Deposits changed my business — here's exactly how I set them up
Marcus Wood
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Freelancer · Norwich · 2mo ago
Can we talk about the actual cost of running a holistic therapy practice without a proper booking system? Because I think a lot of people are making the calculation wrong.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £20 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least two hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my holistic therapy practice in Leeds, I was losing the equivalent of £20 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Timely now for 6 months and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about two hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £20 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least two hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my holistic therapy practice in Leeds, I was losing the equivalent of £20 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Timely now for 6 months and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about two hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
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Been using Treatwell for 3 months and I'd echo everything in this post. The one thing I'd add: set up the automated follow-up message asking for a review. I get four new Google reviews a week without doing anything. Massive for local SEO.
#1
I use Jane App alongside Xero and the integration is really smooth. Invoices sync automatically, payments are recorded, and my accountant has stopped asking me for spreadsheets every quarter. If you're trying to run a proper business rather than a hobby this kind of integration matters.
#2
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.
#3