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The Customer Booking Experience

10-15 minutes

Tutorial 18.3: The Customer Booking Experience

Introduction

Understanding what your customers see when they book online helps you provide better service and answer their questions. The Luminate online booking portal guides customers through a simple 5-step process: selecting services, choosing a stylist, verifying their identity, picking a date and time, and confirming their booking.

This tutorial walks through the complete customer journey, explaining each step from the customer's perspective. This knowledge helps you guide customers who have questions and ensures your booking settings create the best possible experience.

Who this is for: Salon owners, administrators, and staff who want to understand the online booking process from the customer's point of view.

What you'll learn:

  • Each step of the online booking process
  • What customers see at each stage
  • How verification protects against fake bookings
  • What happens after a booking is confirmed

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes to read through

Prerequisites

Before reviewing this tutorial:

  • Online booking should be enabled for your salon (Tutorial 18.1)
  • Services and staff should be configured
  • Consider opening your booking page in a separate tab to follow along

The Booking Journey Overview

When customers visit your booking page, they see your salon name, logo (if uploaded), and a welcoming "Book your appointment" message. The booking process has five steps, shown in a progress bar at the top:

  1. Services - Select a service
  2. Stylist - Choose a preferred stylist or "Any Available"
  3. Verify - Confirm identity via email or phone code
  4. Date & Time - Pick an available slot
  5. Confirm - Review details and complete the booking

Customers navigate using Continue and Back buttons at the bottom of each step.

Step 1: Select Services

What Customers See

A list of all available services, each showing:

  • Service name
  • Price (or "From £X" if prices vary by stylist level)
  • Brief description (if you've added one)
  • Duration (e.g., "30 min", "45 min", "1h", "1h 30m", "2h")

Services are displayed as selectable cards with radio buttons.

How It Works

  • Customers click a service card to select it
  • Only one service can be selected per booking
  • The selected service is highlighted with a coloured border
  • A summary appears at the bottom showing:
    • Selected service name
    • Duration
    • Price

Note: If your salon uses staff level pricing (e.g., Senior, Junior, Director stylists at different rates), customers see "From £X" showing the lowest available price. The exact price is confirmed once they select a specific stylist.

When Customers Can Continue

The Continue button becomes active once a service is selected.

Common Customer Questions

"Why can't I see a particular service?" Some services might not be available for online booking. Contact the salon to book those services directly.

"Why does it say 'From' before the price?" This means the price varies depending on which stylist you choose. You'll see the exact price after selecting a stylist in the next step.

Step 2: Choose Your Stylist

What Customers See

A list of available stylists plus an "Any Available" option at the top:

  • Any Available - "We'll match you with the first available stylist"
  • Individual stylists - Listed by name with a profile icon and their staff level badge (e.g., Senior, Junior, Director)

A summary panel shows "Your Selection" with the selected service, duration, and price. When a specific stylist is selected, prices update to reflect that stylist's level pricing.

How It Works

  • "Any Available" is selected by default
  • Customers can select a specific stylist if they have a preference
  • Only one option can be selected (radio button behaviour)
  • Selecting a specific stylist updates the price and duration in the summary to show exact values

When Customers Can Continue

This step is optional. Customers can continue immediately with "Any Available" selected, or choose a specific stylist first.

Common Customer Questions

"Do I have to choose a specific stylist?" No, selecting "Any Available" means the salon will assign the first available stylist who can perform your selected services.

"What if my preferred stylist has no availability?" If they choose a specific stylist, only that stylist's available slots will show on the next step. If none are available, they can go back and select "Any Available" or try different dates.

Step 3: Verify Your Contact

What Customers See

A verification screen where customers enter their contact details:

  • If your salon has SMS verification enabled, customers see two tabs: Email and Phone
  • If SMS is not enabled, customers only see an email input field

How It Works

Entering Contact Details:

  1. Customer enters their email address (or selects Phone tab and enters mobile number if SMS is enabled)
  2. They click Send Verification Code

Verification Process:

  1. Luminate sends a 6-digit code to their email or phone
  2. The customer enters this code in the 6-digit input field
  3. Once verified, they automatically proceed to the next step

For Returning Customers: If the email or phone matches an existing customer in your system, they're recognised and their details are used for the booking.

For New Customers: If the email or phone is new, a customer record is created automatically when the booking is completed.

Additional Features

  • If a code doesn't arrive, customers see a countdown "Resend in Xs" - once it reaches zero, they can click Resend code
  • They can switch to a different contact by clicking "Use a different email" or "Use a different phone"
  • Phone numbers support international formats with country selection

Why Verification Matters

This step prevents:

  • Fake or spam bookings
  • Incorrect contact details
  • Anonymous bookings you can't follow up on

Every booking has a verified email or phone number you can use to send confirmations and reminders.

Common Customer Questions

"Why do I need to verify?" This confirms your contact details so the salon can send you booking confirmations and reminders.

"I didn't receive the code" Check your spam/junk folder for emails. For SMS, ensure you entered the correct mobile number. You can resend the code after 60 seconds.

"Can I use a different email/phone for different bookings?" Yes, but each booking is associated with the contact details you verify.

