A customer walks in without an appointment. Ada cuts their hair, Chidi does their nails, and it all goes on one bill. Served by on each line records who did what — and holds that person's time while they're doing it.
Before you start
- Your staff must exist as service providers with the services they offer: Setup → Service Providers. Someone who doesn't offer a service will never be offered for it.
- If a service also needs a chair, a booth or a treatment room, set that on the provider's service row under Requires. Leave it blank if the person is all that's needed.
- See How online bookings find a returning customer for how the customer record is matched when they book online instead.
Steps
- Open the session: Front office → Sessions, then click the customer's row.
- Add the service line as usual.
- Under the line, click + Served by.
- Pick from the list. Each name shows free or busy right now, and how long the service takes.
- That's it — the name appears on the line, with the chair or room beside it if the service needed one.
To change it, click the × on the name and pick again. To take somebody off without replacing them, click the × and close the list.
What this actually does
Picking a name doesn't just label the line. It books that person's time, exactly as an online appointment would:
- They show as busy for the length of the service.
- A guest booking online cannot be sold the same slot.
- The same works in reverse — somebody with an online appointment at 10:15 shows as busy at the counter, so you can't double-book them by accident.
- When the session closes to an invoice, the name and the chair are printed on that line of the receipt.
The name is recorded, not charged. The customer pays the service price; nothing is added for the person or the room.
Tips
- Only service lines have it. A bottle of shampoo isn't performed by anybody, so no Served by appears on it.
- One bill, several people. Two lines can have two different providers — that's the normal salon case, and each is held separately.
- The duration comes from the service. It's set on the provider's service row, falling back to the item's own time. With neither, 30 minutes is assumed.
- Back-to-back is allowed. A walk-in ending at 10:45 doesn't clash with an appointment starting at 10:45.
Common problems
"Ada is standing right there but shows as busy." Something already holds her time for this slot — most likely an online appointment, or another open session where she was assigned and never cleared. Check Bookings for her, and clear her from any session that's finished.
"The list is empty." Nobody is set up as offering this service. Add it to a provider's service list under Setup → Service Providers. The list shows only people who actually offer the service on the line.
"Ada shows as free but I can't pick her — it says no chair or room free." The service needs a chair (or booth, or room) and every one is taken. Either wait, or set the service not to require one if that isn't really true.
"I picked the wrong person." Click the × and pick again. The first person is freed immediately — you won't leave them blocked.
"The receipt doesn't show who served." The line had nobody assigned when the session was closed. Assignment has to happen before closing to an invoice; once closed, the session can't be changed.