Online Bookings

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Introduction to Online Booking

Welcome to the world of online booking with Pabau! In this article, we'll provide you with essential information on where to find and understand the key metrics for your online booking platform.

Why Online Booking Matters

Keeping up with the times is crucial, and today's clients prefer the convenience of booking appointments independently, often outside regular business hours. By embracing an online booking platform, you not only ensure a full calendar but also allow clients to book with you effortlessly, giving you more time to focus on managing your clinic.

Getting Started

To access your online booking settings, follow these steps:

Step 1: Navigate to Online Booking

Log in to your Pabau account and in the left sidebar menu, go to Setup, then click on "Online Booking" under Catalogue.

Understanding Your Online Booking Dashboard

Once you're on the Online Booking page, you'll encounter several sections providing insights into your online bookings.

• Platform Status: The page's title indicates whether your online booking platform is currently enabled or disabled. On the right, you can find your online booking link.

• Online Bookings by Month: A graph offers a visual overview of your online bookings in recent months.

• Location Metrics: You have the flexibility to change the location for which you view metrics.

  

• Booking Activity: This section displays your most recent booking activities.

• Source of Bookings: On the right side, discover where your bookings originate – online bookings feature, Facebook, Instagram, or Google business page.

  

• Customization: Utilize the "Customize" button to tailor your online booking platform.

• Trends and Tips: Explore Trends to identify areas for improvement, and don't miss our Pabau Tips to enhance your business further.

  

This article serves as an introduction to online booking. For more details on customization and promotion, refer to the respective articles.

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How to Customize Your Online Booking Platform

Step 1: Log in to Your Pabau Account

Start by logging into your Pabau account using your login credentials. Once logged in, you will be taken to your main dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Online Booking

From the main dashboard, click Setup in the left-hand sidebar. On the Setup page, select the Catalogue tab, then click Online Booking.

Step 3: Open the Customization Settings

On the Online Booking page, you will see an overview of your booking activity, channels, and your unique booking portal link in the top right corner. Click the Customize button to open the full customization editor.

The editor is split into four tabs: General, Service & Categories, Location, and Team. There is also a live preview on the right side of the screen that updates as you make changes.

Step 4: Configure General Settings

The General tab covers the overall appearance and behavior of your booking page.

Appearance

• Header message — Add a welcome message that appears at the top of your booking page.
• Footer message — Add a message at the bottom, such as a contact prompt.
• Terms and Conditions — Enter a URL linking to your clinic's terms.
• Privacy Policy — Enter a URL linking to your privacy policy.
• Background Colour — Choose a background colour that matches your clinic's branding.

Booking Options

• Require form to be completed as part of booking — Clients must complete a form before confirming their appointment.
• Hide Class Appointments — Remove the Classes option from the booking page.
• Hide Gift Voucher Purchase — Remove the Gift Vouchers option.
• Hide Account Payments — Remove the Account Payments option.
• Hide Package Purchase — Remove the Packages option.
• Allow appointment cancellations — Clients can cancel their own appointments online.
• Allow appointment reschedule — Clients can reschedule their own appointments online.
• Allow Waitlist — Clients can join a waitlist if no slots are available.
• Consider Room availability when booking appointments — The system will factor in room availability when showing available slots.
• New Booking Notification — Select a staff member to be notified when a new booking is made.
• Time interval — Set the time interval between available booking slots (e.g. every 30 minutes).

Step 5: Configure Service & Categories

The Service & Categories tab controls what your clients see when choosing a service.

Categories

• Show category photos — Display images alongside each service category.
• Show service groups — Group services together for easier navigation.

Services

• Show service prices — Display the price of each service on the booking page.
• Show service duration — Display how long each service takes.
• Show description — Show the service description to clients.
• Show service reviews — Display client reviews for each service.
• Disable virtual consultation / In clinic filter — Remove the option for clients to filter between virtual and in-clinic appointments.
• Enable quick service — Allow clients to book without going through the full selection process.
• Minimum advance — Set how far in advance a client must book (e.g. at least 1 hour before the appointment).

Step 6: Configure Location Settings

The Location tab controls how clients select a clinic when booking.

• Search location by post code — Clients can search for their nearest clinic by entering a post code.
• Always select the client's most visited location by default — The booking page will pre-select the location the client visits most often, making the process faster for returning patients.

Step 7: Configure Team Settings

The Team tab controls how staff members are displayed during the booking process.

• Display employee name — Choose how staff names appear: Full Name, First Name, Initials, or Anonymous.
• Skip the Select employee step — Remove the staff selection step entirely and assign appointments automatically.
• Show employee's reviews — Display star ratings and reviews for each staff member.
• Hide employee photos — Remove staff profile photos from the booking page.
• Show job title — Display each staff member's job title alongside their name.
• Show employee profiles — Allow clients to view a full profile for each staff member before booking.

Step 8: Configure Your Booking Details Page

The Your booking details tab controls the final step of the booking flow — where clients review their appointment and enter their details.

Upsell

• Package Upsell — Pabau will suggest relevant packages to clients based on the service they are booking, helping increase average spend per booking.

Checkout

• Allow promo codes — Clients can enter a promo code at checkout to apply a discount.
• Hide amount to be paid — The total price will not be shown to clients during checkout.

Step 9: Save Your Changes

Once you have finished configuring all settings, click Save changes in the top right corner to apply your updates. Your online booking page will reflect the changes immediately.

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How to Use Promo Codes When Booking Online

Step 1: Allow Promo Codes

Log in to your Pabau account and in the left sidebar menu, go to Setup, then click on "Online Booking" under Catalogue.

