Services (or your word for them) is the menu: what you offer, how long it takes and what it costs. The calendar, online booking, the register and your website all read it, so a change here shows everywhere at once.
Categories
- Open Services and choose Add category: Cuts, Color, Massage, Facials.
- Drag categories by their handles into the order clients should see them. Services drag within their category too.
The order here is the order on your booking page and your website.
Adding a service
- Under its category, choose Add service.
- Give it a name and a Price, and choose how long it takes.
- Leave Charge tax on if sales tax applies to it. Only services marked to charge tax are taxed, at the rate set for the location.
- Leave Available in online booking on for what clients may book themselves.
- Choose Create.
Options: one service in several lengths or prices
For a massage sold in 30, 60 and 90 minutes, or a cut priced by length, use Add an option for each, with its own name, length and price. Booking the service then asks which option, and takes its length and price in place of the service's own. Up to twelve options a service.
Processing time and buffer time
- Has processing time is time during the service when the client is unattended and the person is free for another appointment: color processing, a mask setting. The calendar shows it, and books others into it.
- Has buffer time blocks time before or after for preparation or cleanup, so nothing is booked into it.
Extras
With extras on, switch on An extra for a short add-on to another service, such as a treatment or a blow-dry. Extras are listed apart when booking and at checkout, so they are added to a main service rather than booked alone.
What it needs: rooms, chairs and equipment
With rooms and equipment switched on, a service can need one from each of several groups: a treatment room and a laser, say. Under What it needs, tick the groups. Booking it holds a free one from each, and online booking offers only times when one is free. Set up the groups in Resources (or your word for them) with Add group, then add each room, chair or machine.
Who does it
A service can be booked only with someone who performs it. Open a person in Staff, and on their Services tab tick what they do.
Bringing a menu over
An owner can bring services over from another system's export: Settings, Records, Bring Your Data Over, pick the services file, check the columns, and bring them in.
Best practices
- Name services the way clients ask for them. "Balayage" beats "Color Service 3".
- Use options rather than near-copies of a service. One "Massage" with 60 and 90 minutes reads better than two.
- Put processing time on every service that has it. It is time someone else can be booked into.
- Keep buffer time honest. Too little and the day runs late; too much and online booking looks full.
- Take a service off online booking rather than deleting it when you want to book it by hand only.