How a client books online and what they see

The client opens your page, picks a service, a specialist and a time, enters a name and a phone number, and confirms the number with a code from an SMS. They then see “Booking request sent” or “Booking confirmed”, depending on your settings.

The client needs no app, no account and no password: the booking widget runs in the browser, right on your page.

How a client books

1. They open your link and pick a service — or a specialist first, if that is how your widget is set up.
2. They pick a specialist, a date and a time. Free hours are grouped into “Morning”, “Afternoon” and “Evening”.
3. They fill in “Your Information” — a name, a phone number and an optional note — and tap “Confirm booking”. Under the button it says “By confirming, you agree to the booking policy”.
4. They confirm the number: tap “Send code” and enter the 4 digits from the SMS.
5. They see the result screen. By then the booking is already in your CRM calendar.

Which times the client sees

Bookly calculates free time from the specialist’s schedule, breaks, time off, existing bookings and the booking step — in the salon’s time zone. Clients can book up to 365 days ahead.

If a day has no free hours, the widget says “No free time on this day” and offers “Next available” within the next 4 weeks.

The SMS code

• A 4-digit code goes to the number the client entered: “We’ve sent a 4-digit code to … to confirm this booking.”
• The code works for 5 minutes. A new one can be requested after 30 seconds with “Resend code”.
• Each code allows 3 attempts.
• Codes are sent to Ukrainian numbers (+380) only.

If the code doesn’t arrive or doesn’t work, see the SMS code section of “A client can’t book online”.

“Booking request sent”

This is how a booking ends when your widget uses manual approval. The client sees “We asked the salon to confirm … — you will get an update soon”.

In your calendar the booking has the status “New”. Confirm it in time, or it will be declined automatically — see Why unconfirmed bookings are declined automatically.

If the client adds such a visit to their calendar, it carries the note “The salon has not confirmed this booking yet — it may still be declined.”

“Booking confirmed”

This is how a booking ends with automatic approval: “Your appointment is confirmed for …”. In your calendar the booking is “Confirmed” straight away.

What else is on the screen after booking

• A visit card: “Location:”, “Service:”, “Specialist:” and the “Total:”.
• The line “We’ll send you a reminder before your visit”.
• Buttons to add the visit to their own calendar: “Apple / Outlook” and “Google Calendar” (sometimes a single “Add to calendar” button).
• “Contact salon” — calls the salon phone number set in the CRM.

What happens on your side

• The client appears in “Clients” automatically. If a client with the same phone number is already there, the booking is linked to them; a new client gets the source “Website”.
• You get a bell notification with a sound: “New booking — the client is waiting for confirmation” or “New booking”.
• The client can’t move or cancel the booking themselves: they message or call you, and you change it in the calendar.

If something goes wrong

A client can’t book

Ask the client what text the widget shows and look it up in A client can’t book online: reasons and fixes.

A client asks whether they are booked

If they saw “Booking confirmed” — yes. If they saw “Booking request sent”, the booking is waiting for you: find it in the calendar with the status “New” and confirm it.

The client left no email

The booking form has no email field: you reach the client by phone. You can add an email to the client’s card in the CRM.

Related articles

• A client can’t book online: reasons and fixes
• Booking widget: services, specialists, fields and confirmation
• What a client receives after booking: confirmations and reminders
• Booking statuses and payment statuses
• Do clients need an app?
• How to cancel or reschedule your appointment (for clients)