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Recording and Managing Consultation Notes

10 minutes

Tutorial 3.7: Recording and Managing Consultation Notes

Introduction

Consultation notes help you maintain a detailed record of every client interaction. Whether it's a colour formula, mixing ratio, or a note about a customer's preferences, consultation notes keep everything in one place so your team always has the information they need.

Who this is for: Owner, Admin, Manager, Staff, Receptionist What you'll learn:

  • Understand the two note types (General and Colour)
  • Add consultation notes from the customer profile
  • Add notes from the appointment sidebar and detail page
  • Link notes to specific appointments
  • Pin important notes for quick access
  • Filter, edit, and delete notes

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Logged in with at least Staff permissions
  • Complete Tutorial 3.1 (Adding and Managing Customer Profiles)
  • Customer records in the system

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access Consultation Notes from a Customer Profile

  1. Click Customers in the sidebar
  2. Search for or select a customer
  3. Click on the customer row to open their profile
  4. Click the Consultation Notes tab

The Consultation Notes tab shows:

  • Pinned Notes section at the top (highlighted in amber) if any notes are pinned
  • Add Note button to create a new note
  • Filter buttons (All / General / Colour) to narrow the list
  • Summary counts showing how many colour and general notes exist (e.g., "3 colour . 5 general")
  • A timeline of notes in reverse chronological order, with pinned notes appearing first

Each note displays:

  • A type badge (General in blue, Colour in orange)
  • The date the note was created
  • The staff member who wrote it
  • A linked appointment service pill (if linked to an appointment)
  • A pin icon if the note is pinned
  • A three-dot menu for actions (Edit, Pin/Unpin, Delete)

Step 2: Add a New Consultation Note

  1. Click Add Note to expand the form
  2. Select the Type: General or Colour
    • General - for preferences, allergies discussed, client requests, or any consultation detail
    • Colour - for colour formulas, mixing ratios, processing times, and application techniques
  3. Optionally select Link to to connect the note to a recent appointment (use the searchable dropdown)
  4. Enter the note content in the text area
  5. Optionally tick Pin this note to keep it at the top of the timeline
  6. Click Save

The form collapses after saving and the new note appears in the timeline.

Colour notes have a placeholder prompt: "Describe the colour formula, mixing ratios, processing time, application technique..."

Step 3: Filter Notes by Type

When a customer has notes, filter buttons appear above the timeline:

  1. Click All to see every note
  2. Click General to show only general notes
  3. Click Colour (with palette icon) to show only colour notes

The summary line to the right of the filters shows counts per type (e.g., "3 colour . 5 general"). If no notes match the active filter, a message appears with a Clear Filter button.

Step 4: Pin and Unpin Important Notes

Pinned notes appear in a highlighted amber section at the top of the timeline, making them easy to find.

  1. Find the note you want to pin
  2. Click the three-dot menu (the "..." icon on the right)
  3. Click Pin

The note moves to the Pinned Notes section at the top.

To unpin a note:

  1. Find the note in the Pinned Notes section
  2. Click the three-dot menu
  3. Click Unpin

The note returns to its chronological position in the main timeline.

Step 5: Edit a Consultation Note

  1. Find the note you want to edit
  2. Click the three-dot menu
  3. Click Edit
  4. The note content becomes editable inline with a text area
  5. Make your changes
  6. Click Save to confirm, or Cancel to discard

Only the note content can be edited. The type, linked appointment, and staff member remain unchanged.

Step 6: Delete a Consultation Note

  1. Find the note you want to delete
  2. Click the three-dot menu
  3. Click Delete
  4. A confirmation dialog appears showing the note's type, date, staff member, and a preview of the content
  5. Click Delete to confirm, or Cancel to keep the note

Deleted notes are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

Step 7: Access Consultation Notes from the Appointment Sidebar

When viewing the appointment calendar:

  1. Click on an appointment to open the sidebar
  2. Find the Consultation Notes section (with the StickyNote icon)
  3. Click View or click the note area that reads "Click to view or add consultation notes"
  4. The Consultation Notes modal opens

The modal provides full note management:

  • An expanded form at the top to add new notes (pre-linked to this appointment)
  • Filter buttons (All / Colour / General)
  • A scrollable list of all notes for this customer
  • Notes linked to the current appointment show "This appointment" in blue text
  • The same three-dot menu for Edit, Pin/Unpin, and Delete actions
  • A "View full profile" link at the bottom to navigate to the customer's Consultation Notes tab

Step 8: View and Add Notes from the Appointment Detail Page

  1. Open an appointment's full detail page (click the appointment, then View Details)
  2. Scroll down to the Consultation Notes for [Customer Name] card
  3. This section shows all consultation notes for the customer

Key features on the appointment detail page:

  • Add Note button to create a new note (pre-linked to this appointment)
  • Filter buttons with summary counts
  • Notes linked to the current appointment are highlighted with a blue border and background, and show "This appointment" in blue text
  • Notes linked to other appointments show the service name as a clickable pill
  • A "View full profile" link to navigate to the customer's full consultation notes timeline

Common Pitfalls

"I can't see the Consultation Notes tab"

You need the view-customers permission. Check with your salon owner that your role has this permission. All roles (Owner, Admin, Manager, Staff, Receptionist) should have it by default.

"I can't add or edit notes"

Creating, editing, and deleting notes requires the manage-customers permission. Contact your salon owner if you need this enabled.

"My note disappeared"

Check which filter is active. If you created a Colour note but the filter is set to General, your note won't be visible. Click All to see every note.

"I linked a note to the wrong appointment"

The linked appointment cannot be changed after creation. Delete the note and create a new one linked to the correct appointment.

"I can't change a note's type"

A note's type (General or Colour) is set at creation and cannot be changed afterwards. Delete the note and recreate it with the correct type.

Tips and Best Practices

  1. Use Colour type for formulas and ratios - this makes it easy to filter and find colour history before appointments
  2. Pin key information like important preferences or allergy discussions so staff always see it first
  3. Link notes to appointments to create a clear history of what was discussed or applied during each visit
  4. Review consultation notes before appointments - check the Consultation Notes section in the appointment sidebar to prepare for personalised service
  5. Use the Colour filter before colour appointments to quickly review previous formulas and processing times
  6. Keep notes concise but detailed - include specific measurements, times, and techniques so any team member can replicate the result

Related Tutorials

  • Tutorial 3.1: Adding and Managing Customer Profiles - Create and manage customer records
  • Tutorial 3.2: Understanding Customer History and Analytics - Navigate all customer profile tabs
  • Tutorial 2.2: Booking and Managing Appointments - Book and manage appointments

Frequently Asked Questions

How many notes can a customer have?

There is no limit. Add as many notes as needed.

Who can see consultation notes?

Anyone with the view-customers permission, which includes all roles by default.

Can I search note content?

Not currently. Use the type filters (General / Colour) to narrow down notes.

Can I change a note's type after creation?

No. Delete the note and recreate it with the correct type.

Are consultation notes visible to customers?

No. Consultation notes are internal and only visible to salon staff within Luminate.

What happens to notes if I delete a customer?

If a customer record is deleted or anonymised, their consultation notes are also removed.

Can I see which appointment a note was linked to?

Yes. If a note is linked to an appointment, the service name appears as a coloured pill next to the note. Click it to navigate to that appointment.

Last Updated: February 2026