Take a booking deposit

Long services such as braids hold a stylist for hours, so the business asks for part of the price when the client books. The deposit is “held on the customer’s account and used at checkout”, and each service says what happens to it if the client does not come.

Set the rule for each service

The owner sets it once per service, under Services › Service catalog: open the service and fill in Deposits, cancellations and no-shows.

• Suggested deposit: the share of the price, such as 30% for knotless braids at Glow Studio.
• Cancellation notice: “Cancelling later than this is treated like a no-show. 0 means no notice is needed.”
• If the customer does not come: Keep the deposit as a fee, Refund the deposit or Charge a fee.

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Take the deposit when you book

1. Start the booking

   On the diary, tap New booking and choose the client, the service, the time and who does it, as in Book a client.

2. Tick Take a booking deposit

   Kila fills in Amount from the service’s suggested deposit: KES 1,950 is 30% of KES 6,500 for knotless braids. Change it if the client pays more or less.

3. Choose how they pay

   Under Method choose M-Pesa, Cash or Card. For M-Pesa, Kila sends a prompt to their phone.

4. Type the phone for the prompt

   Type the client’s phone in Phone for the prompt, or the code from their M-Pesa message in Or M-Pesa code if they have already paid.

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5. Tap Book

   The booking is made straight away: Booking saved. “The deposit is applied as soon as M-Pesa confirms.” While the client enters their PIN Kila shows Waiting for M-Pesa to confirm, then M-Pesa confirmed with the payment’s number. Tap Done. On the diary the booking now carries Deposit paid.

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Not available yet

Until Kila’s M-Pesa connection is live (Integrations and API says Prompts not connected), Kila sends no prompt: type the code from the client’s M-Pesa message in Or M-Pesa code, or take the deposit in cash or by card. See Take M-Pesa.

Good to know

A cash deposit is recorded at once: Kila gives the booking’s number with the money received, such as APT-000691 booked. KES 1,950.00 received by cash. Receipt PAY-000717.

When the client comes back

Charge the visit at the till as usual: Check in and charge a visit. The cart charges the whole price, and the payment screen offers Deposit with what the client holds.

1. On Take payment, tap Split payment.
2. Type the deposit under This payment, such as 1950, and tap Deposit. Kila says how much the client holds, such as “Wanjiru Odhiambo has KES 7,550.00 on deposit.” Tap Take deposit.
3. Still to pay shows the rest. Take it by cash, M-Pesa or card. Kila says Paid in full by deposit and cash.

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What if

Kila says Not booked when Phone for the prompt is empty

Kila shows:

Not booked

Enter the phone number for the M-Pesa prompt.

The field’s hint says “Leave empty to use the customer’s phone.”, but today Kila asks for the number. Type the client’s phone in Phone for the prompt and tap Book again.

The client does not come

Open the booking, tap No-show or cancel, then No-show. Kila shows the service’s rule before anything happens, such as Rule for Knotless braids, medium, waist length (hair included): keep the deposit: “The deposit of KES 1,950.00 is kept as a no-show fee and booked as service revenue.” Untick Apply the rule to waive it this time (“The no-show still counts on the customer’s history.”), then tap Mark no-show. Kila says APT-000691 marked as a no-show. Deposit KES 1,950.00 kept as a no-show fee.

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Good to know

Cancelling earlier than the notice costs the client nothing. Cancel booking says so before you confirm: “Cancelled more than 24 hours ahead: the deposit of KES 1,950.00 stays on the customer’s account for the next visit.”

Related

• Book a client
• Check in and charge a visit
• Salons, spas and venues: the set-up step “Deposits and no-show rules on services”.

Next: the day before, confirm the booking from Tomorrow beside the diary.