A front desk checklist for salons, studios, and clinics

The front desk sets the pace for everyone else. When it runs on a routine, providers start on time, clients are greeted by name, and the money matches at night. When it doesn't, small misses pile up into a long day.

Use this checklist as it is, or copy it into your own words and tape it beside the counter. The same steps, in the same order, every day.

Before the first client

1. Open the day's calendar and read it top to bottom: who is in, who is off, and any gaps.
2. Look for first-time clients and anyone whose form is still not filled in.
3. Check receipts waiting to be approved from overnight bookings, and confirm or reject each one.
4. Count the cash float into the drawer and write down the amount.
5. Check that the card terminal, the tablet, and the QR code stand are charged and in place.
6. Look at tomorrow's first few bookings, in case someone needs a message today.

When a client arrives

• Greet them by name. The calendar tells you who is due; use it.
• Check them in, so the provider knows they are here without walking out to look.
• First visit: make sure their intake form or waiver is done. If not, hand them the tablet while they wait.
• Running late: tell them honestly how long, and offer a later time if the wait is long.

When someone walks in

Find who can take them and when, and give them a real time, not a guess. Book them on the calendar right away, even for a service starting now, so an online booking can't take the same slot a minute later. See how to handle walk-ins and appointments together.

At checkout

1. Check what was actually done against what was booked, including add-ons and products.
2. Take off any deposit already paid, so the client pays only the balance.
3. Use their package or membership if it covers the visit.
4. Record how they paid, with the reference number for GCash and bank transfers and the approval code for cards.
5. Offer to book their next visit before they leave.
6. Send or print the receipt if they want one.

Through the day

• Approve receipts at set times, such as late morning and mid-afternoon, so clients aren't left waiting for a confirmation.
• Answer messages with the booking link instead of typing out open times. See how to move bookings out of Messenger.
• Fill late cancellations from walk-ins, a waitlist, or regulars who asked to be told.
• Note no-shows the same way every time, so your cancellation policy is applied evenly. See how to reduce no-shows.

When something goes wrong

Every desk has bad moments: a double booking, a provider out sick, a client unhappy with a result. Decide the answers before they happen, so whoever is at the desk can act without calling the owner.

• A provider is out: call or message their clients in order of start time, and offer the same time with someone else or a new time with them.
• A double booking: keep the client who arrived first, and offer the other a free add-on or the next free slot.
• A complaint: listen, write it down in the client's notes, and tell them when the owner or manager will follow up.

Before you close

1. Check out every client still open on the calendar.
2. Approve or reject every receipt still waiting.
3. Look at who still owes money and send their pay links.
4. Match each GCash and bank total to its app.
5. Count the drawer against what the system expects, and note any difference with a reason.
6. Look at tomorrow's calendar once more and message anyone who needs it.

For the full routine, see how to close out the day and count the cash drawer.

In Onsuki, the calendar shows each day's bookings with Check in on every appointment and class, and new clients or a missing form are tagged on the class roster. A form can be filled in at the desk on your tablet. Walk-in lists who can take a client soonest, checkout takes off a deposit paid online, and To verify and Unpaid hold what is waiting. End of Day totals the day by payment method and checks the drawer. See Appointments and Payments.