thread Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments in Beauty & Wellness

Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:45:41 GMT

Hello,

I’m Elyn, a Beta Specialist with Square’s Beta Team. Betas are tests of upcoming Square features before they’re released, to help identify areas of improvement for these new products and tools. In the Square Beta Program, the Beta Team selects testers across all types of businesses, including restaurants, retail, services, health and beauty, and more. Your feedback directly helps us build the right products with your business top of mind. The Square development process starts small and uses feedback along with other insights to plan its future.

Within the Beta Community we have a special group for Square Appointments betas. Some are big impactful changes and others are small but maybe exactly what you’ve been hoping for. We would love to have anyone join using Square Appointments and is interested in providing feedback on new features. Click the link below to request to join, you’ll receive a follow up once accepted into the group.

Join Square Appointments Early Access

Take a look at what our Beta testers helped with so far this year!

Multi Staff Booking
Square Online Booking Site
Tiered Commissions
Appointments Point of Sale new Navigation and Checkout
Appointments Availability - Find a time on Dashboard

Still testing or testing soon

Categories in Appointments Booking site
Appointments Availability - Find a time in iOS, Android and Square Register

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have about the Beta process.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

thebeardlyman — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:23:15 GMT

It would be great for each person in appointments (in my case, barbers) to have their own booking link that is available for just them. There are too many clicks that clients have to go through right now.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

BeChewzy — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:27:05 GMT

Are there more specific items coming for restaurants using appointments as reservations?

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:49:23 GMT

Hi @BeChewzy We don't have any upcoming tests specific to restaurants in Square Appointments. We did a small test in 2020 testing the current flow for restaurants but found it wasn't a great use for Square Appointments who's focus is more towards Health and Beauty industries.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:50:14 GMT

We love this kind of feedback when testing relevant features, it would have been great do to have you during the Square Online booking site test. I hope you join us!

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Megahair — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 15:17:32 GMT

Here are your areas of need:

I want my clients to see the tip appropriation on services alone, not retail. Why else would you have me categorize like that?

We need a waitlist. COVID mean so many last minute cancellations. Please recognize our need to fill those spots immediately!!

I need to be able to combine customer tickets. I won’t put my clients through checking out twice. But I want services and retail to go under the correct client. If I have a husband and wife, I have to put all sales under one. Same with mother and son or daughter. I have to use a separate CRM to keep it all straight. You have an excellent CRM and I would love to not be using another party CRM.

If these features are an issue of payment. I would gladly pay for these services! In fact, I think you should have an a la carte menu of services! Not every business needs the same services. Why not customize what each business needs.

You could also use business coaches that work on commission. Someone to help me use the services that square has to offer. They reach out to me and make sure I continue to utilize square marketing. If I’m utilizing it, I’m going to continue to pay for it. If I don’t use it because it overwhelms me, then I’m going to eventually cancel it. Service coaches can ensure user success.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I available for video conference to expand on any of these features.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 16:00:43 GMT

Thanks for sharing in such detail @Megahair

I believe some of these may be in development already. Square Appointments plans out new features annually and is working out the 2022 plan now. As they build new features many of them will go through Beta first (Where the beta community comes in). The timing for feature releases is exactly that, even the smallest features require months of planning, design and engineering. If you'd like to be part of beta and provide early feedback on new features we'd love to have you join the Beta Community Appointments Early Access Group

You can also check out the Square Appointments Feature Requests board to provide more detail and your use cases for existing feature requests.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Megahair — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 02:53:14 GMT

Thanks for the reply. I’m excited to become a beta tester. As a busy service provider and retail seller, I hope to provide lots of valuable feedback. Thank you for the opportunity!!

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Novo — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 06:18:28 GMT

I agree with the Individual Booking Site links for Stylists/Barbers. As well as add the ability for each provider to customize their own services individual to their own specifics on price and service details.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Innerglo — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 17:24:38 GMT

The truth is - Almost every feature requested for appointments is already implemented by competitors. That is where most of the request are coming from, because people have used those features in the past.

The exact things you mentioned, I am also needing in my salon. As much as a pain as it is, I can switch to another software that already has those features fully beta tested and operational for years at this point.

