Setting Default Preparation Requirements

Configure shop-wide preparation requirements that all clients must complete before their appointments.

Overview

As a shop owner, you can set default preparation requirements that automatically apply to all appointments at your shop. This ensures every client completes necessary consent forms, health questionnaires, and other pre-appointment tasks before arriving. Individual artists can customize these requirements for their specific clients, but your shop defaults provide a consistent baseline.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Access Shop Settings

1. Navigate to your shop dashboard
2. Click on Settings in the main navigation
3. Select the Client Preparation tab

Step 2: Enable Preparation Requirements

1. Toggle Require Client Preparation to ON
2. Set the Preparation Deadline (how many hours before the appointment clients must complete preparation)

• Recommended: 24 hours before appointment
• Minimum: 2 hours before appointment

Step 3: Configure Required Documents

Select which documents all clients must complete:

• Consent Form: Legal agreement for tattoo services (highly recommended)
• Health Questionnaire: Medical history and health screening
• Aftercare Instructions: Care guidelines clients must review
• Photo ID Upload: Government-issued identification verification
• Custom Forms: Any additional forms you've created for your shop

Step 4: Set Preparation Reminders

Configure when clients receive reminder notifications:

1. First Reminder: Sent when appointment is booked
2. Follow-up Reminder: Typically 48 hours before appointment
3. Final Reminder: Sent at your preparation deadline (e.g., 24 hours before)

Choose notification channels:

• Email (recommended)
• SMS text message
• In-app notification

Step 5: Configure Enforcement Settings

Decide what happens if clients don't complete preparation:

• Soft Enforcement: Clients can still check in, but staff receives warnings
• Hard Enforcement: Check-in is blocked until preparation is complete
• Grace Period: Allow check-in within X minutes of deadline for late completers

Step 6: Review Artist Override Options

Individual artists can:

• Add additional preparation requirements for their clients
• Adjust deadline timing for specific appointments
• Mark preparation as not required for walk-ins or returning clients

Navigate to Settings > Permissions to control artist override capabilities.

Step 7: Save and Test

1. Click Save Changes
2. Create a test appointment to verify the preparation flow
3. Check that reminder emails are sent correctly
4. Confirm check-in enforcement works as expected

Tips

• Start with core requirements: Begin with just consent forms and health questionnaires, then add more as needed
• Give clients adequate time: A 24-48 hour deadline reduces last-minute stress for both clients and staff
• Use soft enforcement initially: This allows you to monitor compliance without blocking appointments during rollout
• Review completion rates: Check your analytics to see if clients need more reminders or clearer instructions
• Customize reminder messages: Edit email templates to match your shop's voice and branding

Common Issues

• Issue: Clients say they didn't receive preparation reminders → Solution: Verify their email address is correct in their profile and check spam folders. Ensure SMS notifications are enabled if using text reminders.

• Issue: Too many clients aren't completing preparation on time → Solution: Increase the number of reminders, extend the deadline window, or switch to hard enforcement with grace period.

• Issue: Artists want different requirements for different appointment types → Solution: Enable artist overrides in permissions settings and train artists to customize preparation for flash work, touch-ups, or consultations.

• Issue: Check-in kiosk isn't enforcing preparation requirements → Solution: Verify enforcement is set to "Hard" and that the feature flag is enabled for your shop. Contact support if issues persist.

Updated on: 19/01/2026