When you’re trying to grow, ‘more bookings’ isn’t the only solution. Often, the biggest win comes from protecting existing revenue and maximising the value you get per appointment while still delivering exceptional service.
In a busy salon, spa, or clinic, the diary can already be full, yet revenue can seep through the cracks: a deposit that isn’t paid in time, a client who hesitates at checkout or an add-on service that would be perfect for your client that never gets suggested.
The culmination of these pain points is lost revenue for your business, revenue you might not even realise you’re missing out on. At Phorest, we focus on building logical tools that help your business tap into your full revenue potential, ensuring that no deposits or revenue get missed.
Bookings made offline: The bottleneck that creates friction
When a client books through Online Booking, everything is simple and automatic. The deposit is taken, and the booking is confirmed. But what about all the other ways bookings happen: over the phone, after a consultation, via DMs.
In these moments, taking deposits turns into clunky, manual work. The client has to stop what they’re doing to take a call, find their card details, and read them out. And your front desk gets pulled into low value admin, trying to catch clients on the phone to take their card details.
The experience matters more than we think too. In a survey on payment experiences, 74% of consumers said the “successful completion” of a transaction is the number one factor influencing their overall payment experience according to research by Spreedly.
Payments, simplified (for you and your clients!)
Payment Links simplify payments outside of the normal online booking flow. Instead of a phone call, you send a secure link by text or email. The client taps, pays, and the appointment is secured, with real-time visibility on whether the link is paid, pending, expired, or cancelled.
That means bookings get confirmed with paid deposits without your team having to become a payment-chasing task force. You keep the momentum, reduce admin, so your days and your clients’ days are barely interrupted.
And when admin stops stealing attention, your team can invest in what clients actually remember: time, presence, and genuine connection.
What businesses like yours are saying about Payment Links:
“It’s genuinely life-changing: it saves us huge amounts of time, lets us be more present in the studio, and deposits are being paid quicker because it’s so easy for clients to pay.”
– Sophie, Wildflower
When cost creates hesitation: help the client say “yes”
The upfront cost of a service can often be what stops a client from booking.
Your clients might find the cost just a little bit out of reach, or it might be a once-off treat they’d love to give themselves, but can’t justify the price tag. And this is especially true for higher-value (and often the most transformational) services that clients appreciate most.
Unlocking higher-tier services and more revenue
Buy Now Pay Later with Klarna helps to unlock higher-value services for your clients by splitting the bill into smaller, easier-to-manage regular payments, while you still get paid upfront, in full. That means when a client wants the treatment but the timing doesn’t work for their budget, flexible payments can be the difference between “maybe” and booked.
And it’s increasingly becoming an expected option by clients. In fact, in the UK, 10.1 million people have used BNPL in the past 12 months, according to research by FinCap.
For your business, the outcome is simple: clients can commit to higher-value services with confidence, meaning your team doesn’t have to “sell harder”, and you will see more sales from big-ticket items. Satisfaction drives loyalty, but clients are more likely to return for a service if it feels more accessible from the get-go.
Why it’s hard to find the right upsell moment
Effective upselling shouldn’t rely on perfectly timed conversations, where busy queues or ringing phones can cause staff to overlook valuable enhancements.
The busiest moments are the worst times for teams to remember every upgrade, and clients often don’t know what to ask for. Without suggestions during the treatment plan, opportunities are lost because the workflow fails to support them. The solution is either to train your team on relevant add-ons or to leave potential revenue to chance.
Effortless, Flexible Add-Ons
Now, Add-Ons appear in the booking flow itself. They’re designed primarily for clients to add upgrades during Online Booking, but they also give your team a faster way to add the same upgrades in-house (on the appointment screen and in Phorest Go) based on conversations with clients, without having to rebuild the appointment from scratch. You can also get custom recommendations based on client history and past notes using the AI Cheat Sheet feature.
After a client chooses a primary service, they’ll see an optional “customise your booking” step showing the Add-Ons you’ve linked to that service. They can select one or more upgrades (or skip) and complete the booking as normal.
Add-Ons come in two types:
- Duration Add-Ons add time and are automatically appended after the primary service.
- Zero-Minute Add-Ons add value without extending the appointment length – they’re shown as an overlap on the primary service, so the diary stays on track.
The appetite is there: over 40% of clients say they would happily upgrade if it were suggested in a relevant, convenient way. That way, you avoid ‘pushy’ upselling and instead, empower your client to create a custom service that suits their needs. (Source: Phorest internal research)
Prices per client aren’t always straightforward
Every team knows this reality: two clients can book the same service, and one takes 45 minutes while the other takes 90. Or a VIP has an agreed rate. Or a long-standing client has a bespoke service setup that the team needs to remember.
When that knowledge lives only in someone’s head, you get inconsistency: undercharging, overcharging, diary overruns, and a client experience that depends on who happens to be working that day.
Pricing, customisable for your client base
Per Client Pricing & Duration enables you to put in place bespoke rates and tailored time slots for specific individuals, ensuring these customisations are automatically applied throughout your entire booking and checkout journey.
The result? A more efficient business where the diary accurately reflects the actual time required for every unique client. Your revenue stays protected by aligning prices with the real work being performed. Brand consistency is maintained across your team, regardless of who is behind the chair.
Protecting appointment value: secure, flexible, and upgrade-ready
Revenue loss often stems from process-driven friction rather than a lack of client interest. By simplifying the path to completion, you remove the barriers that prevent follow-through.
Implementing strategies like seamless payment links, flexible financing options, and integrated booking upgrades allows your business to run efficiently. Your team can prioritise top-class customer service while the business foundation operates reliably in the background.
Ultimately, this approach results in a business that is both more resilient and more adaptable. You can secure more revenue and ensure every appointment is fully leveraged, all while removing unnecessary friction for your team and your clients.
