Booking software looks alike in a demo: a calendar, a booking page, a few reports. The differences show up a month later, when a client pays by GCash and nobody can match the transfer, or when you try to sell a 10-session package and the system can only count single visits.
This guide lists what to check before you choose, with questions to ask any vendor and a way to test each answer yourself during a free trial.
Start with how your clients pay
If your clients pay by GCash, a bank app, or a QR Ph code, which works from any bank or e-wallet that supports QR Ph, software built around card payments alone leaves you checking transfers in chat, which is the work you wanted to stop doing.
- Can clients pay to your own GCash, QR Ph, or bank account? Money that lands in your own account costs no gateway fee.
- How are those payments checked? Look for a list of receipts with the amount and reference number, so you can match each one against your GCash or bank app before the booking is confirmed.
- Can you add a payment gateway later? Cards and instant confirmation are useful, but each payment carries a fee, so you want a choice per method, not a requirement.
- Can you record payments taken at the counter? Cash and your bank's card terminal need to show up in the same day's totals.
Check deposits, cancellations, and pay in person
Different services need different rules. A two-hour color appointment may need a deposit, while a regular's men's cut can be paid after. Check that the software lets you set the rule you actually use, not just one fixed option.
- Deposits: a fixed amount or a percentage, paid when the client books.
- Cancellation window: how many hours ahead a client can still cancel or move a booking without losing their deposit.
- Pay in person: an option for clients to book now and pay when they arrive, for the services where you don't need money up front.
Ask the vendor to show you what a client sees when they cancel late, and what happens to their deposit. If they can't show it, you'll be the one explaining it at the counter. For how to set these rules, see How to reduce no-shows.
Make sure the calendar fits your team
The calendar is the screen your team opens every morning. It needs to show the day the way you run it: one column per stylist, therapist, or court, with each person's own working hours and breaks.
- Per-person hours: a stylist who works Tuesday to Saturday shouldn't be bookable on Monday.
- Roles: a receptionist may need to book and check out clients without seeing your sales reports. A provider may only need their own column.
- Rooms and equipment: if a facial needs a treatment room, the system should stop two facials being booked into one room.
- Walk-ins: check how fast you can add a walk-in when the counter is busy.
Check that it sells what you sell
Single appointments are the easy part. Look at your price list and find the things that are hard to sell in chat, then ask the vendor to set one up in front of you.
| If you sell | Ask whether the software can |
|---|---|
| Class packs or session packages | Count sessions used and left, and set an expiry |
| Memberships | Bill each period and show the client what's due |
| Prices by stylist seniority | Charge a junior and a senior stylist differently for one service |
| More than one branch | Set a different price at each location |
| Classes or court time | Handle a full class, a waitlist, or a court booked by the hour |
If the answer is "you can make a separate service for that", picture your booking page with three copies of every service. That is what your clients will see.
Look at what clients can do themselves
Every task a client can do on their own phone is a message you don't have to answer. Make a test booking as a client during the trial, on your phone, and check each step.
- Booking: can a first-time client book and pay in a minute, without creating a password?
- Confirmations and reminders: does the client get a confirmation, and a reminder before the visit? Ask whether reminders go by email, text, or chat, and whether any of them cost extra.
- Changes: can a client move or cancel their own booking within your rules?
- Their packages: can a client see how many sessions they have left?
Make sure you can take your data with you
Your client list is one of the most valuable things your business owns. Before you put it into any system, ask how you get it back out.
- Client export: a file with names, contact details, and visit history that opens in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Sales export: reports you can download for your accountant.
- Moving in: whether the vendor helps bring your current client list and services over, and how long it takes.
Client records are personal information. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 applies to how businesses handle it, so ask your lawyer or check with the National Privacy Commission about what it means for your business, and ask the vendor who on their side can see your clients' details.
Work out the real monthly cost
The price on a pricing page is rarely the full cost. Write down what you would pay in a normal month, using your own numbers.
- The subscription: ask whether it is charged per location, per staff member, or per booking. A salon adding two stylists pays very differently under each.
- Payment fees: what each online payment costs, by method, and whether you can avoid the fee by having clients pay to your own accounts.
- Add-ons: reminders, extra locations, reports, or setup help that cost more.
- How you pay the bill: by card only, or also by GCash or bank transfer.
For example, if a quote is ₱1,000 a month per location and you run two branches, that is ₱2,000 a month before payment fees. If another quote is ₱300 per staff member and you have nine, that is ₱2,700, and it grows each time you hire. Do the same sum for each option you're considering, with your own figures, and compare totals, not headline prices.
Ask who helps you when something goes wrong
A booking problem at 9 AM on a Saturday is a client at your counter. Ask how you reach support, in what hours your time zone is covered, and whether someone will help you move your data in. Ask for the support address and send a question during the trial to see how it is answered.
Where Onsuki fits
Onsuki is one option built for businesses in the Philippines. Clients pay to your own GCash, QR Ph, or bank account and you approve each receipt, you can request PayMongo from Settings for card payments online, and you can set deposits, a cancellation window, and pay in person. Your team works from a calendar with a column for each person, room, or court, and you can sell packages and memberships, with prices by staff level or by location. Clients get confirmation emails and, when you turn it on, a reminder the day before.
You can export your client list and every report as a CSV file. Each location pays the plan's price, every plan includes every booking and payment feature with unlimited staff, and you pay your Onsuki bill by GCash, QR Ph, or bank transfer. Send us a link to your current booking page or a photo of your price list, and we set up your services, usually within one working day. Try it free for 7 days with no card, or see Pricing and Online booking.
