Some services work better when your team books them. Typical ones are boarding with flexible handover arrangements, VIP or invite-only services, services that need a consultation first, services you are testing before you offer them to everyone, and seasonal services out of season.
What changes
Switching off online booking only hides the service from your booking page. Everything else works the same.
Feature | Online booking on | Online booking off |
Visible on your booking page | Yes | No |
Customers can book it online | Yes | No |
Your team can create bookings | Yes | Yes |
Calendar scheduling | Yes | Yes |
Invoicing | Yes | Yes |
Payment processing | Yes | Yes |
Reminders and notifications | Yes | Yes |
Reporting | Yes | Yes |
An internal-only booking still appears on your calendar, uses your resource capacity, such as rooms, pens or tables, and can be assigned to team members. It gets an invoice, takes every payment method (card on file, payment links, bank transfer and cash), sends confirmations, reminders and receipts, and counts in revenue and utilisation reports.
Make a service internal-only
Open Services, select Manage on the service, then Manage Service.
Open Booking Settings and, under Self-Service Booking, switch off Online booking.
Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes. The change is listed as Enable Self-Service Booking.
The service no longer appears on your booking page, and customers cannot book it online. Your team can still book it. The service's page shows a grey Draft badge instead of the green Published one, and on Business Pro, Business Flex and Business Max its summary card shows Not published yet with Publish Now, which switches online booking back on. On Calendar Lite the Self-Service Booking card is locked.
Book an internal-only service
When a customer asks for the service, your team books it.
Open Appointments, select New, then Appointment. On the calendar, the A key opens it too.
Select the Pet field and search for the pet.
Choose the internal-only service in Services for and the pet's name.
Leave Magic Availability Check on and select one of the times offered, or switch it off to set the exact start time on each service. Quick Force Create, under the calendar, switches it off too.
Under Notify customer?, choose Send notification or Book silently.
Select Create Appointment.
With Send notification, the customer gets their confirmation just like any other booking.
Take payment for an internal booking
Internal-only services use the same payment options as any other booking, so you do not need a separate invoicing system. For every method, see Payment Processing.
Charge the card on file
The card on file suits regular customers with a saved payment method.
Open Appointments and select the booking.
Under Payment Method, choose the saved card.
Select the amount and Charge Card on File.
In Confirm Card Payment, select the amount and Charge Card on File again.
The payment processes straight away, and Petboost emails the customer a receipt if Email the customer: booking updates is on.
Send a payment link by SMS
A payment link suits customers without a saved card, one-off bookings and remote payments.
Open Appointments and select the booking.
Under Payment Method, choose Secure Payment Link.
Under Deliver Link By, choose SMS, then select the amount and Send by SMS.
In Send Payment Link by SMS, check the preview, then select Send Payment Link and the amount.
The customer receives a text with a Stripe payment link and pays on their phone, and Petboost marks the booking paid. They do not log in. The amount is set when you send the link. Changing the price afterwards does not change a checkout already sent. The text uses one SMS credit, in addition to the standard card fees. Email and Copy Link do not use a credit.
Request a bank transfer
A bank transfer suits large invoices, customers who prefer to pay by transfer, and corporate clients. There is no fee.
Open Appointments and select the booking.
Under Payment Method, choose Bank Transfer.
Select the amount and Request bank transfer.
When the money arrives in your bank, select the amount and Mark paid by bank transfer.
Request bank transfer emails the customer the invoice with your bank details. It marks the booking as awaiting payment, not paid.
Take cash or a payment in person
Cash suits walk-in customers and customers who prefer to pay in cash.
Open Appointments and select the booking.
Under Payment Method, choose Cash.
Select the amount and Paid by Cash.
For a payment on your own EFTPOS terminal, choose Other EFTPOS and select the amount and Mark as Paid. Neither adds a fee. A payment on a Stripe card reader, through Card Reader, carries the usual card payment fees.
Example: boarding booked by the team
Hounds About Town agrees flexible handover times for boarding directly with each customer, and keeps its other services online.
To set it up, the team:
Creates the boarding service with its default check-in and check-out times, such as 2pm and 11am.
Switches off online booking on the boarding service, so customers cannot book boarding online.
Leaves online booking on for daycare and training, so customers still book those themselves.
A booking then runs like this:
The customer asks about boarding by phone or email.
The team agrees the dates and the exact handover times with the customer.
The team creates the booking in Petboost with the agreed times, such as a 10:30am drop-off.
The customer receives a confirmation email.
The pet stays, and the team adds services during the stay as needed.
At checkout, the team charges the saved card or sends a payment link.
The customer receives a receipt.
Boarding shows on the calendar beside daycare and training, and resource capacity, such as pens or rooms, is tracked against each stay. The invoice itemises every service in the stay, and the team can charge the card, send a link or ask for a bank transfer.
When to use internal-only or online booking
Use internal-only when:
The service needs a discussion before booking, such as a consultation
Handover times are agreed one customer at a time, as in flexible boarding
You need to assess suitability before you accept a booking, such as for a specialist service
The service is VIP or invite-only
You are testing a service before you offer it to everyone
The service is out of season
Use online booking when:
The service is the same every time
Customers can check their own suitability, because the eligibility rules are clear
Fixed time slots suit how you work
You want customers to book at any hour
You want fewer phone calls
Many businesses use both:
Service | Online booking |
Daycare, grooming, training | On |
Boarding, specialist services | Off |
Initial consultations | Off, and the team follows up |
Regular appointments | On |
Set-up tips
Boarding
Set realistic default times on the service, even if you adjust them on each booking
Add buffer time between stays for cleaning and turnover
Add services during the stay for walks, grooming and medication
Consultation-first services
Create a simple initial consultation service with online booking on
Make the initial service a prerequisite for the advanced services
Follow up after the consultation to book the ongoing services
VIP services
Record VIP status in the customer's notes
Consider selling packages to VIP customers
Limit who can book with the service's Who Can Book rules if needed
Related FAQs
Can customers still see internal-only services anywhere?
No. With online booking off, the service is hidden from your booking page. Customers cannot see it or book it online.
Do internal bookings show on my calendar?
Yes. Internal bookings appear on your calendar exactly like online bookings. There is no visual difference: they are regular appointments.
Can I switch a service between internal and online booking?
Yes. Switch Online booking on the service's Booking Settings tab at any time, then publish the change. It applies to new bookings. Existing bookings are not affected.
Do customers receive confirmations and reminders for internal bookings?
Yes. Internal bookings follow the same notification switches as any other booking: confirmation and receipt emails follow Email the customer: booking updates, and reminders follow your reminder settings.
What if a customer asks why they can't book a service online?
Explain that the service needs arranging with your team. They can contact you directly to book, and you set everything up for them.
Related articles
Service Configuration: pricing and duration settings
Booking Settings: customer booking controls
Stay Appointments: boarding and overnight stays
Payment Processing: payment methods and workflows
Services FAQ: more questions and answers