Online Business Card with Booking: A Set-Up Guide
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Online business cards for local businesses
How clients book from your online business card, what to set up first (services, timings, gaps and a cancellation note), where to share the link and how to cut no-shows.
If you run an appointment business, every phone call to book is time away from a client. Messages that start "do you have anything Thursday?" turn into five-message threads. An online business card with booking lets people see your services, pick one and choose a free time, from the same page that shows your prices, photos and reviews.
This guide is for hairdressers, barbers, beauty therapists, personal trainers, tutors, coaches and consultants. It explains what the booking process looks like from your client's side, what to decide before you switch it on, where to share the link, and how to cut no-shows without making booking harder.
Bookings come with the online business card with bookings and enquiries, our Business Plan at £90, paid once. Brand Presence (£45) does not include bookings.
How booking works from the client's side
Your client does not need an app or an account with us. In general, the steps are:
- They open your card from a link or QR code, for example from your Instagram bio.
- They see your services, photos and reviews, and press the booking button.
- They choose a service.
- They pick a date and one of the times you have made available.
- They enter their name and contact details, and confirm.
The exact screens and messages are set by our platform partner's booking feature. Before you share the link, make a test booking from your own phone, so you know exactly what clients see and what you receive.
What to set up before you open bookings
Most booking problems come from decisions made in a hurry. Sit down with a notebook for half an hour and decide the following first.
Services
List what clients can book, in their words, not yours. "Cut and blow-dry" is clearer than "Restyle A". Keep the list short. Ten options is plenty for most businesses. Rare or complicated jobs can go through an enquiry form instead: see our guide to an online business card enquiry form.
How long each one takes
Use the real time, including consultation and payment at the end. If a colour appointment usually runs to two and a half hours, do not list it as two. Clients who are kept waiting do not rebook.
Gaps between clients
You need time to clean down, reset the room or travel between clients. If your booking settings offer a gap or buffer between appointments, use it. If they do not, add the gap to the length of each service, so the calendar never squeezes clients back to back.
When you are available
Set your working hours, then block out lunch, school runs and admin time. Leave yourself a little slack each day for overruns. It is easier to open extra slots than to cancel booked ones.
Your cancellation note
Write two or three plain sentences and put them in the service description or your card's details, where clients see them before they book. For example: "Please give us 24 hours' notice to cancel or move your appointment. Late cancellations may be charged for the next visit." Be fair, keep the rule simple, and apply it the same way to everyone.
Example: a set-up for a personal trainer
This is an Example for a made-up trainer, not a real customer.
- Services: Free 20-minute consultation; one-to-one session (60 minutes); pair session (60 minutes); programme review (30 minutes).
- Gaps: 15 minutes after every session, for travel between the gym and the park.
- Hours: Monday to Friday 6am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm; Saturday 8am to 12pm.
- Cancellation note: "Please give 24 hours' notice to move a session. Sessions missed without notice count as used."
- Above the booking button: prices for each session, three testimonials used with permission, and a short line about which gym and park she trains in.
Booking through your card, by phone, or with a booking app
Booking through your card | By phone | Dedicated booking app
Effort for the client | Open the link, pick a service and time | Call during your hours, often reach voicemail | Varies; some need an app download or an account
Your time per booking | Check and manage new bookings | A call or message thread every time | Similar to the card, after a longer set-up
Books outside your hours | Yes | No | Yes
Deposits and payments | Not included; take them separately if you need them | Card machine or a payment link | Many offer them; see vendor site
Automatic reminders | Check what your booking settings send; otherwise send your own | You send them | Often included; see vendor site
Shows your prices, photos and reviews | Yes, on the same page | No | Some do
Cost | Included in the Business Plan, £90 one-off | Your time | Usually a subscription or per-booking fee; see vendor site
The card is a good fit if you want one simple page that does everything, and you do not need payment at the time of booking. If taking deposits online is essential to your business, a dedicated booking service may suit you better. Some businesses use the card for everything else and link to their booking service from it.
Where to share your booking link
Put the link wherever clients already look for you.
- Instagram and TikTok bios. Make it the one link in your bio.
- WhatsApp Business. Add it to your profile and your away message: "Thanks for your message. You can book straight in here."
- Google Business Profile. Add the card as your website if you do not have one, so people who find you on Maps can book.
- Email signature. Every reply becomes a way to book.
- At the end of each appointment. A QR code on the mirror, the treatment room door or the counter, so clients book their next visit before they leave.
- Your follow-up message. "Thanks for coming in today. Book your next appointment here."
Cutting no-shows
No booking system stops no-shows on its own. These habits help.
Send a reminder the day before
Check whether your booking settings send reminders. If they do not, send your own the day before. Keep it short and give an easy way to move the time:
> "Hi Sam, a reminder of your cut and blow-dry tomorrow at 2pm. If you need to move it, reply here or rebook from our card. See you then."
Messages like this, about an appointment the client has made, are generally treated as service messages rather than marketing. The ICO explains the difference in its marketing and data protection guidance for small organisations. Do not add promotions to reminders unless the client has agreed to marketing.
Make cancelling easy
It sounds backwards, but clients who can cancel easily do cancel, instead of just not turning up. That gives you a chance to fill the slot.
Keep a short waiting list
When a slot opens, message the people who asked for that day. On the Business Plan, the subscribers feature can help you build a list of clients who have asked to hear about openings.
Deposits, if you need them
Bookings on the card do not take payment. If you need deposits, for example for long colour appointments or first-time clients, take them separately with a payment link from your own payment provider. Say so clearly in the service description before people book: how much, when it is due, and when it is refunded. Then apply the rule the same way to everyone.
Before you go live: a quick checklist
- Make a test booking for each service from your own phone.
- Check the times offered match your real availability.
- Read your cancellation note as a new client would.
- Check your contact details are correct on the confirmation.
- Ask a friend to book without help, and watch where they hesitate.
For more ideas specific to salons, see our guide to digital business cards for hair and beauty. Physios, osteopaths and other practitioners should read our guide to an online business card for clinics and therapists, which covers what not to collect when clients book. More guides for local businesses are in the journal.
Coaches and consultants who book discovery calls will find more in our guide to digital business cards for coaches and consultants.
Frequently asked questions
Which plan includes bookings?
The Business Plan, at £90 paid once. It also includes enquiry forms, contact leads, a CRM, a reviews button, subscribers, a card scanner and export. Brand Presence (£45 one-off) does not include bookings.
Do my clients need an app to book?
No. They open your card in their phone's browser from a link or QR code, choose a service and pick a time. They do not need an app or an account with us.
Can clients pay a deposit when they book?
No, bookings on the card do not take payment. If you need deposits, take them separately with a payment link from your own payment provider, and explain the rule in the service description before clients book.
How do I stop clients booking back to back with no break?
If your booking settings offer a gap between appointments, use it. If not, add the time you need for cleaning or travel to the length of each service, so the calendar always leaves room.
Where should I share my booking link?
In your Instagram or TikTok bio, your WhatsApp Business profile and away message, your Google Business Profile, your email signature, and on a QR code where clients finish their appointment.
Can I send reminder messages to clients?
Yes. A short reminder about an appointment the client booked is generally a service message, not marketing. Keep promotions out of reminders unless the client has agreed to receive marketing from you.