The Self-Booking Overlay

Your client's experience with Boulevard begins on your business' website when they click the button to book an appointment. At that point, Boulevard's "self-booking overlay" gracefully slides in from the left, overlaying on top of your existing website. At any given point, the customer can close out the self-booking overlay and immediately be back on your website.

Once in the self-booking overlay, your customers immediately view your available service categories, and when those categories are clicked, a dropdown menu opens with individual services and prices related to that category. These categories and services are unlimited.

After selecting a service or two, the customer is prompted to enter their email address. The system identifies if that email address is associated with a client account, and if not, the customer is prompted to create an optional (but recommended) account.

Next, the available dates and times for the appointment are displayed, and your customer selects whichever works best for them. If they don't see a time that works for them or their service provider is entirely booked, they can add themselves to your waitlist. They then are prompted to create a password that allows them faster future rebooking. They enter their contact info and their credit card information. If a service requires a deposit, they can then pay and complete the booking. A valid credit card is required to be on file for every appointment booked online.

NOTE: Clients cannot use a gift card as a payment method when booking an appointment through the self-booking overlay.

The self-booking overlay always presents times to the client which would result in the most optimal scheduling experience possible. Numerous algorithms are in play to ensure that:

At the time of review, and only if there is one service selected, the client has the option to switch the professional assigned to their appointment. By clicking "SWITCH" next to the professional's name, they can view any other professionals who may be available at the same time that the client has already pre-selected. This comes in particularly handy when the appointment time is more important than the professional, but still provides the client options for who performs the service.

Businesses have the option to enable the prompt of preset gratuity percentages that the client can choose before the completion of their booking. This setting is found under the main business settings (gear icon) > Business Details > Gratuity Settings.

Businesses also have the option to enable deposits for specific services or providers. After selecting the date and time of their desired appointment, the Review Your Booking screen will indicate in green if there is any deposit due today and how much is due once the appointment is completed. By clicking “Charge $12 & Book Appointment”, they are agreeing to pay the indicated amount at that time.

As soon as an appointment is booked, whether online or by the business, the customer receives a booking email and if enabled, an automated booking confirmation text. The email shows the details of the appointment and the client instructions. The booking confirmation text includes the client name, business name, and the appointment date and time. Client notifications can be managed from the Client Notification tab in the Manage Location settings.

The service provider can optionally be sent a notification as well. To enable or disable internal notifications, please see the article on Communication Preferences.

If a client is interested in modifying their appointment, this can be done by clicking “manage appointment” in their booking confirmation or reminder emails, or by logging into the Client Portal from your website. Both routes allow clients to cancel, reschedule, manage their upcoming appointments, and complete forms.

Check out Boulevard's Client Portal article to review additional options on how clients can manage their appointments and forms.

When booking an appointment through the self-booking overlay, clients see a section labeled “Communications” which lets them know that by booking their appointment, they agree to receive email and text messages for appointment reminders, news, and special offers. If a client has previously provided consent to receive email or text marketing or has opted out, their previous preferences will persist when booking new appointments.

For more information about marketing opt-in consent, check out our FAQ here!