What your clients see when they book
You spend your day in the dashboard. Your clients never see it. This article walks the other side of the screen, step by step, so you know exactly what happens after somebody taps your booking link.
Nothing here needs setting up. It is a tour, not a task. Where a step depends on a setting, the article says which one and links to the article that owns it.
Before you start
- Your booking link is under Settings, then the Booking Page tab. See your public booking page and embed.
- Open it yourself on a phone and follow along. Everything below is exactly what a client sees.
- Several steps only appear when a switch is on. Those live under Settings, then Booking Settings, in Optional Booking features.
Step 1: They land on your booking page
Your page opens on the Book now tab. Three more tabs appear only if you switched them on: Services, Meet the team and About.
If you take more than one kind of booking, they choose the kind first on Book now. You can send them straight to one by adding ?tab= and the type to your link: appointments, classes, events or resources.
A per-person link, such as .../book/sharps-barbers/dave, opens the same page with a Booking with Dave banner above the steps, and only that person's times.
Step 2: One appointment, or a group
The first question is How would you like to book?, with the line "Choose a single appointment or a group booking for several people." Two cards follow:
- Book an appointment, described as "Schedule an appointment for yourself".
- Group appointment, described as "Different services for multiple people".
Most people tap the first. The group route has its own section further down.
Good to know: this chooser is skipped for a per-person link and for a link that already names a service, so those clients go straight to the services.
Step 3: They pick a service, or a person
By default the next screen is Select a service, headed "Choose one or more services. You will pick a date and time in a later step." Services are listed with their length and price. Where you have set categories, they are grouped, and with six or more services a Search services box appears.
If you have turned on Staff-first booking, the order flips: they see Who would you like to see? first ("Pick a person to see their services and prices"), then only that person's services at that person's own prices. See let clients choose their person first.
Where Any available practitioner is on, an extra card sits at the top: Any available, "First available time across the team".
Step 4: Options and add-ons
Two optional screens can follow the service, depending on how you set that service up on the Services page.
- Choose your option appears when a service is set to Multiple bookable options. The note reads "This service has a few variations to choose from. Pick one to continue." Each option shows its own length.
- Add extras to your booking (or Add extras to the service name) appears when the service has add-on groups. Each group shows your own prompt and how many they may pick: Pick one (required), Pick one (optional), Pick up to 3, Pick at least 1 or Pick any. Each extra shows its price or Free, and any extra minutes. A bar at the foot keeps a running Extras total with a Continue button.
See set up your services for where these come from.
Step 5: Several services in one visit
On Select a service your clients tick rather than tap through, so they can book two or three things back to back.
- As soon as one service is ticked, a bar appears at the bottom of the screen with the count, the total minutes and a "from" price, and the names joined with a plus sign.
- Under it: "Tick more to book them back to back with the same staff, up to 4.", using whatever word you use for a person.
- Four is the limit. At four the bar says "That is the most you can book in one visit (4)."
- Clear starts the selection again. Continue moves on.
Each ticked service asks its own options and extras in turn, then they pick one start time for the whole visit.
After the time comes Review your services, headed "Check your services with Ada, then continue to your details." The card lists every service with its start time, length, who it is with and its price, then Total duration, Combined price and, where money is due, Deposit due or Full payment due. Each line has Remove, and Add extras or Edit extras. Continue to details moves on.
Step 6: Choosing a time
If more than one person offers the chosen service, they see Who would you like to see? with the note "Choose your preferred staff. Prices shown are what they charge for this service.", again using your own word for a person. Any available sits at the top when that feature is on.
Then comes Date and time: a month calendar with the line "Green days have at least one bookable time. Select a day to see times." Tapping a green day lists the times below it.
A day with nothing free says No times available on Thursday 10 September, then "Try a different date above." In staff-first booking a See someone else button appears here too.
If ResNeo cannot reach your schedule, clients see "We could not check which days are free" with a Try again button, rather than an empty month that looks fully booked.
