Help Centre

Who this is for: Anyone who just signed up and wants to get their business ready to take bookings.

Before you begin

• You need an AdvanceBooking account. Register here if you haven't already.
• Have your business logo ready (optional, but recommended — max 2 MB).

Step-by-step

1. 1Go to Settings → Business.
2. 2Upload your business logo by clicking the logo placeholder.
3. 3Fill in your Business name, Business type, Contact email, Phone number, and Address.
4. 4Write a short Description — this appears on your public booking page, so make it welcoming.
5. 5Set your Language for the booking page (English, Chinese, Malay, or Tamil).
6. 6Click Save.

Your booking page is now visible at advancebooking.app/book/[your-slug]. Share this link with your customers.

Who this is for: Anyone setting up what they offer — haircuts, massages, consultations, lessons, or any appointment-based service.

Before you begin

• You must be an admin or owner.

Creating a service category first (optional)

Categories help customers browse your services (e.g. “Hair”, “Nails”, “Facials”). You can add a category before or while adding a service.

1. 1Go to Services.
2. 2Click + Category in the left sidebar.
3. 3Type the category name and press Enter.

Adding a service

1. 1Go to Services and click + Add service.
2. 2Enter a Name (required).
3. 3Set the Base price in SGD. Enter 0 for free services.
4. 4Set the Duration in minutes — this is how long each appointment slot will be.
5. 5Choose a Category to organise the service on your booking page.
6. 6Add a Description (optional) — shown to customers when they pick a service.
7. 7Set Active to ON so the service appears on your booking page. Toggle it OFF to hide it temporarily.
8. 8Click Save.

Advanced: staff seniority pricing

Charge different prices depending on whether a junior or senior staff member performs the service.

1. 1While editing a service, find the Seniority pricing section.
2. 2Enter a price for Junior and/or Senior. Leave blank to use the base price.

Advanced: add-on items

Add optional extras that customers can add to a service during checkout — for example, a deep-conditioning treatment on top of a haircut.

1. 1While editing a service, scroll to Add-ons and click + Add item.
2. 2Enter the add-on name, price, and duration.
3. 3Click Save.

Who this is for: Businesses with multiple staff — barbers, therapists, stylists, trainers, or any team member who takes bookings.

Adding a staff member

1. 1Go to Staff and click Add staff member.
2. 2Enter their Name (required), Email, Phone, and a short Bio that appears on the booking page.
3. 3Set their Seniority — Junior or Senior. This affects pricing if you've set seniority pricing on any services.
4. 4Click Add.

Setting working hours

Customers can only book time slots when a staff member is available. Set their working days and hours here.

1. 1Click on the staff member in the left panel.
2. 2Under Working hours, toggle ON each day they work.
3. 3For each working day, set their start time and end time.

Adding time blocks (leave, breaks, or custom unavailability)

1. 1Click on the staff member.
2. 2Under Time blocks, click + Add block.
3. 3Choose the block type: Off Day, Break, Leave, or other custom type.
4. 4Set the start and end date/time and an optional note.
5. 5Click Save block. That time is now blocked from bookings.

Who this is for: Merchants who want their booking page to match their brand.

What you can customise

• Logo — shown at the top of your booking page (Settings → Business)
• Business name and description — the headline and intro copy (Settings → Business)
• Language — English, Chinese, Malay, or Tamil (Settings → Booking)
• Slot duration — how finely time slots are divided (e.g. every 15 or 30 minutes)
• Booking window — how far in advance customers can book (7 to 180 days)
• Cancellation window — how many hours before an appointment customers can cancel (1–72 hours)
• Design — colours, fonts, and button styles via the Design editor

Setting your booking configuration

1. 1Go to Settings → Booking.
2. 2Set Slot duration — choose 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. A 30-minute slot means customers see available times like 9:00, 9:30, 10:00.
3. 3Set Booking window — how far ahead customers can book. 60 days is recommended for most businesses.
4. 4Set Cancellation window — customers cannot cancel within this period. Common choices: 24 or 48 hours.
5. 5Set your Notification email — new bookings will be emailed here.
6. 6Toggle Email reminders on or off: 7-day reminder, 24-hour reminder, and 2-hour reminder are all independent.
7. 7Click Save.

Who this is for: Merchants who want to understand the full customer booking journey.

