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SellOrchard
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Services & appointments

A diary that fills itself, without double bookings

Salons, studios, tutors and repair benches sell time. Let clients choose a person and a slot, pay a deposit, and get reminded — while your calendar stays honest.

  • Staff & rooms
  • Deposits
  • Cancellation rules
  • Reminders
  • Calendar feeds
Start free trialSee how it works

The appointment juggle

Selling time has its own headaches

  1. Phone tag

    Every booking takes three messages to agree a time — and evenings are when clients finally reply.

  2. No-shows cost a slot

    An empty chair at 10:30 is money that can’t be sold again.

  3. Two people, one slot

    When bookings come in through several channels, double bookings are only a matter of time.

  4. Who works when

    Staff hours, holidays and room availability live in someone’s head.

How SellOrchard helps

Three sides of Bookings, and two features that support it

Bookings is one feature, shown here as three blocks because each covers a different job. Gift cards and the mobile app are separate features.

Bookings — staff & availability

Calendars built from real working hours

Each staff member, room or piece of equipment is a resource with its own weekly hours and time off.

  • Appointment mode (one client per slot) or class mode with a number of seats
  • Buffers before and after, minimum notice and how far ahead clients can book
  • Clients choose a specific person or “Any available”
  • Slots are re-checked when the booking is created, so the same slot can’t be sold twice
Explore BookingsPro and Advanced plans (and the free trial, in test mode)

Bookings — deposits & policies

Deposits and rules that protect the diary

Set what clients pay up front and what happens when plans change.

  • Deposit as a percentage or fixed amount; the rest recorded at the appointment
  • Cancellation window with a full refund, store credit or no refund
  • Self-service rescheduling up to a cut-off you choose
  • Optional approval before a booking is confirmed
Explore BookingsPro and Advanced plans (and the free trial, in test mode)

Bookings — reminders & calendars

Reminders for clients, feeds for staff

Clients are reminded; staff see bookings in the calendar app they already use.

  • Reminders by email or SMS a set number of hours before
  • Confirmation emails with a calendar file and an “Add to Google Calendar” link
  • An iCal feed per resource for Google or Apple Calendar
  • No-show status and reports by service and staff member, including no-show rate
Explore BookingsPro and Advanced plans (and the free trial, in test mode)

Gift cards & store credit

Gift vouchers for sessions

Sell gift cards in set amounts that can be spent on any booking.

  • Recipient name, message and a scheduled send date (up to 90 days ahead)
  • Balances usable across several bookings
  • Store credit for refunds when a client cancels
Explore Gift cards & store credit

Mobile app

New bookings on your phone

Install the SellOrchard admin on your phone’s home screen and get push notifications.

  • A push notification when a booking is created
  • Phone-first screens for orders, customers and bookings
  • Quiet hours so the phone stays silent after closing
Explore Mobile app

Worked example

A Tuesday at Fern Street Studio

An illustrative hair and brow studio with three stylists and one treatment room. Names and figures are made up for illustration.

  1. Sunday 21:40

    Booked after hours

    A client picks “Cut & finish — 60 min”, chooses “Any available” and takes Tuesday at 10:30.

    Availability

  2. Sunday 21:42

    Deposit paid

    She pays a 20% deposit at checkout; the slot was held for her while she paid.

    Deposits

  3. Sunday 21:42

    Confirmation

    Her email includes a calendar file; the stylist’s phone gets a push notification and the booking appears in her iCal feed.

    Calendars · Mobile

  4. Monday 10:30

    Reminder

    An SMS reminder goes out 24 hours before, sent through the studio’s own Twilio account.

    Reminders

  5. Tuesday 10:30

    In the chair

    The booking is marked completed after the appointment; the balance is recorded at the till.

    Policies

Recommended setup

A theme with a booking form and the plan that includes it

Everything a diary-led business needs, and nothing it doesn’t.

Recommended theme

Studio

Studio is the first-party theme for services and bookings: it ships with a booking form layout and an FAQ page for policies.

  • Booking form ready on service pages
  • FAQ page for cancellation and preparation notes
  • Preview on your store before installing
Browse the theme store

Recommended plan

Pro

$79/ month

Bookings are included on Pro and Advanced. Pro’s 10 staff accounts and 5 locations cover most studios.

Why this plan

  • Bookings & appointments
  • 10 staff accounts
  • 5 locations, each with its own time zone
  • Priority email & chat support

Advanced ($199/month) suits larger teams and chains: 50 staff accounts and 20 locations.

Compare all plansNo transaction fees from SellOrchard

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can I run group classes?

Yes. Class mode gives each slot a number of seats; clients book one or more seats until the class is full.

Does it sync with Google Calendar?

Each booking email includes a calendar file and an “Add to Google Calendar” link, and you can subscribe to an iCal feed of bookings (optionally per staff member) in Google or Apple Calendar. The feed is one-way: from SellOrchard to your calendar.

What stops two clients booking the same slot?

Availability is calculated from schedules, time off, existing bookings and checkout holds, and the slot is checked again inside the booking transaction.

Can I offer online sessions?

Yes. A service without a location is treated as online or at the client’s address — add the meeting details to your confirmation text.

Can I approve bookings before they’re confirmed?

Turn on “require approval” for a service and bookings stay pending until your team confirms them.

Let the diary take bookings while you work

Create your first service, add your team’s hours and take a test booking during the free trial.

Start your 14-day free trialSee pricing

No credit card needed to start.