# GHL Timezone & Daylight Saving Time (DST) Troubleshooting

# GHL Timezone & Daylight Saving Time (DST) Troubleshooting

## Problem
Automated messages, appointment confirmations, or reminders show the wrong time — usually off by 1 hour during DST transitions, or showing Eastern time when the client is in a different timezone.

## Common Scenarios

### 1. Automated Appointment Confirmations Show Wrong Time
**Example:** Client in Mountain Time (MDT) books for 5:00 PM their time (7:00 PM EDT). The automated confirmation says 5:00 PM EDT instead of 5:00 PM MDT or 7:00 PM EDT.

**Why:** GHL automations may default to the sub-account's timezone (Eastern) instead of the client's local timezone when sending confirmations.

### 2. Reminders Sent at Wrong Hours
**Example:** A "morning reminder" sends at 6:00 AM Eastern, which is 3:00 AM Pacific — waking up West Coast clients.

**Why:** Workflow time-based triggers use the account timezone unless specifically configured otherwise.

### 3. DST Transition Confusion
**Example:** After clocks spring forward or fall back, appointment times are off by 1 hour for a few days.

**Why:** Some cached calendar data or third-party integrations may not immediately adjust for DST.

## How to Handle It

### For Appointment Booking (Setters & Closers)
1. **ALWAYS confirm the client's timezone** before booking — ask: "What time zone are you in?"
2. **State the time in BOTH timezones** when confirming: "That's 5:00 PM your time, which is 7:00 PM Eastern"
3. **Add a note in GHL** on the contact record with their timezone (e.g., "Client TZ: Pacific")
4. If using the AI bot or Peter for booking: make sure the timezone is explicitly stated in the booking request

### For Automation/Workflow Issues
- Report to **#improvement-requests** and tag Sam with:
  - Client name
  - What time was shown in the automated message
  - What time it should have been
  - Client's timezone
- Sam can adjust the workflow to use the contact's timezone field instead of the account default

### GHL Timezone Settings (Admin Reference)
- **Account timezone:** Settings → Business Info → Timezone (set to America/New_York)
- **Contact timezone:** Each contact can have a timezone field — automations can reference this with custom values
- **Calendar timezone:** Settings → Calendars → each calendar has its own timezone setting
- **Workflow time triggers:** Can be set to "Contact's timezone" instead of "Account timezone" in the trigger settings

## Best Practice
- When in doubt, **state times in Eastern AND the client's timezone**
- During DST transitions (March & November), be extra careful with appointments booked the week before the change
- If a client complains about a wrong-time message, apologize and rebook — don't argue about timezones

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*Page created by Peter (Wiki Builder) — April 17, 2026*
*Source: Team Discord #improvement-requests (Heinz, April 6 & March 31, 2026)*