📝 Overview

The Customer View is the online booking interface that allows customers to self-schedule appointments from any device. This guide covers the NexGen Customer View setup and configuration, along with related topics including customization, branding, payment prompts, custom links, iFrames, and more.

⚠️ Please Note: Terms for Appointment, Service, Staff Member, etc. may be different within your account's configuration. Only Headquarter and Location Administrators can make changes to the Customer View.

🧑‍💻 Customer View

The NexGen Customer View is used for online appointment scheduling activities for Customers of your organization. Administrators can choose which Location will use this application instead of the Default Customer View (if still enabled). Customers on a mobile device (phone or tablet) can access and complete the appointment booking process similarly to customers on a desktop or laptop computer.

💡 Pro Tip: It is recommended that you review other Customer View settings carefully to determine the setup that works best for your business. If you have questions about a specific setting, please reach out to your administrator or our Support team.

🔍 Finding the Customer View URL

Administrators or Staff Members logged into the Site Administrator interface can quickly access the Customer View link.

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From the site's top navigation, hover over the Customer View link at the top right corner of your account, then click on the Preview link. The Preview page will then display the link you can give to your customers.

Default Customer View: URL will begin with http://booknow.appointment-plus.com
NexGen Customer View: URL will begin with http://book.appointment-plus.com
Other: Will display the URL entered by your administrator

🎨 Customizing the Customer View

The Customer View is your customer-facing scheduling site. Headquarter Administrators control both the appearance and functionality of the Customer View through the administrative application. You can personalize your scheduling site by updating your logo, header text, and the on-screen instructions that appear throughout every step of the booking experience.

⛔️ Please Note: HTML code cannot be used to modify the custom text areas of your scheduling site. All text customizations are reflected instantly through our live visual editor, the changes you see while editing are exactly what your clients will see on your scheduling site.

Customization is managed in two main areas of Site Administration.

🎯 Layout Tab

The Layout tab in Site Administration allows you to customize the visual elements of your Customer View, including your header text/background colors, logo, and header design.

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🏢 Customer View Header (Company Name)

Within the Customer View Header Text section, you can change the company name in the First Line Text field. Customer View Header — Format up to 3 lines of plain text.

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Click the Layout Tab.
Locate Customer View Header Text.
- Text — Enter the company or location name.
- Font Color — Customize the color of the header text.

Customer View Header Colors

Header Background Color — The background color of the header when using the Text option.

💡 Pro Tip: This assumes you are not using your logo in the header part of the Customer View. If you are, changing the header text values will have no impact. To verify if you are using a logo, check the Customer View Logo section within the Layout tab of Site Administration.

⭐ Company Logo

To upload and display your logo on the Customer View, follow the instructions below.

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Click the Layout tab.
In the Customer View Logo section, select the Choose File button, then select Logo for the Use logo or text option.
Click Update.

⚠️ Warning: Allowable formats are .jpg and .gif. If you attempt to upload more than 4 images, the system will disable the ability to upload for security reasons. Please contact our Support team to have the number of upload attempts reset.

You will see recommendations within the Layout section that suggest 300 x 200 pixels. Logos come in different sizes whether horizontally or vertically centered. The 300 x 200 pixel is just a recommendation. Depending on your logo, it can go wider or taller.

📌 Customer View Header

You may create a custom header. A custom header replaces any header text or logo you may have uploaded.

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Click the Layout tab.
Fill out Customer View Header field at the bottom.

🌐 Pages/Text Tab

The Pages/Text tab allows you to edit most of the text areas that your customers see on the customer view portion of the system. The only exceptions are two sections that allow you to add text to the Site Administration. Learn to customize labels, instructions, and on-screen text across every step of the customer-facing scheduling process below.

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🗂️ Header Text for Appointments Page in Admin

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Appointment Page Header — In Site Administration, displays at the top of the Appointment page.
Make/View Appointment Header — In Site Administration, displays at the top of the Make Appointment box. This box displays after you click on an open time slot, and also at the top of the Appointment Detail box, which displays when you click on an existing appointment.

🧑‍💻 Custom Text Areas on the Customer View

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⚠️ Please Note: The first 4 custom text areas are available for both Nexgen and Classic Customer View.

Appointments — Displays on the right side in the Welcome box after the customer logs in. If you are not requiring the customer to log in, it displays on the right side when the customer first accesses the site.
Appointments - Top — Displays at the top of the Customer View, above the Appointment Locator and Welcome boxes. This text displays throughout the entire appointment process.
Cancellation Instructions — Displays above the customer's existing appointments. The Existing Appointments box displays on the right side and only shows if the customer has at least one future appointment.
Special Instructions — Displays as the label for the Special Instructions box, which appears after the customer has selected a time slot.

⛔️ Please Note: The following custom text areas available within the Pages/Text tab are only available for Classic Customer View only.

Confirmed Instructions — Displays after the customer has selected a time slot. Only displays on Classic View.
Final Instructions — Displays after the appointment is finalized. Only displays on Classic View.
Login Header — Displays on the login page, above the Login/Password boxes and the Registration button. If you are not requiring customers to log in, this does not display. Only displays on Classic View.
Registration Header — Displays at the top of the registration page. If you require customers to log in, when they click the Registration button, this text displays at the top of that page. If you are not requiring customers to log in, this text displays after the customer selects an open time, above the customer fields they have to enter. Only displays on Classic View.
Wait List Confirmation — If you are using the Waiting List feature, displays after the customer has placed themselves on the Waiting List. Only displays on Classic View.
Wait List Instructions — If you are using the Waiting List feature, displays at the top of the Waiting List page. Only displays on Classic View.
Credit Card Instructions — If you are prompting customers for payment, this text displays above the credit card information fields. Only displays on Classic View.

