within individual workflow steps) are evaluated against the time zone, which determines when automated messages and actions are sent.
Reporting — the time zone determines how dates and times are recorded and displayed in your reports.
Because so much depends on it, it's important to understand the time zone preferences of both your users and your contacts so messages are never sent at the wrong time.
The account time zone is the master setting for your business. Workflows operate based on this location time zone, so it's the foundation for getting your timing right.
Step 1: Set your account time zone. If you own the account, make sure the time zone in your business settings matches your actual time zone. Go to Settings, set the time zone, and click Update Address to save.
Although leads and patients have their own time zone in the General Info section of their contact record, workflows operate based on the location's time zone — not the contact's. Because of this, you should review the delays, windows, and wait steps in your workflows to prevent messages from being sent at the wrong time.
Step 2: Schedule communications within a safe window. Since workflows do not consider the contact's individual time zone, always schedule communication within a safe window that accounts for the possibility of multiple lead time zones. For example, scheduling a message for noon CST is safe for all U.S. leads, whereas 9 a.m. EST may be too early for leads in PST or Hawaii.
There is one scenario where appointment scheduling rules do not apply: when a lead or patient uses the appointment booking widget to book an appointment in their own time zone. It's also worth noting that appointment reminder workflows are not affected by time zones — they are always based on the appointment time itself. So whether an appointment is at 2 p.m. EST or 11 a.m. PST, a reminder set to send one hour prior will go out one hour before the appointment in each case.
If all of your leads and patients belong to a single time zone — or your business is located near a time zone border or in a tourist hotspot that draws customers from different time zones — you may want to limit appointment bookings to your business's specific time zone. Enabling the Disable contact timezone option removes the contact's ability to choose a time zone when booking an appointment.
Step 1: Click "Settings".
Step 2: Click "Calendars".
Step 3: Confirm the timezone is currently enabled. This is the alternate-time-zone behavior you'll be turning off.
Step 4: Click "Business Profile".
Step 5: Navigate to "General".
Step 6: Check the checkbox to "Disable contact timezone".
Step 7: The timezone is now disabled. Contacts can no longer select their own time zone when booking, and all bookings follow your business's time zone.
Does my account time zone affect workflows? Yes. Workflows evaluate wait steps, delays, and window settings against the account (location) time zone, so the time at which automated messages and actions are sent depends on this setting.
Do workflows use each contact's individual time zone? No. Even though each contact has a time zone in their General Info, workflows run on the location's time zone. Always schedule communications within a safe window that accounts for the range of time zones your contacts may be in.
Are appointment reminders affected by time zones? No. Reminder workflows are always based on the appointment time itself, so a reminder set for one hour prior will send one hour before the appointment regardless of the time zone.
What happens when a contact books through the appointment widget? The standard scheduling rules don't apply in this case — the contact books the appointment in their own time zone through the booking widget.
How do I stop contacts from choosing their own time zone when booking? Enable the Disable contact timezone option under Settings → Business Profile → General. This removes the time zone selector from the booking experience and forces all bookings to use your business's time zone.
