Configuring the Online Booking Wizard

The Online Booking Wizard is the primary way customers interact with your shop from your website. This guide explains how to customize the booking experience to match your shop's specific workflow.

1. How the Wizard Works

The booking process is divided into a multi-step experience that guides the customer from device selection to choosing an appointment time:

  1. Device Selection: The customer chooses their Category (e.g., iPhone) and then their specific Model.
  2. Repair Selection: The customer selects the fault or service they require. The price shown here is pulled from the Model Repair Prices you configured.
  3. Customer Details: The customer enters their name, email, and phone number.
  4. Appointment Scheduling: If enabled, the customer chooses a date and time slot based on your Business Hours and Calendar Intervals.
  5. Confirmation & Payment: The customer reviews their booking. If an Upfront Deposit is required for that repair, they are prompted to pay via Stripe or PayPal to finalize the slot.

2. Managing Upfront Deposits and Fees

You can protect your shop against "no-shows" by requiring a payment during the booking process. This is configured at the Device Model level.

  • Deposit (Deducted): The customer pays a percentage now, and that amount is subtracted from their final invoice.
  • Booking Fee (Added): An additional flat fee or percentage is added to the total for the convenience of the appointment.
  • Requirement: Upfront payments are only triggered if you have a Payment Gateway (Stripe or PayPal) active in your settings.

3. Customizing the Success Message

After a customer successfully books a repair, you can show them specific instructions.

  • Access: In the Booking tab of System Configuration, locate the Success Message field.
  • Usage: This is a great place to put details like "Please ensure your device is backed up before bringing it in" or "Our shop is located behind the main post office."

4. Internal Booking (Manual Intake)

Staff can also use a simplified version of this workflow from the admin panel to record walk-in customers.

  • Access: Go to Repairs > Bookings > New Booking.
  • Bypassing Rules: Admin-created bookings do not require upfront payments or adherence to lead-time rules, allowing you to take "emergency" repairs or manual walk-ins instantly.

5. Automatic Notifications

As soon as a booking is confirmed (either online or in-store), the system triggers several actions:

  • Customer Email: Sends a Booking Confirmation with the Ticket ID and appointment details.
  • Admin Alert: Sends an email to the shop's support address notifying you of a new repair in the queue.
  • Calendar Sync: The booking immediately appears on the Admin Calendar for your technicians to see.