Overview
When a client is referred to a business, knowing and tracking the source of that client can be valuable. When adding a new appointment or within every Client Profile, the business can assign how that particular client was referred. Then, in the Referral Performance report, the revenue generated from specific referral sources can be seen. This includes options for customizing referral sources to better suit business needs and ensuring accurate tracking across various client activities.
Outside of this manual tracking process, you can also set up a client referral program that automatically creates custom referral links and rewards clients who refer friends to your business. Clients referred via the referral program are automatically recorded with the source "Referral Program."
Creating the Referral Sources List
Before they can be assigned to a Client Profile, the list of referral sources must first be created at the main business level. To create a list of all referral sources:
Go to your Business Settings and select Referral Sources.
Click New Referral Source, and type in the name of the source.
To add a referral source to any future locations, select 'Available at all future locations' under the Location section.
Click Create Referral Source. Referral sources in dropdown menus are sorted alphabetically; to influence their order, prefix the names (e.g., 'A. First Source,' 'B. Second Source'). This ensures frequently used sources appear as needed without manual reordering.
Assigning Referral Sources When Adding a New Appointment
Click New Appointment and fill in all details as you normally would schedule a client.
Before clicking Complete Booking, click the Referral Source drop-down to select how this client was referred. If they were referred by another client, you can search for that client's name after choosing Referral program.
Assigning Referral Sources from the Client's Profile
Open the individual Client Profile.
Under Contact Info, locate Referral.
Select the dropdown menu, then click the referral type.
Select Referral Program, then select the referring client.
Click Save Changes.
NOTE: Referral sources can be collected using connected form fields. Check out the Forms and Charts: Connected Fields article for more information. Only select the default 'Another client' option when automating reward issuance to maintain system integrity. To avoid data inconsistencies, avoid duplicating referral source names across different dropdowns or forms. When creating forms, it's essential to use a dropdown field type to include referral sources. Selecting another field type, such as text input, will omit the 'Referral Source' option.
Referral Performance Report
The Referral Performance report shows client counts, appointment activity, and sales contribution broken down by referral source, so you can see which channels bring in the most clients, bookings, and revenue. The report specifically shows:
Referral Source — as assigned in the Client Profile, or automatically via the referral program
New Client Count / Returning Client Count — clients tagged with the referral source, split by first-time vs. repeat
Order Count — orders associated with referred clients
Net Service Amount — income generated from service sales
Net Retail Amount — income generated from product sales
Total Membership Net Amount / Net Package Amount — add if relevant to your business
Gratuity — included tips, net of refunds
Net Amount Per Order — average ticket cost
Service Count and Retail Product Quantity are available as optional columns if you need unit-level counts rather than just revenue.
Head to the Reports tab, select Clients, and choose Referral Performance.
Filter by date as you would any other report.