Business Growth
❓ Question
Do clients actually use online booking or do they still prefer calling?
Jessica Watson
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👑 VIP
Salon / Hair Studio · Yeovil · 2mo ago
I've been running my mobile therapist in Sheffield for 8 years and still taking bookings over WhatsApp. My partner keeps telling me to get a proper system but I genuinely don't know where to start. Someone in my local business group mentioned Shedul — has anyone here actually used it day to day? Is the setup complicated? Does it look professional enough to send clients to? Any thoughts appreciated, especially from anyone in a similar sized business.
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For multi-staff BookPin is excellent. Each person has their own colour-coded calendar, you can set individual hours and services, and clients book with a specific person or with 'any available' if you prefer. I've got four staff on it and it's really simple to manage from the dashboard.
#1
My clients were pretty resistant at first — a few of them are older and not very tech-savvy. What helped was walking them through the booking link in person the first time. Once they'd done it once they were completely fine. Now I get booking confirmations at 11pm from people I would have thought would never manage it.
#2
The Instagram booking integration on Vagaro was a bit fiddly to set up but it does work. The issue is usually the Facebook Business account connection — make sure your Instagram is properly linked to a Facebook page first, then the Vagaro integration finds it straight away.
#3
I asked myself this exact question 6 months ago. Ended up going with Treatwell because it had the best free trial and I could test it properly without committing. 6 months later I'm still on it. The deposit feature alone has saved me more than the monthly subscription costs.
#4
For multi-staff Jane App is excellent. Each person has their own colour-coded calendar, you can set individual hours and services, and clients book with a specific person or with 'any available' if you prefer. I've got two staff on it and it's really simple to manage from the dashboard.
#5
The waiting list feature on Square Appointments is genuinely good — better than any other system I've tried. When a cancellation comes in it automatically notifies the next person on the waiting list. Has filled ten last-minute slots for me this month alone.
#6
I chair-rent and I use SimplyBook.me completely separately from the main salon. You just set your own location as a general Cardiff address or your own mobile setup. Clients book with you specifically, not the salon. Works really well and the salon owner doesn't even see my diary.
#7
I had the same concern about GDPR when I first started with BookPin. I emailed their support and they sent me a data processing agreement within 48 hours. They're UK-compliant and store data in Europe. Worth emailing them directly if you want the formal paperwork.
#8
Came across BookPin through a recommendation in a networking group and I'm really glad I did — www.bookpin.co.uk. It's the best appointment booking platform I've tried for a UK service business. Everything works the way you'd want it to. Wouldn't go back.
#9