Nothing is ever as simple as it should be, is it?
For a year or so I've been using an online booking system called Fresha. A lot of you will have had texts or emails from the system with confirmations and reminders. It didn't get off to a great start - some appointments disappeared from the system which meant I thought I had empty slots and gave them to clients, only for the original person to turn up at the same time. Fresha denied any issues and said I must be doing something wrong. Hmm.
Now, they've hiked their prices and have even double-charged me for some transactions. I get charged extra for new clients that find me through Fresha but they've even charged me for clients that aren't new.
Time for a change - to a system called Timely. Really hoping this system will be better and they don't start adding in hidden charges!
I've been testing it over the last couple of weeks and think I have all the settings in place. Only thing to do now is transfer everyone's bookings from Fresha to Timely. And that's no small job! I'm booked solid until the end of July - that's a lot of appointments to transfer! Where's that assistant when I need one!
If you're already a client, you should have had an email telling you about the change. Over the next week or so, as I get the appointments transferred, you'll receive an email confirmation of the appointment in the new system.
I will also need everyone to confirm their appointments using their credit card. Don't worry, your details are secure and I can't see them. You won't be charged anything upfront - I just need the details to secure the appointment. But you will be charged if you don't give me enough notice if you need to cancel (48 hours) or you just don't turn up. It's amazing how many (mainly new) people will book an appointment then don't turn up and never contact me again. Such a waste of time, a loss of money for me, and wasting a slot that someone else could have had.
Once everyone is setup, I am going to turn on the Online Bookings feature so you can all manage your own appointments through my website. That'll save me loads of time replying to messages and booking appointments on a night. You'll be able to book and pay online for all appointments and buy gift vouchers to treat the ones you love.
Look out for more details and links to the booking system soon xx