Step 7: Joining the waitlist
When Appointment waitlist is on, a fully booked day also offers a Join waitlist button. It opens a short form: Service, Preferred date, Who would you like to see? (Anyone available or a named person), First name, Last name, Mobile number, Email, and Preferred time as either Any time that day or Between specific times with From and Until.
They submit and see a green confirmation. Their name appears on your Waitlist screen. See using the waitlist.
Step 8: A form to fill in before booking
If a service needs a consultation, patch test or intake record and you collect it in the booking flow, a Before you book panel appears on the details step once they have typed their email. Each form is marked Required or Optional, and a required one has to be saved before they can confirm.
Where a client cannot complete it online, they get a short notice instead, headed Before you can book online when it blocks the booking, or Forms needed for this booking when it only warns. See compliance: patch tests, consent and intake forms.
Step 9: Signing in, if you ask for it
Most venues let people book without an account. If you have turned on Require ResNeo sign-in to book under Settings, then Booking Settings, a panel appears above the booking steps saying ResNeo account required to book, with a Log in or sign up button.
That opens a dialog headed Continue with ResNeo offering Email link or Password. A New to ResNeo? panel at the top reassures first-timers: "Enter your Email to create a free account automatically. No separate signup and no password required." The email route says "Enter the email you want on the booking. We will email you a one-time link to sign in", and the button reads Email me a sign-in link. They open the link on the same device and come back to finish the booking. See signing in.
Step 10: Their details, and payment
The details screen shows a summary card of what they are booking, then a Cancellation policy panel. With nothing to pay it says Cancel for free anytime. With a deposit it states the amount and your refund deadline. With a card hold it says no payment is taken and names the maximum no-show fee.
Then the fields: First name, Surname, Email, Phone and Comments or requests ("Anything we should know (access needs, preferences, running late, etc.)"). A service you have set to happen at the client's address also asks for Address line 1, Address line 2, Town or city and Postcode.
Two tick boxes sit above the button:
- "Sign me up to receive offers and news from this business by email." This is the marketing consent that shows on their record in Contacts, and nothing else opts them in.
- "I accept the Website Terms of Use and Privacy Policy." This one is compulsory.
The button reads Confirm Booking when nothing is due, Continue to payment when a deposit or full payment is, and Continue when only a card is being saved.
Money is taken on a Stripe page, never on a ResNeo form. See deposits, full payments, card holds, and refunds.
Step 11: The confirmation
The last screen is headed Appointment Confirmed, with the service, who it is with, the date and the time. Below it:
- "A confirmation will be sent to" their email or phone.
- A Refund policy line when a deposit was taken, or "No deposit was taken. You can cancel or change this booking at any time before your appointment (subject to the venue's terms)." when none was.
- A Book another appointment button, so somebody booking two things is not sent hunting for your link again.
If a card payment was abandoned, the screen instead says Appointment not completed. If their bank is still processing, they see a "processing" heading and are told the confirmation follows.
Booking for several people
Choosing Group appointment opens Group Booking, headed "Add each person and their services to build your group booking." It works one person at a time:
- A Booking date field at the top, which every person shares.
- Add a person opens Who is this appointment for?, asking for "a name or label (e.g. 'Myself', 'My son', 'Alex')".
- That person then goes through Select a service ("What would Alex like?"), Choose an option if there is one, Add extras for Alex, Choose staff if staff-first is on, and Pick a time for Alex.
- Back on Group Booking the person appears as a card with their services, times and prices, and a count such as "2 people added. Add more or continue to checkout." A bin icon removes somebody.
- Continue to details takes one set of contact details for the whole group, above a Group booking summary card.
The end screen is headed Group Booking Confirmed, and lists every person and time.
The manage page in their emails
Their confirmation email carries a row of buttons: Add to calendar, Location, Visit website and Manage. Where you do not allow changes online the last one reads Cancel instead, and a service that happens online adds Join online.