The customer journey

1. 1Step 1 — Choose a service: Customers see your services grouped by category. They can select one or more services. Bundle discounts are highlighted with a banner if eligible.
2. 2Step 2 — Choose a staff member: Customers pick a specific staff member, or select 'No preference' to see all available time slots.
3. 3Step 3 — Pick a date and time: An interactive calendar shows available dates. Unavailable dates are greyed out. Customers pick an open time slot.
4. 4Step 4 — Enter their details: Name, email, phone number (optional), and a note for you. They can also enter a discount code or birthday month (to trigger birthday discounts), and opt in to marketing.
5. 5Confirm: A booking confirmation email is sent to the customer automatically. You receive a notification email too.

After booking — what the customer sees

The customer receives a confirmation email with their appointment details and a link to manage their booking (cancel or reschedule).

Dashboard — what you see

New bookings appear instantly in your Dashboard — visible on the calendar and in the list view. Bookings start with the status Pending and can be updated to Confirmed, In Progress, Completed, or No Show.

Who this is for: Anyone who wants to control how many bookings can happen at the same time.

How availability works

A time slot is available if at least one staff member is working and not already booked at that time. The system checks this in real time as customers browse.

Controlling capacity per staff member

1. 1Go to Staff and select a staff member.
2. 2Set their working hours for each day they are available.
3. 3Add time blocks for days off, breaks, or leave.

The “Ignore availability” override

By default, the booking page respects staff availability. If you need to take walk-in bookings or manage scheduling yourself without blocking online slots, you can disable availability checking.

1. 1Go to Settings → Booking.
2. 2Toggle on Ignore availability.
3. 3Click Save.

Blocking a date or time period

1. 1Go to Staff and click the staff member whose time you want to block.
2. 2Click + Add block.
3. 3Choose the block type (Off Day, Leave, Break, etc.)
4. 4Set the date range and times.
5. 5Click Save block.

Who this is for: Merchants who want to understand how customers manage their own bookings.

How it works

Every booking confirmation email includes a secure link that lets the customer manage their appointment. When they click it, they can:

• Cancel their booking
• Reschedule to a different date and time

The cancellation window

You set a minimum notice period for cancellations in Settings → Booking (e.g. 24 hours). If a customer tries to cancel within that window, a warning is shown. They can still cancel but are told late cancellations may not be eligible for a refund.

What you see when a customer cancels

The booking status changes to Cancelled in your Dashboard. Both you and the customer receive a cancellation notification email.

Cancelling a booking yourself

1. 1Open the booking from your Dashboard.
2. 2Change the status dropdown to Cancelled.
3. 3Or, for completed bookings, click Void.

Who this is for: Staff who need to book and check out a customer who walks in, without going through the online booking flow.

Before you begin

• You need at least one active service set up.
• You need at least one staff member.

1. 1From the Dashboard, click New booking.
2. 2Search for the customer by name, email, or phone — or type a new name and click Create new customer.
3. 3If creating a new customer, enter their email address.
4. 4Select the Staff member performing the service.
5. 5Set the Date and Time.
6. 6Tap service tiles to add them to the order. You can add multiple services.
7. 7Once your order is ready, click Checkout.
8. 8Select the payment method (Cash, Visa/Mastercard, GrabPay, PayNow, etc.).
9. 9Click Confirm Checkout.

The booking is created and automatically marked as Completed. It appears in your Dashboard and transaction history.

Who this is for: Anyone managing day-to-day bookings.

Calendar views

Your Dashboard shows a calendar and a list of bookings side by side. Switch between views using the buttons at the top:

• Day view — see all bookings for a specific day, click a date on the calendar to navigate
• Week view — see the current week at a glance
• Month view — see the whole month; click any day to drill into it
• Year view — see which months are busy

Updating a booking's status

Each booking card in the list shows a status selector. Click it to update quickly without opening the full booking.

Available statuses: Pending → Confirmed → In Progress → Completed → Cancelled → No Show

Opening a booking for more detail

Click any booking card to open the full booking detail panel where you can:

• Edit the service, time, staff member, or customer notes
• Process a checkout with payment
• Void a completed transaction
• Update the customer type (Walk-in or Returning)
• Add admin notes

Who this is for: Merchants who want to set up how they accept payment at the POS.

Built-in payment methods

AdvanceBooking supports the following payment methods out of the box:

• Cash
• Visa / Mastercard
• GrabPay
• PayNow
• Mall voucher
• Fraser gift card
• Store credits (customer wallet)

Adding custom payment methods

1. 1Go to Settings → POS.
2. 2Scroll to Checkout payment methods.
3. 3Type the name of your custom method (e.g. “NETS” or “WeChat Pay”) and press Enter or click Add.
4. 4Click Save.

Removing a payment method

Click the × next to any payment method in the list to remove it from your POS checkout. This only affects what appears at the POS — it doesn't affect online payments.

Who this is for: Staff processing payment for a completed service.