Step 4: Date & Time

What Customers See

  • A calendar showing the current month
  • Available dates are highlighted
  • After selecting a date, available time slots appear in a grid

How It Works

Selecting a Date:

  1. Available dates are marked with a green dot and highlighted background
  2. Customers click on an available date to select it
  3. They can navigate between months using arrow buttons
  4. Today's date has a ring around it for reference

Selecting a Time:

  1. After selecting a date, time slots appear below the calendar
  2. Available slots show as selectable buttons (e.g., "9:00", "9:30", "10:00")
  3. Each slot shows the start time of the appointment
  4. Customers click a slot to select it

How Availability is Determined: The system shows slots where:

  • A staff member (the selected one, or any if "Any Available") is rostered
  • The slot isn't already booked
  • The time fits within your minimum lead time and maximum advance settings
  • There's enough time for the selected service plus any buffer time

Common Customer Questions

"Why are some dates greyed out?" Dates without availability appear greyed out. This could be because:

  • Staff aren't rostered on those days
  • All slots are already booked
  • The date is beyond your maximum advance booking limit
  • The date is within your minimum lead time

"I selected a stylist but there's no availability" Go back and try "Any Available", which shows all staff availability, or check dates further in the future.

"The time I want isn't available" That slot may already be booked, or staff may not be available. Try a different time or date, or contact the salon directly.

Step 5: Confirm Your Booking

What Customers See

A summary screen showing all booking details:

  • Services - Names and individual prices
  • Stylist - The assigned or selected stylist
  • Date & Time - Full date and time slot
  • Duration - Total appointment length
  • Total - Total price
  • Special Requests (optional) - A text field for notes
  • Terms checkbox - Customers must accept your booking terms (if you've configured terms)

How It Works

  1. Customer reviews all details
  2. They can add optional notes in the "Special Requests" field
  3. If terms are configured, they check the box to accept your terms and conditions
  4. They click Confirm Booking to complete the booking

After Confirmation

Once the booking is confirmed, customers see the Booking Scheduled page:

  • A success message: "Your appointment has been scheduled. We'll be in touch shortly to confirm."
  • Their booking reference (format: XX-YYYYYY, e.g., "LH-F54E32")
  • Full appointment details including date, time, stylist, service, and total
  • Salon contact information (address, phone, email)
  • An Add to Google Calendar button
  • A Manage Booking button (only if self-service rescheduling or cancellation is enabled)
  • A Book Another Appointment button to quickly book again without re-verifying
  • A confirmation notice showing where the confirmation was sent (email or phone)

Common Customer Questions

"Can I add notes to my booking?" Yes, use the "Special Requests" field on the confirmation step. This is useful for things like "Running 5 minutes late" or "Please avoid a particular product".

"What's the booking reference for?" The reference (e.g., "LH-F54E32") uniquely identifies your booking. Quote it when contacting the salon or checking in.

"Will I get a reminder?" If the salon has reminders enabled, you'll receive them by email or SMS before your appointment.

After the Booking

What Customers Receive

  • Confirmation email or SMS - Sent immediately with booking details
  • Calendar invite option - They can add the appointment to Google Calendar
  • Management link - If self-service is enabled, a link to view, reschedule, or cancel

What Appears in Your Salon

The booking appears in your:

  • Appointments page - Listed with other bookings
  • Calendar - Shown on the relevant date/time
  • Dashboard - Counted in today's appointments (if applicable)

The appointment shows the customer's name, service, time, and a note that it was booked online.

Common Pitfalls

"Customer says they booked but we don't see it"

  • Check if they completed all steps including the final confirmation
  • Ask for their booking reference
  • Check under the correct date in your appointments
  • Ensure you're looking at the right salon (if you have multiple)

"Customer's name shows as 'Unknown'"

This can happen if the customer was new and didn't complete their details. The booking will have their verified email or phone - use this to follow up.

"Customer says the page is slow or not loading"

  • The booking page is publicly accessible; no login required
  • Suggest they try a different browser or device
  • Check your internet connection isn't blocking the page

Tips for Supporting Customers

  1. Test the booking process yourself - Book a test appointment using a personal email to experience what customers see.

  2. Keep your services up to date - Ensure names, descriptions, prices, and durations are accurate.

  3. Maintain your roster - The booking page only shows slots where staff are rostered. Keep rosters current.

  4. Monitor online bookings - Check your appointments list regularly for new online bookings.

  5. Add clear service descriptions - Help customers choose the right services by including helpful descriptions.

Related Tutorials

  • Tutorial 18.1: Setting Up Online Booking for Your Salon - Enable online booking
  • Tutorial 18.2: Managing Your Online Booking Settings - Configure constraints
  • Tutorial 18.4: Customer Self-Service - How customers manage bookings
  • Tutorial 10.1: Setting Up Appointment Reminders - Reminder configuration

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers book without creating an account?

Yes. Customers don't need to create an account or password. They verify their identity with a one-time code, and their details are associated with the booking.

What happens if a customer closes the page mid-booking?

Their progress is not saved. They'll need to start the booking process again. However, the verification step remembers recently verified contacts.

Can customers book for someone else?

The booking is associated with the contact details entered. If someone books using another person's email, the confirmation goes to that email. It's best for each person to book using their own contact details.

Do customers see the same services as staff?

Customers see all services that are configured and active. There's no way to hide specific services from online booking at this time.

How long do customers have to complete a booking?

There's no strict time limit, but available slots may become unavailable if someone else books them. Encourage customers to complete bookings promptly.

Can customers modify their selection during booking?

Yes, customers can use the Back button to return to previous steps and change their selections. Changes to services or stylists may affect available times.

Can customers book multiple services in one appointment?

Currently, customers can only select one service per booking through online booking. For multi-service appointments, they should contact the salon directly.

Last Updated: January 2026