Feature Request: Create packages including multiple services via Square Appointments

[Buffalocryo]

The title of this post has been edited from the original: How to schedule multi packs with Square Appointments?

Hoping to find some help here.  We offer a service that clients can pay for and book appointments online. Great. The problem is that there are discounted packages if multiple treatments are purchased at one time, if this option is chosen, the client is only able to schedule one appointment as opposed to multiple separate appointments for each of the treatments they purchase.  Is there a way to make this work? Thanks in advance. 

[#2]

Hello @coriumesthetics!

As a workaround you could use recurrning invoices with Square Appointments for a package, and view the number of invoices remaining in the series. However, you can't images to a recurring invoice series, I'm sorry!

Another workaround is to create a single service for package deals you offer but you'd need to track the number of sessions completed manually. You could ask customers to contact you directly for packages, and then schedule each session in the package deal as a separate appointment to ensure clients are charged for each session.

I'm adding your post to this thread where other sellers are interested in using Appointments to create and manage packages. We'll update the status to give you a heads up about any developments on this feature request.

As for your question about marketing by text - you might like to subscribe to this separate thread for updates! 

[#3]

Yep! While we don't have a way to automatically apply discounts when customers book more than one service, you can create bundles as individual services. For example if you are a personal trainer, you can list 5 sessions at the discounted price as one appointment. 

When your customer comes in for their first appointment, you then can manually book their next, or all upcoming, appointments through your Appointments Dashboard. In your client information section of Dashboard you have the ability to add notes and view past appointments so you can keep track of their remaining appointments even if the schedule one at a time! 

[MoveRevolution]

Most people in my industry offer discounts for pre-purchasing packages. And ALL my clients take advantage of that.

A single private session might be $80. So a group of 10 might be $700 pre-paid.

So if they purchase the 10 sessions, each time they attend and are checked out, the software deducts a session from the 10. 

The current software I use will even send out an auto email to the client when their series is running low. I set it to send the auto email when the 8th session of 10 is used so my clients get a warning that they are going to be due for a new series soon.

Please invest in this feature. 

[Glowskin]

@EJ_Sure. I think it's pretty similar to what others have described, but I can certainly give specifics for my needs and some ideas based on experience. I'm detailed so some of this might be obvious, but hopefully this, when combined with others examples, will help to highlight how important this feature is. I own a skincare salon where I offer waxing, facials and skincare treatments. Some of my services are available in packages at a discounted rate vs the cost of the service individually. The reasons this is important for my business are several:

1. It encourages regular visits keeping my book filled as well as rewarding regular clients
2. It tells me what inventory I need on hand and the cashflow to make sure that happens.
3. It attracts a larger amount of serious-minded, goal oriented clients vs the occasional visitors which is an important part of any appointment based business.

After all, the majority of these businesses whether it be personal training, or PT, skincare, etc have to see our client regularly for a period of time to help them achieve or maintain their goals so it only makes sense to offer them an incentive to stick with it.

The way in which I sell my packages is this:
A series of six treatments at a set dollar amount that can only be used by one client
These must be used within a set amount of time, usually six months (I have a contract that they sign with these details).
Then as they use them, they are deducted from the package so that after each visit they have one less available in their account until they have used all six.

Obviously this system needs to be flexible for it to work for a wide range of businesses so some ideas that I think would fit a wide range of businesses are:

• The ability to set how many of an item is included in a package
• The ability to set an expiration date on the package or leave it open-ended
• The ability to adjust the expiration date if needed
• The ability to sell packages online from the booking page
• The ability to book these appointments as they go and have them deducted at the end of each session
• The ability to require that they be pre-booked at the time of purchase and deducted at the end of each session
• The ability to send the client an email receipt at the end of each session that shows it was deducted as well as the remainder of their sessions
• The ability to send the client an email receipt with the terms of their package when they purchase
• The ability to send or auto-remind a client that their package is about to expire
• The ability to send or auto-remind the client they are almost out of sessions
• The ability to deduct a session from the package if the client is a no-show or violates the cancelation policy with the option to email them a receipt that lets them know
• The ability to create a monthly, weekly, bi-weekly reoccurring fee for packages to allow clients to divide up the cost but still keep them regular
• The ability to create a package of several services from the menu to be used in one visit. For example: a facial, massage, manicure and makeup application – for a salon with multiple employees this would mean that they would need the option to split those services up between employees and possibly the resources so that it is booked properly and everyone gets paid properly
• The ability to create a package that might include multiple services for some visits in the package, but not others. I see this more for treatment based business like PT or personal training. For example: They might do an initial assessment or testing as well a specific service at the first and last visit, but just the one service for the majority of sessions. Being able to track and note that is helpful plus it needs to be booked for the correct amount of time. So I guess what I’m really saying is the ability to set a durations and possibly name of service of each session within a package if needed

Clearly that’s a long list and I think the majority of us looking for this option would be happy with the top four or five to start as they are more basic however, I believe all of those features are going to be of great use to a lot of businesses and It is definitely the deciding factor for me at the moment. Like I said before, packages are a huge part of my business and for me to go through the time and effort to switch, it has to check off enough of my needs to be worth it. There are just to many options out there that although I don’t like as much really do work fine. Switching software is not something people want to go through too often so I think once people get settled it might be hard for them to reconsider two or three years down the road. I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I just feel really strongly that this is a huge opportunity given how well you have simplified booking and payment in most other aspects. I really hope this is something we will see implemented soon!