1. 1Open the booking from the Dashboard (or create a new POS booking).
2. 2Confirm the services in the cart are correct. Add or remove services as needed.
3. 3Apply any discounts: enter a discount code in the discount field if the customer has one.
4. 4Click Checkout.
5. 5Review the Payment breakdown — base price, discounts, credits used, and amount due.
6. 6Select the payment method.
7. 7If the customer is paying with store credits, choose Credits. The system deducts from their balance automatically.
8. 8Click Confirm & Complete.

The booking is marked Completed, the transaction is recorded, and the customer receives a receipt confirmation email.

Who this is for: Merchants and staff who need to look up past sales, confirm payments, or check credit activity.

1. 1Go to Transactions in the sidebar.
2. 2Browse the unified ledger — it shows all completed bookings and credit transactions (top-ups and redemptions) in date order.
3. 3Click any transaction on the left panel to see the full receipt details on the right.

Voiding a transaction

1. 1Find the transaction in Transactions.
2. 2Click it to open the detail panel.
3. 3Click Void transaction and confirm.

Who this is for: Business owners who want to see how their business is performing.

1. 1Go to Reports in the sidebar.
2. 2Use the date range selector to view a specific month, year, or custom date range.
3. 3Use the staff filter to see numbers for a specific team member.

What you can see

• Total Revenue — cash + credits combined
• Number of Bookings
• Average Booking Value
• Sales from Credits — how much was paid using store credits
• Total Credits Top-up — total credits added across all customers
• Discounts Given
• Voided Transactions
• Sales by Service — revenue broken down per service
• Sales by Staff — revenue per team member
• Payment Methods breakdown
• Customer Types (Walk-in vs Returning)
• Top Customers by Spend

Exporting data

Click the Export button at the top of the Reports page to download your data as CSV, PDF, or Excel. The export includes all transaction details for the selected period.

Who this is for: Anyone who wants to look up a customer, view their history, or update their details.

1. 1Go to Customers in the sidebar.
2. 2Use the search bar at the top to find a customer by name, email, or phone number.
3. 3Click a customer to open their profile on the right panel.

What you can see in a customer profile

• Name, email, phone number
• Credit balance and lifetime spend
• Membership tier
• Full booking history (date, service, status, amount)
• Birthday month (if provided)
• Notes

Editing a customer's contact details

1. 1Open the customer profile.
2. 2Click the edit (pencil) icon next to their contact details.
3. 3Update their name or phone number.
4. 4Click Save.

Adding a customer manually

1. 1Click Add customer in the Customers page.
2. 2Enter their first name (required), email (required), phone, birthday month, and any notes.
3. 3Click Add customer.

Importing customers from a spreadsheet

1. 1Click Import CSV.
2. 2Upload a CSV file with columns: first_name, email, phone, birthday, notes.
3. 3The system maps common column variations automatically (e.g. “mobile” maps to phone).
4. 4Review any errors and click Import.

Who this is for: Merchants who want customers to pre-load credit and spend it on services — similar to a prepaid account.

Configuring credits

1. 1Go to Settings → Credits.
2. 2Set the Top-up mode:
   — Any amount: customers enter whatever value they like.
   — Fixed packages only: you define preset top-up amounts (e.g. $50, $100, $200).
3. 3If using fixed packages, add each amount by typing it and pressing Enter.
4. 4Set a Credit expiry if you want unused credits to expire (90 days, 180 days, 1 year, 2 years, or no expiry).
5. 5Click Save.

Topping up a customer's credits

1. 1Go to Customers and open the customer's profile.
2. 2Click Top up.
3. 3Enter the amount and a reference note (e.g. “Cash top-up at counter”).
4. 4Click Add credits.

Redeeming credits for a customer

1. 1Open the customer's profile in Customers.
2. 2Click Redeem.
3. 3Select the services the customer is redeeming credits for.
4. 4Click Send authorisation request.

Who this is for: Merchants who want to reward high-spending customers with better discounts as they spend more.

How membership tiers work

Customers are automatically placed in a tier based on how much they've topped up. Higher tiers get better discounts on services.

1. 1Go to Memberships in the sidebar.
2. 2Click Add tier.
3. 3Enter a Tier name (e.g. “Gold”, “Platinum”).
4. 4Set the Minimum top-up amount needed to reach this tier.
5. 5Set the Discount percentage members get.
6. 6Choose which services the discount applies to: all services, only selected services, or all except certain services.
7. 7Click Save.

Configuring how membership discounts apply

1. 1Go to Settings → POS → Pricing behaviour.
2. 2Under Membership discount applies to, choose:
   — Each eligible item: the discount is applied to each qualifying item line, so the saving shows against the service it applies to.
   — Whole ticket: the discount is applied once at checkout level, so the saving shows as a single amount in the summary.
3. 3Click Save.