I think square for payments is great, however the appointments side of things doesn't get enough development attention. Just one feature, ONE FEATURE... One waitlisting customer per month filling a cancelled appointment more than pays for the competitor service fee. Don't even try and count the ROI on the other features, its a blow out.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Icampos — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 03:04:09 GMT

Hi there! I have multiple staff members, all with different pricing. So it’s be really nice to have a tiered system as far as staffing goes and being able to customize how long it may take for that staff member to do that service. Ex.

it takes Izzy 4 hours for full bleach retouch + tone & cut, = 185

It takes kayla 5 hours for full bleach retouch + tone & cut = 150

I also think it would benefit greatly to have a different bank account for each team member. (But that’s a story for another day)

I also strongly agree with the waitlist feature that would be AMAZING

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Mandy414 — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 03:07:50 GMT

I currently use appointments to book Birthday Parties at my Play Cafe. It is not ideal, but it's the best we can do to not have to use an outside app that has it's own set of problems. I've read on threads all over that people would like a more broad usage of Appointments. One small thing would be allowing us to change the "BOOK" tab on my website to say something else, for me I'd like it to say "Parties". We use Square in almost all of its capacities. Appointments isn't one of our most used areas, but I'd love to be a BETA tester for any area.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

VitruLA — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 03:13:31 GMT

Gym in LA - I would like to be considered for BETA testing.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

christiema — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 17:19:05 GMT

I'm a small business owner currently based in NYC and would definitely be interested in BETA testing. We currently use Square appointments for our studio called Lace Skin Studio and we offer facials specifically. Thank you and please let me know!

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 15:38:05 GMT

Hi there, I've seen a lot of business have success using service variations for this case. Each variation can have different timing, pricing and staff assigned to it. Check out this article to get started

I'd encourage you to join the Beta Community Group with the link above if you'd want to be one of the first for waitlists.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

Elyn — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 15:39:50 GMT

We'd love to have you beta testers @christiema @VitruLA @Mandy414 Just use the link above in this post to request to join the group.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

RMConsultingLLC — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 06:22:31 GMT

I manage 18 spa website in Square appointments. I would love to be a beta tester and get my clients as beta testers too.

I was just featured in a group with 42,000 spa professionals and will be converting a lot of spas to Square this month/year…

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

ASPettus — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 17:25:44 GMT

The following feature are long overdue:

- A waitlist is desperately needed. This is a feature that has been requested since at least 2016.
- The ability to request Google reviews and follow up via editable emails and text would also be useful. Feedback only showing inside of Square is not very useful.

- Ability to archive inactive clients

- Better reports like customer retention reports

- The option to send 1:1 coupons with a percentage off. Currently you can only send coupons for a dollar amount.

- The text opt-in for marketing should be streamlined. The client shouldn’t have to text back twice. I’ve had clients agree to the first text, but not the second. If they agree to receive marketing texts, that should be it.
- Option for cash tips. Right now I have it as a variable item, but we should be able to add it during client checkout.

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

RMConsultingLLC — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 17:39:56 GMT

Each of the features you listed are available in Square.

1. Go to your marketing tab in the dashboard. In the top right corner click “create” campaign. At the top of the screen there is two tabs: one-time campaign and Automated. Toggle over to Automated and you will see an option for FB reviews. You can edit this email template to include a Google review request as well.

2. there is a group tag for inactive clients within your customer management settings. This allows you to create groups for marketing. Inactive is automated but you can create customized tags as well set to your business needs.

3. customer retention data is on the main page of your dashboard. It shows the last thirty days as a default but if you click that it will take you to the insights page for further exploration.

4. SMS text has very strict compliance guidelines. This is why the client must opt in from their own phone versus you adding them as you do with email marketing.

5. Reporting cash tips would be an awesome feature add!!! Great Suggestion!

Re: Become a Beta Tester for Square Appointments

ASPettus — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 18:05:49 GMT

Hi! Thanks for the reply, but these features are not available in the way I suggested.

1. Doesn’t this require Square Marketing? If not, there’s still not an option for automatic texts.

2. I know you can create groups and there’s a smart group for lapsed customers - I’m saying the option to archive would be nice so they don’t show in “all customers”. I have a beauty business and have clients from my home state that I probably won’t see again. I don’t want to delete them, but I also don’t want to see them in all customers or have to select a group every time I got to my directory.

3. Again, I know customer retention reporting is there - I said better reporting. That report is pretty much useless and hard to read. It doesn’t give you percentages or even detailed information on who the new customers were. I’ve been using Square for a long time, so I know there are many workarounds, but actions need to be streamlined.

4. I understand compliance - again, I said they shouldn’t have to respond to two text messages. Other companies I’ve used just send one text.

These issues have been brought up many times in the community. We know the features are there in a way, but they need to be improved.