The Bookatu blog
Practical, no-nonsense advice for service businesses. Cutting no-shows, building steady income, getting found online, and keeping more of what you earn.
Add a public holiday surcharge to online bookings
Add a public holiday surcharge, or charge more at busy times, and show it before clients book. New Zealand and Australian holidays are built in.
Close on public holidays and set holiday hours
Close on New Zealand or Australian public holidays in one go, open on a day you are usually shut, or change one date's hours. Your weekly hours stay as they are.
Client and booking tags: label, filter and email
Client tags are your team's labels, like VIP or Bridal. Put them on clients and bookings, see them on the calendar, and email the subscribed clients who have one.
Ask clients your own questions when they book
Custom booking questions let you ask clients a few things of your own, like hair length or the occasion. Here is how, and when an intake form fits better.
Booking terms clients tick before they book
Add a booking terms and conditions checkbox to your booking page. Clients tick it before booking online, and each booking keeps the version they accepted.
Block a room, or repeat blocked time every week
Recurring blocked time repeats every week, for up to two years. You can also take one treatment room or chair out of online booking without closing.
Run a gift card offer with a promo code
A gift card promo code takes money off what the buyer pays, while the card keeps its full value. Plus how to email, resend or replace a card.
Build on Bookatu safely with a booking API sandbox
A sandbox is a test business with sample data and bk_test_ keys. Partners and agencies can test a booking API integration without real clients or real money.
Test an AI booking agent against a sandbox over MCP
Point your AI agent at a Bookatu sandbox through the MCP server. It books and cancels for made-up clients, and no real client or real money is ever touched.
Test booking webhooks and simulate payments in a sandbox
Run a whole booking lifecycle in a Bookatu sandbox: a test checkout, a simulator for payments, cancellations and reminders, and webhooks marked livemode false.
How to handle late cancellations without losing clients
How to handle late cancellations: when to charge the fee, when to waive it, what to say, and how to pass the time to someone on your waitlist instead.
Let clients book multiple services in one appointment
How to let clients book multiple services in one appointment: back-to-back times, one deposit, sensible combinations and a single checkout at the point of sale.