Selling memberships

A membership is a prepaid block of visits or time that is deducted automatically on every appointment. Working with one has two steps: first you create templates for the offers you actually sell, then an individual membership is issued to a client from a chosen template. They can be sold by hand or online through the booking form.

Why sell memberships at all

A membership solves three different problems, and it is worth knowing which one you are closing:

• Money up front. Revenue arrives before the service is delivered.
• Retention. A client with visits left comes back, because they have already paid.
• A predictable schedule. Membership holders book more regularly than one-off clients.

If none of the three is a problem for you, memberships add work without a return.

Templates first, then the sale

A template describes an offer, not an individual client's membership. It sets:

Create templates for the offers you genuinely sell, in the Memberships - Templates tab. Then, through Memberships - List, a membership is issued to a specific client from the chosen template.

How to build a line-up people buy

Three or four options work better than ten. The working frame is:

1. Trial. A small number of visits, so the client can try the format.
2. Core. The one you want to sell most often. It has to be obviously better value than paying per visit.
3. Large. The best price per visit and the longest validity. It makes the core option look like a sensible compromise.

The discount has to grow with the size, otherwise the large option makes no sense to the client. Discounts that apply to memberships are configured separately from discounts on appointments.

Selling online

For a client to buy a membership themselves, two things are needed:

1. Enable "Allow the sale of memberships" in the online booking settings.
2. Connect a payment provider, or the client will be able to choose a membership but not pay for it.

After that it runs without staff: the client buys the membership, and when they book a service, a valid membership is applied to the appointment automatically.

How visits are deducted

A membership entered by hand has to be activated first: tick "Active" and record the payment. After that:

• tick "Use membership" on the appointment and the system finds and applies the right one itself
• or pick a specific membership from the client's available list
• on an online booking, a valid membership for that service is applied automatically

The appointment details show which membership was used. That is the answer to "I should have one visit left": the deduction history is tied to specific appointments.

Freezing instead of refunding

The most common source of conflict is validity running out while the client is ill or away. Freezing solves it without refunding: the clock stops and resumes on unfreeze.

Set the terms in advance: how many freeze days the membership includes, how much notice is required, and whether unused days expire.

What to configure right after launch

• Purchase notification so the client receives a confirmation with the terms and the balance.
• Balance reminders so a message about visits running low brings the client back before validity expires.

Both run automatically, and they are what turns a membership from a one-off purchase into a cycle.

Common questions

Can a membership cover every service at once?

Yes, leave the services field in the template empty.

What happens to the remaining balance once validity expires?

That is your decision and it belongs in your terms, stated in advance. The system only enforces the validity set in the template.

Can a membership be transferred to another person?

A membership is tied to a client, so a transfer is a manual staff action rather than an option for the client.

How does a membership differ from a certificate?

A membership is a number of visits or a duration on specific services. A certificate is an amount that can be spent on anything, and it is usually bought as a gift.