Manage opens a page of its own, with your venue name and address across the top and tiles for Service, Staff, Date, Time and Status. Depending on the booking it also shows:
- Get directions, or a Where panel for an appointment at their address or online.
- Before your visit, which is the pre-appointment instructions you wrote on the service.
- What you told the venue, repeating their own notes back to them.
- Forms to complete before your visit, with a link for each one still outstanding.
- Deposit paid: £25.00, or "Add your card details to secure this booking. No payment is taken." with an Add card details button, or a line naming the no-show fee once a card is held.
- Change appointment, which reopens the booking steps at the date and time, and Cancel appointment.
- Add to Google Calendar and Download for other calendars.
- Contact the venue with your phone number and email, and a short History.
Cancel appointment opens a confirmation that spells out the outcome for that booking rather than quoting a policy: whether they are inside the free cancellation deadline, whether the deposit comes back, and whether a no-show fee could still be charged. The buttons are Keep appointment and Yes, cancel.
If Guest self-reschedule is off, the change button is replaced by Need a different time?, telling them you do not offer changes online and giving your phone number. They can still cancel.
Links do not live forever. An old one says Link expired or Link already used, with "Check your inbox for a more recent email, or contact the venue to resend your booking link."
The confirm or cancel page
Your Confirm or cancel prompt message, if you use it, points somewhere else. The email is headed Can you still make your appointment? and carries two buttons, Yes, I'm Coming and Cancel My Appointment. Both open the same page.
That page shows your venue name and address, tiles for Date, Time, Guests and Deposit (either Paid £25.00 or Not required), then the line "Confirm your booking below, or open Manage or cancel to change the time, party size, or cancel."
Three controls follow: Manage or cancel booking, Confirm my booking and Cancel booking. Confirming shows You're confirmed!
Cancel booking opens Cancel Booking?. Where a deposit was paid, a Deposit Policy panel states your rule: "Full refund if cancelled 48+ hours before your booking. No refund within 48 hours or for no-shows.", using your own notice hours. With no deposit it simply asks "Are you sure you want to cancel your booking?". The buttons are Keep Booking and Yes, Cancel.
Turn the message itself on or off under Settings, then the Communications tab. See guest communications (email and SMS).
The pay page
A payment link sent by email or text opens a page headed Pay your deposit, or Secure your booking when only a card is being saved. It greets them by name, repeats the date, time and address, and shows either Deposit required or No payment is taken today with the maximum no-show fee.
They finish, and land on Deposit paid, Card saved, or, if their bank is slow, Almost done or Payment processing. A refused card says Payment failed or Card not saved, and asks them to go back and try again.
Common problems & fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A client says your page offered no times | No service is on a bookable calendar, or that calendar has no hours | Check the service's calendars on the Services page, then that calendar's hours under Calendar Availability |
| They were asked to choose a person and you did not expect it | Staff-first booking is on | Turn it off under Settings, then Booking Settings, in Optional Booking features |
| They could not book two services together | They tapped one service rather than ticking, or they were already at four | Four services per visit is the limit, and options and extras are asked per service |
| Nobody joins your waitlist | Appointment waitlist is off, so the button never appears | Turn it on under Settings, then Booking Settings |
| A client was forced to sign in | Require ResNeo sign-in to book is on | Turn it off under Settings, then Booking Settings |
| They cannot change their appointment from the email | Guest self-reschedule is off | Turn it on under Settings, then Booking Settings, or take the change yourself |
| Their booking link says Link expired | Manage links are time limited for security | Resend the confirmation from the booking, or send them a fresh link |
| Nobody is opting in to your marketing | The tick box on the details step is the only place a client opts in | Leave it visible, and check Marketing preferences on their record in Contacts |
| They paid and the booking still says Pending | The card payment has not cleared yet | Give it a few minutes, then check the booking's payment status |