Before you start
- Export what you can. Ask your current system for your client list and booking history. Most can export a spreadsheet.
- Check what you must keep. Records have retention rules. Check with your professional body and insurer before deleting anything.
- List your upcoming bookings. You will need to move or re-confirm them.
Set up the new system
- Copy over your session types, prices, hours and breaks.
- Set your cancellation policy and client agreement.
- Test a full booking yourself: book, pay, receive the emails, cancel.
- Connect your calendar so nothing double-books.
Move your clients
- Keep the old system running for existing bookings.
- Send one short email to clients with the new booking link and the date you are switching. Only email people who agreed to hear from you.
- Put the new link on your website, social profiles and directory listing.
- Turn off new bookings on the old system on the switch date, but leave it up until the last old appointment is done.
Pick a quiet week
Avoid the week before a holiday or your busiest week. Allow a few days for clients who book by phone to catch up, and keep your reply messages friendly and short.
On the day, check the first few new bookings come through correctly: the confirmation email, the reminder, the payment and the calendar entry. Ask one or two friendly clients to be your testers beforehand. Keep a note of anything that confuses people, and fix the wording before the next batch of clients arrives. After a month, close the old account once your records are safely exported and you have checked how long you need to keep them.
Common worries
The main fear is that clients cannot find the new link and drift away. Put it where they already look: your emails, your website, your social profiles and your voicemail message. Another worry is double-booking. Keep both diaries synced to one calendar during the overlap, so each booking blocks the time everywhere.
Finally, keep your tone warm. A short personal note such as "I have moved to a new booking page, here is the link" is easier to read than a long technical message. Thank clients for their patience, and remind them they can still reply to the email if they get stuck.
More questions
Will I lose my clients if I switch?
Not if you tell them early, give one clear booking link and keep the old system running until existing bookings are done.
Should I delete data from my old system?
Not straight away. Check how long you need to keep records with your professional body and insurer first.
How long should the switch take?
A few hours to set up and test, then a couple of weeks of running both while clients move over.