🔌 Custom Text Areas for Plug-ins/Tiers

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⛔️ Please Note: These text areas are only visible when specific plug-ins or pricing tier features are active on your account.

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Document Upload Instruction — Displays above the button a user would click to upload a document.

Existing Packages Header — If you are using the Packages feature, displays above the list of existing packages for the customer. If the customer does not have at least one Package assigned to them, this text will not display.
Gift Certificate Form — If you are using the Gift Certificate module and view a gift certificate from the Customer View or Site Administration, this text displays on the gift certificate.
Gift Certificates — If you are using the Gift Certificate module, displays at the top of the Gift Certificate page, which appears when customers click on the Gift Certificate link.
Package Full Error Text — If you are using Packages, displays if the customer's Package is full.
Picture Upload Instruction — Displays above the button a user would click to upload a picture.
Select Package Instructions — If you are using the Packages feature, displays above the prompt to select a package.

🖥️ Additional Customer View Preferences

While the Customer View and Site Administration are different applications, Administrators control the view and functionality of the Customer View through the administrative application. You may review or modify configuration settings by clicking the Settings tab > Customer View preferences.

⚠️ Please Note: Some Settings do not apply to the NextGen Customer View. These are denoted with an asterisk (*) in the setting description. Other Settings may affect how Customers book Appointments. Review Settings for Appointments, Staff Members, Services, and other areas to view their current configuration. If you have questions about how a setting will change the appointment booking experience, please contact our Support team.

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👤 Customer Login or Registration Options

The NexGen Customer View can be configured for any customer management scenario. If you expect return visitors, it's recommended to enable username/password registration, allowing them to log in and book appointments or update their profile. By default, customers must create a profile or log in before scheduling, keeping your system secure by preventing unauthorized access to schedule information.

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Click on the Settings tab.
Select Customer View Preferences on the left.
Set Preference #3 (Require customers to log in before being able to make appointments) to Yes for returning Customers or No for booking processes as a "guest".
Click Update.

📋 Customer Profile Fields

When customers create a profile in the system, you can prompt or require them to enter information into specific fields. Each field can be set separately to minimize the fields required to complete a profile. Minimally, it is recommended that you require a first and last name, username, and password for customers that will register and log in. Additional optional or required fields can be modified based on your business needs.

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Click on the Settings tab.
Select Customer Fields/Terms Preferences on the left.
From this page, you can set the hidden, view only, optional, or required status of each field, as well as change the label on each field.

⏳ Waiting List Options

If customers are unable to find an available date and time, you may offer them a Waiting List option. By joining the waiting list, customers let you know they are interested in a particular Service or Staff Member when they were unable to create an appointment.

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🔗 iFrames (Inline Frames) with the Customer View

An iFrame (Inline FRAME) is an HTML structure that lets you embed one website page within another. Find out how it works with the Customer View below.

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💡 Pro Tip: The minimum supported browser screen resolution/size of the Classic Customer View is: 1024x768

An iFrame (Inline FRAME) is an HTML structure that lets you embed one website page within another. The iFrame is set up as a window frame of a specified size that scrolls along with the rest of the page, but the iFrame's content can itself be scrolled if it is larger than the iFrame window.

You can add your Customer View to your website via iFrames. The advantage of this is that customers do not have to navigate away from your website, and the scheduling site looks integrated with your website. You or your web designer will need to integrate the iFrame into your website and maintain it.

Below is a sample of the code you would need to enter:

<iframe src="Customer View URL Here" height="Enter in Pixels or %" width="Enter in Pixels or %">

👤 Customized Customer View Links

Need a way to preselect the options that end users see when scheduling? This guide shows how to create customized links (also known as Dedicated Links or Embedded Links) that can automatically select items such as Locations, Staff Members, and Services from the Customer View menus.

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⚠️ Please Note: The terms used to create customized links may show differently in your account depending on your account configuration. For example, you might refer to "Locations" as "Areas" or "Sites."

👥 Staff Member Links

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Click the Staff Members tab.
Select the Staff Member.
Scroll to the Dedicated Link field, copy the link provided.

💡 Please Note: This works for both Classic and NextGen Customer View applications.

📍 Location Links

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Click the Settings tab within the Location.
Copy the Customer View URL.

⚠️ Please Note: Repeat this process to find the direct link for each account location.

🚪 Room Links

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Click the Rooms tab.
Select the Room.
Scroll to the Dedicated Link field, copy the link provided.

💡 Please Note: This works for both Classic and NextGen Customer View applications.

🛠️ Service Links

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Click the Services tab.
Select the Service.
Scroll to the Dedicated Link field, copy the link provided.

⚠️ Please Note: This works for both Classic and NextGen Customer View applications.

📆 Event Links

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Click the Events tab.
Select the Event.
Scroll to the Dedicated Link field, copy the link provided.

💡 Tip: This works for both Classic and NexGen Customer View applications. Custom links for Events will only work properly when using a drop-down list to show Events on the Customer View. To change your events list to a drop-down: click Settings > Events, locate Preference #2, click the Yes option, then click the Update button to save changes.

❌ Disable Customer View

By default, your Customer View will be enabled and available for testing when you create a new account. However, you have the choice of either allowing or disallowing your customers to make their own Appointments. If you choose to only allow appointments to be scheduled in Site Administration, follow the process below to disable your Customer View.

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Click the Settings tab.
Click Customer View Preferences on the left.
Set Preference #24 to Yes.
Use Preference #25 to add or modify the text that displays when the Customer View is disabled. (Optional)
Click Update.

💡Tip: If you have enabled the Appointment Action Links feature, those links will still allow customers to access the Customer Action Page to confirm and cancel appointments even when the Customer View is disabled.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Find answers to common questions or additional details that may not be covered in the main instructions.

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