[healthnag]

I am considering switching my online scheduling to Square but not having prepaid packages that can deduct a service is giving me serious doubt. I have used Square for several years now but have had to look elsewhere because lack of features. Now Square seems to have all the features that I need but this one and it's a big one. Having to track prepaid packages manually is a nightmare. It would seem to me that after so many requests for this feature that it should get on the "map"

[joeyjaaii]

Ive been on the thread WAY too long and have seen ZERO action. Pathetic and disappointing.

After almost two years processing with square and using two square capital loans, I still use Vagaro to run my tanning studio, and process all months reoccurring members( another huge chuck of money) I would process with square but I can’t. They don’t offer packages or memberships.

 Clients can buy one.

Or three, or membership.

 The savings when buying 3 is over 40% and creates return biz. With vagaro, it’s all tracked in the software. Without upsell, There is no regular retail biz, you should know that. Really fed up. I pay your company cc fees and then 17% on a capital loan. Really. Give me a full system. My clients go to my square store to buy things.  Then I get to go manually add EVERY purchase into my system bc you don’t have a client directory connected to a pos system that offers packaged visits. And my clients have no clue other than to save an email receipt. Thanks. I look SO PROFESSIONAL...

It’s pretty much crazy to me. The number one small biz credit card merchant company like yours is losing $$$ a month from people like ME. bc us loyal square users have to pay other companies to do our appt, purchase and package history and usage. 

Last, I will I’ll also mention one of my best and favorite clients Mr Myer, who has a son working in this area at square in a top level position, and even as his dad agrees with me. that it’s ridiculous they can do every feature possible except give a client a simple log in, view their account,  and buy a package. 

Im beyond frustrated with this. So f Ing happy people are finally commenting on this post!  Keep it coming owners. We deserve to be heard when we pay them monthly fees! Plus I think we all agree they would be the best we’ve seen so this. (Hire me I can do it, crap)

Www.airbrushtansoh.com

We are the number one company of its kind here and Jess than two years old. I need software that does it all!  I’m in one of the highest growing cities in the Midwest for what I do, and all I can tell clients is sorry the bigger companies can’t keep up with the demand of new businesses. By not adding features that are notnonly needed for us owners but will give also give square MANY more years of my business and money from us owners. It’s Stupid.  

My busy season starts in a month, I pay $50 a month for appts with vagaro. Hate it but they do it so I’m stay. Your loss square. CEO should take a look at this thread, a thread that has causeed me so much stress

since it started (with NO real answers from anyone from Corp) does this company ever care, seems not! 

You guys are the best at everything else, why not finally tackle the biggest missing like of “Square” ???

[joeyjaaii]

26 comments. Who is in charge bc this is getting dumb. My first comment was a year ago about this in this thread!!!! Are you paypal now? Didn’t think so 

[joeyjaaii]

I’m 99% ready to take all merchant servicesfornmy company to vagaro, they have at least addressed

the issues their customers  (who pay) have 

[joeyjaaii]

See that is not a solution.  Or the solution we need as the clients of this business! SQAURE ADD PACKAGES. it’s rediculous you even have to ask us owners how this matters. f***!

[EJ_]

@Glowskin Thanks for posting that information. I appreciate the detail and thought you put into that post. 

@joeyjaaii I hear the frustration, and I agree this specific feature would be a huge help to sellers that use the Appointments service. 

I know it's not the response you'd like to see, but there really isn't anything new to report around this. Our Appointments Team actively reads your posts, and your feedback is what drives which product updates occur, so keep the feedback coming and we'll continue to advocate for you to get the tools that work for your business prioritized going forward. Thank you so much for sticking with us thus far and being patient with us 👍🏼

[MoveRevolution]

I use Mindbody Online currently. They've increased their base service fees significantly over the years. Currently paying $75/month for the base program. Their market is really larger operations with multiple employess and large group class offerings. And they offer credit card processing, but those fees are also slightly higher.

Vagaro is probably more suited to what I need. But I don't know how long they've been around and if I'm going to switch I was hoping Square was ready with a decent scheduler as I've been an early adopter of the Square Credit Card reader and enjoy the ease of use.

Everyone in my industry is desperately seeking a decent alternative and, honestly, if this feature isn't given high priority, Vagaro is going to sweep up. The money I can save with their lower scheduling service fee (around $30/month for what I need) will balance out with their slightly higher credit processing fees. I'll still be ahead. And once I transfer all my clients over to a new system, you'll have lost me, both as a potential scheduler subscriber and a credit card processor. It would take a significant lower rate to make me do all that work again. 

I would say it's just not a significant interest to Square to invest into a fully functional scheduling program, but then why get into the online scheduling model at all? I really don't understand. 

[ahale1011]

Hello,

I'm trying to figure out how to set up services so that people can pay for multiple sessions and I am also trying to find out whether it is possible for people to pay for multiple sessions in advance and then have their completed sessions deducted as they use the service. I currently use mindbody and would like to switch but want to make sure I can set up contracts that track services used as appointments are completed. Thank you,

Alisha