A checklist for setting up your salon

A new salon is ready to use the moment you sign up, but a little setting up makes it yours. When you import from your old booking system, you can keep texts and emails to your team until you switch over, so you can try everything on your own clients first (trying FullColumn before you switch over). Work through this list in order: each step links to its own page with the details. Most of it is in Settings, and the owner can do all of it.

#The setup checklist at a glance

1. Check your business details, region and tax.
2. Set your opening hours and your own hours.
3. Add your team and invite them to sign in.
4. Tidy up your service menu and prices.
5. Bring your clients across from your old booking system.
6. Choose how confirmations and reminders are sent.
7. Set up card payments with Stripe, and deposits if you want them.
8. Set up consultation and feedback forms.
9. Set your online booking rules and share your booking page.
10. Bring across gift vouchers that are still out there.
11. Keep sign-ins safe with two-step sign-in.
12. Choose your plan before the free trial ends.
13. Start sending to clients when you switch over, if you set up when you imported.

#The "Set up your calendar" bar

A new salon's calendar shows a Set up your calendar bar until there's more than one person on the calendar. It has three buttons: Opening hours, your own hours (Your hours) and Add team member. Close it with its × if you'd rather use Settings. Any time later, click a name above the calendar for that person's hours and details, or use the calendar's ⋯ (Calendar options) menu for Opening hours… and Add team member….

#Checking your business details and tax

Open Settings → Business and fill in your salon's phone, email, address and website, add your logo, and check the region and tax your country gave you. Add your tax number (your ABN in Australia) to show it on receipts, and your Google review link if you'd like clients to review you on Google. See business details, tax and region.

#Setting your opening hours and your team's hours

Your opening hours show on your booking page and are where each new team member's hours start. Each person's own hours decide when they can be booked, online too. Set the salon's hours first, then everyone's own week. See opening hours and team hours and the roster.

#Adding your team and inviting them

In Settings → Team & roster, choose Add team member for each stylist and anyone at the desk. Turn on Takes appointments for anyone who needs a column on the calendar, and Can sign in for anyone who'll use FullColumn. Each person with an email gets an invite to choose their own password. See adding team members and roles and permissions.

Only team members who take appointments count towards your plan.

#Tidying up your service menu

The starter menu has example prices. In Settings → Services, change the prices and lengths to yours, set processing time on colour services, mark the ones that need a patch test, and remove what you don't do. See your service menu.

#Bringing your clients across

In Settings → Import & export, import your clients first, then their appointments, then colour formulas and notes, from spreadsheet (CSV or Excel) files exported from your old booking system. Running an import again is safe: anything already imported is skipped, and imported appointments never send confirmations. While your salon is setting up, nothing goes to clients, so you can import everything and try it out. See bringing your clients across.

#Choosing how reminders are sent

In Settings → Reminders & SMS, choose whether reminders go by text, email or both, and how long before the appointment. FullColumn sends them for you with nothing to connect, and Text me sends you a test. See confirmations and reminders.

#Setting up card payments and deposits

In Settings → Payments, choose Set up Stripe to take card payments through your own Stripe account, then choose your card reader and what online bookings must pay, if anything. See setting up card payments with Stripe and deposits and card on file.

#Setting up consultation and feedback forms

In Settings → Forms, under Before the visit, start a consultation form from a ready-made template (new client, colour or extensions), tick the services it's for, and choose how often clients fill it in. See building a consultation form.

To ask clients how their visit went, add a feedback form under After the visit (How was your visit? is ready-made), then switch on the After the visit message in Messages → Automations with {form_link} in it. See feedback forms and sending a feedback form after each visit.

#Setting your online booking rules and sharing your booking page

In Settings → Online booking, choose how much notice clients must give, how far ahead they can book, and whether you approve online bookings first. Add your branding, then copy your booking page link for your Instagram bio, Google Business Profile and website. See online booking rules, branding your booking page and your booking page.

#Bringing gift vouchers across

Gift vouchers sold in your old system can be added with their code and the balance left on them: Sales → Gift vouchers → Issue voucher. See gift vouchers.

#Keeping sign-ins safe

Turn on two-step sign-in for yourself in Settings → My account, then decide whether your managers (and anyone who can refund cards or export clients) must use it too. If the salon has a front desk iPad, set it up as a shared device so the team switches with a PIN. See two-step sign-in and shared devices, PINs and Front desk.

#Choosing your plan

Before the free trial ends, choose the texts you need each month and your plan in Settings → Plan & billing. Nothing is charged until the trial ends. See your plan and billing.

#Starting to send to clients when you switch over

If you chose Only to your team for now under Messages to clients when you imported, your salon is setting up: texts and emails only go to your team's own mobile numbers and email addresses and the salon's own. Once you've stopped using your old booking system, open Settings → Reminders & SMS and choose Start sending to clients. See trying FullColumn before you switch over.

#Common questions

#Do I have to finish the checklist before taking bookings?

No. You can book appointments from the moment you sign up. Online booking is on from the start too, so set your hours, team and services before you share your booking page. Clients get confirmations and reminders from the start, unless you set up when you import (trying FullColumn before you switch over).

#Who can do the setting up?

The owner can do everything. Each area of Settings needs its own permission, like "Change salon settings (hours, online booking, messages, branding)" or "Manage the team, permissions and PINs", so you can hand parts of it to a manager. See roles and permissions.

#I don't take appointments myself. Where's my column?

If you unticked I take appointments myself at sign-up, you don't have one, and the calendar says "No one is taking bookings yet" until you add your team. To take appointments after all, turn on Takes appointments for yourself in Settings → Team & roster.