Click on "Customize" on the right side of the screen.

In the Customize tab, switch to the last sub-tab, "Your booking details."

In this section, locate the checkbox labeled "Allow promo codes."  Tick the checkbox to enable clients to use promo codes when checking out.

Step 2: Applying Promo Codes

When clients reach the last step of the online booking process and promo codes are allowed, they will follow these steps:

On the left side of the screen, clients will find a designated field where they can input either a voucher code or a promo code.

They will need to enter the promo code in the provided field and proceed to complete the booking process.

For detailed instructions on creating gift vouchers, refer to this article. If you're interested in creating discount codes, read this article. 

By following these steps, clients can seamlessly apply promo codes during the online booking process, enhancing their experience and providing them with applicable discounts or benefits.

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How to Implement Your Online Booking Platform on Your Website

Step 1: Get the Link to Your Online Booking Platform

Before adding the "Book now" button, you need to obtain the URL to your online booking platform:

Log in to your Pabau account and in the left sidebar menu, go to Setup, then click on " Online Booking" under Catalogue.

Click on Customize, go to the Promote tab, and open the "Booking portal" sub-tab.

Copy the URL displayed on this page; you'll use it for the button.

 
You can also use the URL to add it to communication templates or email newsletters.

Step 2: Implementing the "Book Now" Button

Depending on your website setup, there are two ways to proceed:

• For Custom Code Websites: If your website is custom-built, you'll need to add a line of code to your website's body. This code creates a button that, when clicked, redirects clients to your online booking platform. Use the following code:

• For Content Management System (CMS) Websites: If your website uses a CMS, implement a Button component with the link to your online booking platform as the directory.

• Using Pabau's Custom Buttons Pabau offers pre-styled buttons with additional customization options. Here's how to use them:

1. In the Promote tab of the Online Booking settings, go to the Button sub-tab.

2. Highlight the desired button and click on "View instructions" to adjust the behavior of the button if desired.

With that done, now it's time to implement the button itself. In the "Copy Embed Code" menu, you'll find the code for the button.



Start by copying the code from the second box. If your website is custom code, paste it where you'd like the button to be, or if your website is CSM, put it in an HTML component.

Then, copy the content of the first box, and paste it after the "<div id="pabau-book-now">" in the first code. The final result should look like this:

With these steps completed, you've successfully integrated the "Book now" button, providing a seamless booking experience for your clients. 

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Preconditions for Seamless Functionality in Your Online Bookings

Create Shifts for All Staff Members

It's essential to have shifts created for all staff members to facilitate accurate scheduling.

Set Up Shifts Properly in Terms of Services

Verify that shifts are configured correctly in terms of the services included in them. If a service is not associated with any shift, clients won't see staff members' availability.

When introducing new services, ensure they are added to the relevant shifts.

Check Staff Permissions for Performing Services

Confirm that staff members assigned to perform specific services have the necessary permissions.

Navigate to Team, select a staff member, go to the Services tab, and choose the services the employee can perform.

Ensure Online Booking for Services

Make services bookable online by going to Setup, then clicking on "Services" in the Services section. Click on the service and access the Online Booking tab.



Enable online booking for the service and ensure the right locations and employees are assigned in the "Assign" tab.

Verify Online Booking Status for Locations

Confirm that locations where employees can be booked online are configured accordingly.

Navigate to Setup, then click on "Locations" under Business.

Click on "Edit" next to each location and check under "General" that "This location accepts online bookings" and "Show online" are enabled.

By adhering to these considerations, you'll establish the necessary conditions for your online bookings to function seamlessly, delivering accurate availability information to clients and optimizing their booking experience.

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How to Make Services Available Online

Step 1: Navigate to Services 

Log in to your Pabau account, and in the left sidebar menu, go to Setup, then click on the "Services" button under "Catalogue."

Step 2: Access the Service for Online Booking

In the Services list, find and click the service you want to make available for online booking. Then, switch to the Online Booking tab.

Step 3: Configure Online Booking Settings

In the "Settings" tab, enable the "Enable this service online" toggle.

You can also add an alternate service name and description to make your service clearer for online clients.

For convenience, use the AI tool by clicking the Generate button to automatically create a service description. This helps ensure your service is well communicated to potential clients browsing online.

If there are extra requirements like a patch test, click Add Service Notice and enter the necessary details.

You can add both a short notice and a longer notice—the longer notice will appear only if clients click the More info button.

Step 4: Save Changes

In the top right corner, click Save (for editing an existing service) or Create (for a new service). Your service is now available for online booking.

Following these steps will make it easy for your clients to book your services online, improving the convenience and efficiency of your scheduling process.

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How to Enable Online Sale of Packages

Step 1: Log in and Access Online Booking Settings

Log in to your Pabau account and navigate to Setup, then Online Booking under "Catalogue", then click on the blue "Customize" button.

Step 2: Customize Online Booking Settings

Within the "Customize" tab of your online booking settings, uncheck the box labeled "Hide Package Purchase."

Step 3: Enable Packages for Online Purchase

In the left sidebar menu, go to Setup, then click on "Packages" under Services.

Click on the name of the specific package you want to make available online. Then, turn on the "Enable online purchase" option.

Make any other necessary changes, and finally, click "Save" in the top-right corner.

Now, this package will be displayed in your online booking portal. If you've created multiple packages for the same service but with varying numbers of sessions, clients will have the option to choose how many sessions they wish to buy.

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