Recover Lost Bookings Automatically
Turn abandoned online bookings into confirmed appointments. Most booking platforms don't even track drop-offs — we turn them into revenue.
Most booking systems have a blind spot: when a client starts an online booking and doesn't finish, the attempt disappears without a trace. Bella Booking captures these incomplete bookings so your team can follow up — automatically or manually. When an authenticated client (verified phone number) reaches the Review step and doesn't confirm within 10 minutes, their selection is saved as a draft booking. You'll see it in the Follow-ups side panel alongside your waitlist and on a dashboard KPI card. Enable the automatic reminder and the client receives a one-tap resume link via SMS or email. Or follow up manually — call, email, book for them, or dismiss the entry. Very few salon booking platforms capture mid-funnel drop-offs at all, making this a meaningful source of recovered revenue. See our comparison pages for how specific competitors handle it.
What's included
Key capabilities of incomplete bookings
Capture incomplete bookings automatically
When a signed-in client reaches the Review step and doesn't finish, their selected services, team member, date and time are saved as a draft booking. Nothing to configure — it just works.
Authenticated-only for privacy
Only clients with a verified phone number are captured. Anonymous visitors are never tracked — so every lead is reachable and GDPR-compliant by design.
10-minute review-session countdown
A 10-minute countdown on the Review step nudges the client to finish. The banner turns red at 2 minutes remaining and prompts a fresh time pick at zero. (The slot itself is not reserved — whoever confirms first wins, which is how most booking systems work.)
Dashboard KPI card
An amber alert card appears on the dashboard whenever you have incomplete bookings waiting. Hidden when empty — no clutter, just action when needed.
Follow-ups side panel
A single side panel combines Waitlist and Incomplete tabs — both are pending intent that hasn't converted, now in one place for fast review.
One-tap resume link
Reminder SMS and email include a link that takes the client back to their saved selections. They pick up where they left off — no re-entry needed.
Automatic reminder (opt-in)
Enable the Incomplete Booking Reminder in Automated Messages to fire one SMS and/or email automatically 10 minutes after abandonment. Off by default — you control when it turns on.
Manual follow-up actions
From any draft card: call or email the client directly, book the appointment on their behalf, send or resend the reminder, or dismiss the entry.
One draft per client
A client only ever has one active draft. If they re-engage and start another booking, the existing draft updates in place — never duplicates, never clutter.
Automatic 24-hour cleanup
Drafts auto-expire after 24 hours, keeping your Follow-ups focused on active leads. No manual housekeeping.
Shared permission with Waitlist
Anyone on your team with Manage Waitlist access can see and action incomplete bookings. No new permission setup.
Reminder-once safety
Each draft triggers at most one automatic reminder. If the client re-engages and abandons again, a fresh reminder can fire — but no spam, ever.
How incomplete booking recovery works
Client starts an online booking
A signed-in client picks services, a team member, and a date/time on your online booking page. They reach the Review & Book step.
Review session begins
A 10-minute countdown starts on the Review step. If the client completes in that window, the booking is confirmed and no draft is saved.
Draft saved on the Review step
As soon as the client lands on the Review step with a complete selection, their choices are saved as a draft booking. The draft stays invisible to the business while the review session is still running — there's no reason to signal pending action while the client is still in the flow.
Review-session expiry surfaces the draft
If the 10-minute review session expires without the client completing, the draft becomes visible in the Follow-ups panel and the dashboard KPI card updates. If the Incomplete Booking Reminder is enabled, the client receives one SMS and/or email with a resume link at the same moment.
Follow up and convert
From the Follow-ups panel, call, email, book for the client, or send another reminder. Convert drafts into real appointments or dismiss them if no longer relevant.
Plan availability
Feature
Starter
Professional
All prices in AUD, GST included. No currency conversion fees.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from a waitlist?
A waitlist captures demand for a slot that isn't available yet — the client is explicitly asking to be notified. An incomplete booking is the opposite: the client had the slot available and started to book it, but left before confirming. Both are valuable leads and both live in the same Follow-ups panel for convenience.
What triggers capture of an incomplete booking?
A draft is saved the moment a signed-in client (verified phone) reaches the Review & Book step with at least one service selected. The draft only becomes visible to your business once the 10-minute review session expires without them completing — while they're still actively booking, the draft stays invisible to avoid false "pending action" signals. Clients who abandon earlier in the flow (before Review) are never captured.
Do anonymous visitors get captured?
No. Capture only happens for authenticated clients (verified phone number via OTP). Anonymous visitors leave no contact trail, so there's no way to ethically follow up. This keeps your Follow-ups actionable and ensures every lead is reachable.
Is the selected time slot actually reserved during the 10 minutes?
No. The countdown is a client-side urgency timer, not a reservation. Two clients can select the same time slot and both see the countdown — whichever confirms first wins, and the other sees a conflict error and is asked to pick a new time. This is how most salon booking platforms work — exclusive reservations on a busy schedule would create hidden inventory and harm conversion.
How do competitors handle this?
Most booking systems don't recover these at all. A handful offer a limited version — some are email-only with no pipeline, others put rich recovery behind an enterprise add-on. Bella's implementation is dual-channel (SMS + email), has a Follow-ups panel with business alerts, "Book for client" action, and is included on every plan. See our comparison pages for a per-competitor breakdown.
Will the automatic reminder spam my clients?
No. The reminder fires at most once per draft. If the client re-engages and abandons again, a fresh reminder can fire — but while a reminder is already sent for the current draft, no follow-up message goes out. The reminder is also off by default — you opt in when you're ready, and both business and client opt-in flags must align before anything sends.
How long are incomplete bookings kept?
Active drafts stay in your Follow-ups for 24 hours. After that, a Mongo TTL index automatically removes them — no housekeeping needed. Drafts that are converted to appointments or dismissed are excluded from the list immediately but also fully cleaned up at the 24-hour mark.
Can I customise the reminder message?
Yes. Like all automated messages, the Incomplete Booking Reminder has an editable template with variables including {{FirstName}}, {{ServiceName}}, {{BusinessName}}, and the resume link/button. Configure it in Settings → Automated Messages → Incomplete Booking Reminder.
What if my online booking page is off?
If you don't accept online bookings, no drafts are ever created — the feature simply doesn't apply. Turn on online booking and the capture begins automatically the next time a client starts and abandons a booking.
Is this a paid-plan-only feature?
No — incomplete booking recovery is available on all plans including Starter. This is a core conversion tool, not a marketing add-on, and it has the biggest impact for smaller businesses who can't afford to manually chase every lead.
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