Client management in Trafft is underrated — here's what I use it for
Ava Brown
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Spa Owner · Liverpool · 6mo ago
I want to be honest about this because I wasted money making the wrong choice first. I started with Setmore when I opened my spa in Edinburgh 3 years ago. It looked great on the surface but the client-facing booking page was clunky and I had five people drop off mid-booking every week. Switched to SimplyBook.me 6 months ago and haven't looked back. Here's what the switch actually involved and what I think matters most when choosing a system.
First thing: don't just look at the price. Look at the booking flow from a client's point of view. I had a client tell me my old booking page made her feel like she was filling in a tax return. That stung but she was right. SimplyBook.me took me about half a day to set up properly, and within the first week I noticed clients were actually completing their bookings rather than dropping off halfway through.
Second: SMS reminders are non-negotiable. Email reminders get ignored. My no-show rate went from roughly 30% down to almost nothing once I turned on the automated text reminder 48 hours before each appointment. Worth every penny of the monthly cost.
Third: deposits. I introduced a £20 deposit about 6 months after switching and honestly I should have done it from day one. The people who complained were the people who would have wasted my time anyway. My regulars didn't blink.
First thing: don't just look at the price. Look at the booking flow from a client's point of view. I had a client tell me my old booking page made her feel like she was filling in a tax return. That stung but she was right. SimplyBook.me took me about half a day to set up properly, and within the first week I noticed clients were actually completing their bookings rather than dropping off halfway through.
Second: SMS reminders are non-negotiable. Email reminders get ignored. My no-show rate went from roughly 30% down to almost nothing once I turned on the automated text reminder 48 hours before each appointment. Worth every penny of the monthly cost.
Third: deposits. I introduced a £20 deposit about 6 months after switching and honestly I should have done it from day one. The people who complained were the people who would have wasted my time anyway. My regulars didn't blink.
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Completely agree about the Sunday evening admin. I never quantified it until I read a post like this and actually counted. I was spending 6+ hours a week on booking admin. Six hours I could have been doing literally anything else. The system pays for itself in week one if you value your time properly.
#1
The bit about re-engaging lapsed clients is something I hadn't thought of using Treatwell for. Going to set that up today. I've got loads of clients I assumed had just moved on who might just need a gentle nudge.
#2
The deposit psychology point is spot on. I've said this for years — a £50 deposit doesn't stop genuine clients, it stops time-wasters. Anyone who values the appointment enough to actually show up doesn't think twice about a deposit.
#3
Really useful breakdown — thank you. I've been sitting on the fence about Square Appointments for months and this has pushed me to just go and do the free trial. Will report back.
#4