If you're still taking salon bookings over the phone or through a WhatsApp group, you're spending a significant amount of time on logistics that could be automated — and you're almost certainly losing bookings from customers who give up when they can't reach you.
This guide walks you through the full setup process for a salon, from adding your services to sharing your booking link. The entire process takes about an hour, and the payoff starts immediately.
Before you begin: three things to prepare
- Your service menu — names, durations, and prices. If you offer different prices for different stylists (junior vs. senior), note those too.
- Your team's working hours — which days each person works and their start/end times.
- Your business logo — a PNG or JPG under 2 MB. This appears on your booking page and makes it look professional.
Step 1: Set up your business profile
Go to Settings → Business and fill in your business name, type (Beauty Salon or Hair Salon), contact email, phone, and address. Write a short, welcoming description — this is the first thing customers read on your booking page, so make it inviting rather than clinical.
Upload your logo. If you don't have one yet, even a simple, clean image works better than no image at all.
Step 2: Add your services
Go to Services and click + Add service. For most salons, you'll want to organise services into categories first:
- Hair — Cut, Colour, Treatment, Blowout
- Nails — Manicure, Pedicure, Gel, Extensions
- Facials / Lash / Brow (if applicable)
For each service, set the name, duration, and base price. Durations matter — a customer booking a balayage treatment shouldn't be given the same slot length as a trim. Err on the side of generous durations when in doubt; you can always tighten them once you see how the calendar flows.
Seniority pricing (optional but recommended)
If you charge different rates depending on whether a customer sees your senior or junior stylist, set seniority prices on each service. When a customer chooses their stylist, the price adjusts automatically. This eliminates awkward price conversations at the counter.
Add-on services
Treatments, conditioning masks, and nail art are great as add-ons. Add them under the relevant base service. Customers can tick them on when booking, and the duration and price adjust automatically. This is a reliable way to increase your average booking value without any extra selling effort.
Step 3: Add your staff and set working hours
Go to Staff and add each team member. For each person:
- Enter their name and any contact details
- Set their seniority (Junior or Senior) if you use tiered pricing
- Set their working days and hours under Working hours
Working hours are critical — if a stylist's hours aren't set, they won't appear as available for bookings. Double-check that every active staff member has at least one working day configured.
For leave, public holidays, and days off, use Time blocks. Add a block with the type "Off Day" or "Leave" and the date range, and that stylist's slots are automatically removed for those dates.
Step 4: Configure your booking settings
Go to Settings → Booking and set:
- Slot duration — this should match your shortest service. If your quickest service (e.g. a brow wax) is 30 minutes, use 30-minute slots. This gives the most granular time options for customers.
- Booking window — how far ahead customers can book. 60 days is standard for salons.
- Cancellation window — how much notice customers need to give. 24–48 hours is typical.
- Email reminders — turn on all three (7-day, 24-hour, 2-hour). This alone reduces no-shows significantly.
- Notification email — where new booking alerts are sent. Use your main business email or the manager's personal email.
Step 5: Share your booking link
Your booking page is live at advancebooking.app/book/[your-slug]. Find the exact URL in Settings → Business.
Add this link to:
- Your Instagram and Facebook bio (this single change typically generates the most immediate bookings)
- Your Google Business Profile (under "Book" or "Appointment URL")
- Your WhatsApp Business auto-reply message
- Your email signature
- A QR code printed near the reception desk for walk-in customers who want to book their next appointment before leaving
Common setup mistakes to avoid
Setting slot durations too short
If you use 15-minute slots but your shortest service is 45 minutes, customers see dozens of available times but many create gaps in your schedule. Use slot durations that match your services.
Not setting all staff's working hours
Even a part-time staff member who only works Tuesdays needs their hours configured. If it's not set, the system treats them as unavailable.
Forgetting to categorise services
Without categories, all your services appear in one long list. With 20+ services, this is overwhelming for customers. Group them — it takes 5 minutes and makes a significant difference.
Using your business email as the notification address
If your business email isn't checked frequently, new booking notifications get lost. Use a personal email that's actually monitored, or set up your email app to flag booking notifications specifically.
What happens on day one
After setup, the first bookings typically come within 24–48 hours of sharing the link, assuming you add it to your Instagram bio. Many salons see 5–10 online bookings in the first week without any additional promotion.
The bigger shift is the time savings. Phone booking conversations average 4–6 minutes each. Moving even 50% of your bookings online at 20 bookings per week is roughly 3–4 hours per week returned to you.
Online booking doesn't just save time — it captures bookings from customers who would never call, who book at 11pm, and who give up after one unanswered phone ring.