It is a Saturday evening at the end of the lunar year, and all three nail technicians are fully booked from six to ten. The customer booked for a seven o'clock acrylic set with painted flowers never shows up and never messages. Two hours of the salon's most skilled technician go by and cannot be sold to anyone else, because walk-in customers see a busy salon at that hour and turn away. In peak season, every missed booking is a real loss. A deposit is not about earning extra money; it is about making customers treat the appointment as a promise.
Which bookings need a deposit and which do not
Asking every customer for a deposit annoys regulars, while asking no one leaves long bookings easy to abandon. Deciding by booking type is simpler:
| Booking type | Ask for a deposit? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Long services (acrylic, extensions, detailed art) on evenings and weekends | Yes | One booking holds a technician for the whole session; a no-show loses the best time slot entirely |
| New customers booking by message for the first time | Yes | The salon does not yet know whether they keep appointments |
| Groups (brides, bridesmaids, groups of friends) | Yes | They hold several technicians at once; a cancelled group empties several chairs |
| Regulars who come often, short services | Not needed | Low risk; asking for a deposit only makes them feel distrusted |
| Weekdays, quiet hours | Not needed | If a customer misses the booking, walk-ins can still fill the gap |
Where the deposit goes after you take it
In peak season, deposits tend to go missing in one familiar place: the customer transfers money to the owner's account, the receptionist does not know, and when the customer arrives they are charged in full and have to open their phone to prove they paid. In Ordersys the deposit is recorded right on the booking, so it does not get lost like that:
- Taking a booking means recording the deposit. The booking has a deposit field, along with whether it was paid in cash or by bank transfer. The booking list has a deposit column, so you can see at a glance which bookings are secured.
- The deposit enters the cash book immediately. When a deposit is recorded, the software creates a deposit receipt, so the money appears in the fund without waiting for the customer to pay.
- When the customer arrives, the deposit follows the order. The payment screen shows a "Deposit paid" line, this amount counts toward the total payment, and the customer only pays the remainder.
- Cancel a booking with a deposit and the fund balances itself. The software creates a deposit refund voucher. If a booking was cancelled by mistake, restore it and the refund voucher is removed as well.
One thing to know: bookings that customers make themselves online via QR currently do not collect a deposit. To secure a slot with a deposit, the customer transfers money to the salon, and the receptionist records that amount on the booking.
How much to take and what to say when you take it
The deposit should be a small part of the service price, enough to make the customer remember the appointment but not so much that they hesitate to book. For large groups, charge per person instead of lumping it into one big amount. More important than the amount are three things to state clearly when you take the deposit:
- How long the slot is held if the customer is late. After that many minutes, the salon may seat another customer.
- How far in advance a cancellation must be made to get the deposit back. In peak season, set this earlier than usual, because last-minute cancellations are very hard to fill.
- If the time changes, the deposit moves with it. When a customer asks to move to another slot, edit the existing booking instead of creating a new one, and the deposit stays on that booking.
Repeat these three points in the confirmation message on Zalo, along with the appointment time and the technician's name. If a dispute comes up, both sides have the message to look back at.
A deposit holds a specific technician's time
Nail salon customers usually book a technician, not just a time. In peak season the best nail artist is fully booked first, so a deposit really holds a time slot of that particular person. Agree on two situations in advance within the salon:
- A technician is suddenly off: tell the customer as early as possible and let them choose a different technician, a new time or their deposit back. Do not quietly assign someone else and let the customer find out on arrival.
- The customer asks for a different technician: treat it as a booking change; the deposit moves with it, as long as the new slot is free.
After the season, count two numbers
When peak season is over, open the booking list and count two numbers: how many bookings with a deposit were missed, and how many bookings without a deposit were missed. If many bookings without a deposit were missed and they were mostly new customers, ask new customers for deposits earlier next year. If bookings with a deposit were still often missed, review the deposit amount or the cancellation deadline.
Bookings by technician and chair, deposits recorded on bookings, deposits deducted at payment and appointment reminders via Zalo are all part of the Ordersys nail salon management software. Salons can try it free for 7 days: enter next week's bookings, record deposits for a few long ones and see whether the fund matches at the end of the day.
Read more: Nail salons at year end: managing busy schedules and seasonal technicians · Tracking appointment status: arrived, late or cancelled.
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