Who this is for: Merchants who want to run promotions or offer special pricing.

Creating a discount code

1. 1Go to Discounts in the sidebar.
2. 2Click Add discount.
3. 3Enter a Code (e.g. WELCOME10). Codes are automatically uppercased.
4. 4Choose the Discount type: percentage off or fixed dollar amount off.
5. 5Enter the Value (e.g. 10 for 10% off, or 15 for $15 off).
6. 6Optionally set Maximum total uses — the code will stop working after this many redemptions.
7. 7Optionally set Maximum uses per customer — each individual customer can only use it this many times.
8. 8Optionally restrict the discount to specific services only.
9. 9Toggle Stackable on if this discount can be combined with membership tier discounts.
10. 10Toggle Active on when you're ready.
11. 11Click Save.

Automatic discounts (no code required)

You can set discounts to apply automatically without the customer entering a code — for example, a birthday discount.

1. 1When creating a discount, set the delivery method to Automatic instead of Code.
2. 2The discount applies to all eligible bookings automatically.

Birthday discount (built-in)

AdvanceBooking includes a built-in birthday discount. When a customer enters their birthday month while booking, the discount applies automatically if it's their birth month.

1. 1Go to Discounts and look for the Birthday discount card.
2. 2Configure the discount value, which services it applies to, and toggle it on.

Who this is for: Merchants who want existing customers to refer new ones.

AdvanceBooking includes a built-in referral programme. Each customer gets a unique referral code that they can share. When a new customer books using that code, both the referrer and the new customer can receive a credit reward.

How it works for customers

1. An existing customer shares their referral code (visible in their account page).
2. A new customer enters the referral code on the booking form.
3. After the booking is completed, the referrer receives credits in their wallet.
4. The referred customer also receives a welcome credit bonus.

Who this is for: Anyone deciding which plan is right for their business.

All prices are in SGD and billed monthly. There is also a Free plan available with limited features to get started.

Who this is for: Merchants who want to change their plan.

Upgrading

1. 1Go to Billing in the sidebar.
2. 2Choose the plan you want under the plan comparison cards.
3. 3Click Upgrade.
4. 4Complete payment through the secure Stripe checkout page.

Managing or cancelling

1. 1Go to Billing in the sidebar.
2. 2Click Manage billing / Cancel.
3. 3You'll be taken to the Stripe customer portal where you can update payment details, download invoices, or cancel.

If you cancel, you keep access until the end of your current billing period.

Who this is for: Anyone who wants to secure their admin account with an extra layer of protection.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) requires a one-time code from an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Authy) every time you log in.

Setting up 2FA

1. 1Go to Settings → Account.
2. 2Under Two-factor authentication, click Set up authenticator app.
3. 3Scan the QR code with your authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, or similar).
4. 4Enter the 6-digit code your app shows to confirm the setup.
5. 5Click Enable.

Removing 2FA

1. 1Go to Settings → Account.
2. 2Click Remove authenticator app.
3. 3Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app, then click Remove authenticator.

If you've lost access to your authenticator app

1. 1On the Remove 2FA screen, click Send email confirmation.
2. 2A one-time link is sent to your account email address. It expires in 1 minute.
3. 3Click the link in the email to confirm removal.

1. 1Go to Settings → Account.
2. 2Under Change password, enter your new password (minimum 8 characters) and confirm it.
3. 3Click Send confirmation email.
4. 4Check your inbox and click the link in the email to confirm the change.

Password changes require email confirmation for security. The link expires after a short period.

Who this is for: Business owners who want to give team members access to the admin dashboard.

Inviting an admin

1. 1Go to Settings → Admin users.
2. 2Click Invite admin.
3. 3Enter the person's email address.
4. 4Click Send invite.

The person receives an invitation email. Once they accept and create their account, they can log in and manage your business.

Removing an admin

1. 1Go to Settings → Admin users.
2. 2Click the Remove (trash) icon next to the admin you want to remove.
3. 3Confirm the removal.

Who this is for: Merchants who want bookings to automatically appear in their Google Calendar.

1. 1Go to Settings → Integrations.
2. 2Under Calendar sync, click Connect Google Calendar.
3. 3Sign in to your Google account and grant permission.
4. 4New bookings will automatically be added to your Google Calendar. Cancellations and reschedules sync too.

Disconnecting Google Calendar

1. 1Go to Settings → Integrations.
2. 2Click Disconnect under Calendar sync.

Disconnecting stops future syncing. Existing calendar events are not deleted.