Book an appointment

Booking an appointment on BookFlow takes about 60 seconds. Here's every step, in detail.

Step 1: Find the booking page

The business gives you a link. It can look like:

• https://booking.netwit.ca/book?slug=demo-salon — BookFlow-hosted
• https://theirsalon.com — their own website, with the widget embedded
• https://book.salonglow.com — their own custom domain (Pro plan and above)

Open the link in any browser. Works on phone, tablet, and desktop.

Step 2: Pick a service

You'll see a list of services the business offers. Each card shows:

• Name and a one-line description
• Duration (e.g. 45 min)
• Price
• "From" or "to" for variable-length services (e.g. hair color)
• A photo if the business added one

Tap one to select it. You can change it later.

Step 3: Pick a staff member

Some services can be done by any staff member; others require a specific person. You'll see:

• Each staff member's photo and bio
• Their specialties (e.g. "color specialist", "curly hair")
• An "anyone available" option to get the earliest slot

Step 4: Pick a time

The calendar only shows times the business is actually open AND has free slots. You'll see:

• Day-by-day view (tap arrows to switch days)
• Time slots in 15-minute increments
• The slot length matches your service duration (e.g. a 45-min service might show 9:00, 9:15, 9:30, 9:45, 10:00…)
• Your local timezone (set automatically from your browser)

Step 5: Your details

If you're not logged in, you'll be asked for:

• First and last name
• Email (for confirmation)
• Phone (for SMS confirmations — optional but recommended)
• Notes (e.g. "I have an allergy to X") — these go to the business only

If you're logged in, all of this auto-fills.

Step 6: Pay (if required)

Some businesses require a deposit to hold the slot. You'll see:

• Deposit amount (e.g. "$20")
• Total service price (you may pay the rest at the appointment)
• Payment powered by Stripe — your card details never touch BookFlow's servers

Step 7: Confirmation

You'll see a confirmation card with:

• A 9-character booking code prefixed with BF- (e.g. BF-A4F2X9) — save this!
• Service, staff, date, time, location
• Buttons: "Add to calendar" (Google / Apple / Outlook) and "Reschedule"
• Contact info for the business in case you need to reach them

You'll also get a confirmation email and (if you provided a phone) an SMS within a minute.

Behind the scenes

When you book, this is what happens on BookFlow:

1. The API checks that the slot is still free (it usually is, but we re-verify to avoid double-booking).
2. The booking is created in the business's calendar with status pending.
3. If a deposit was charged, the payment intent is confirmed.
4. The booking status flips to confirmed automatically.
5. You get the confirmation card and emails.
6. The business gets a notification in their dashboard.

What if the slot disappears while I'm booking?

If two people try to grab the last 2pm slot, only the first one wins. If you see a "This time was just taken" message, the calendar will reload and you can pick another time. No payment has been charged yet at that point.