How to choose a booking system: 10 questions

To choose a booking system, don’t start with the demo. Start with ten specific questions about reminders, cost, commissions, how your clients book and what happens to your data. Any tool you’re considering should answer them in writing and in plain terms. Under each question we also tell you how Citauno answers, including what it doesn’t do.

Before you ask: look at how you work today

Write down how many professionals you have, whether you have one location or several and where your bookings come from (WhatsApp, Instagram, phone, people at the front desk). Add whatever gives you the most trouble today: no-shows, messages late at night, the notebook nobody can read.

With that clear, the answers are easy to compare, because you know which ones really matter to you.

The 10 questions

1. Are WhatsApp reminders included? How many?

Why it matters: your clients read WhatsApp far more than email, and every WhatsApp message costs the provider money. Ask how many are included, what happens when they run out and which number they come from.

Citauno: the plan includes 50 WhatsApp messages per professional per month. They renew every month and the ones you don’t use don’t carry over. If you need more, you buy extra packs that don’t expire. If they run out, WhatsApp reminders stop until the next month or until you buy a pack; email reminders are still sent. At most one reminder is sent per booking (24 hours before by default), with buttons to confirm or cancel, and it comes from Citauno’s number, not yours.

2. Does it charge per professional or per business?

Why it matters: a price per business can suit a large team; a price per professional grows with your team. Also ask what happens when you add or remove someone partway through the month.

Citauno: there’s a single plan, priced per active professional, the same whether you work alone or with a team. You can add or remove professionals and the next invoice adjusts. Current prices are on pricing.

3. Does it take a commission per booking?

Why it matters: some systems charge a percentage per booking or per new client. With a full schedule that adds up, and it makes you think twice before sharing your link.

Citauno: 0% commission per booking. What you pay is the plan per professional.

4. Does it bill you in a currency and with an invoice that work for you?

Why it matters: paying in a foreign currency by card brings exchange-rate surprises and bank charges, and your accountant needs an invoice they can use.

Citauno: businesses in Paraguay are charged and invoiced in guaraníes, with the billing details the business enters in the dashboard. If you’re outside Paraguay, or your accountant needs something specific on the invoice, ask support before the trial ends.

5. Can you try it without a card?

Why it matters: trying it with your real schedule teaches you more than any presentation. If they ask for your card up front, you have to remember to cancel in time.

Citauno: a 15-day trial with no card and no lock-in. If it doesn’t work for you, you simply don’t continue.

6. How do your clients book? Do they have to download an app?

Why it matters: every extra step makes someone give up. Asking a client to download an app to book a haircut is asking a lot.

Citauno: clients book with a link, from their phone’s browser, without downloading any app. They choose the location, one or more services, the professional or “Anyone”, the day and the time, and leave their details. You set the minimum notice for a booking (3 hours by default) and how many days ahead people can book (14 by default).

7. Does each professional see their own schedule?

Why it matters: if only the owner sees the schedule, the team spends the day asking who’s next. At the same time, you don’t always want everyone to see the revenue or the settings.

Citauno: each professional has their own schedule page with their bookings and blocks, and their own working hours with breaks. There are four roles (Owner, Admin, Manager and Professional), and each one gets access to what it needs. If you have several chairs, the guide on running a salon schedule with several professionals explains it in detail.

8. What happens if you want to leave with your data?

Why it matters: your client list is part of your business. Ask how you get it back, and in what form, before you enter anything. And the other way around: how you move your current data into the new system.

Citauno: there’s no lock-in. If you want to leave, the Citauno team prepares a copy of your data on request. Coming in works in a similar way: there’s no tool to import clients, but the team helps you bring over the ones you already have.

9. In what language and at what hours do they help you?

Why it matters: when something breaks with the shop full, you need to know who to write to and when they’ll answer. Getting help in your own language counts too.

Citauno: support by WhatsApp and email, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 (GMT-3), in Spanish, Portuguese and English.

10. What does it NOT do?

Why it matters: everyone tells you what their system does. The useful answer is about the limits, because those are what you’ll run into with a full schedule.

Citauno:

• It doesn’t sync with Google Calendar.
• It doesn’t show client reviews.
• Clients can’t reschedule by themselves: they cancel and book again, or message you.
• Your clients’ WhatsApp replies don’t reach the dashboard.
• It has no waitlist, campaigns or bulk messaging.

Some tools, like discount codes, commissions per professional or recurring bookings, are switched on by request from More features, at no extra cost.

How to compare the answers

Make a simple table: the ten questions in rows and a column for each tool. Work out the cost with your real number of professionals, not the example on the website.

Then try the one that convinces you most for a real week. Add your services, make a test booking from your phone and see what the client receives. The guide to getting started with online bookings walks you through it step by step.

An example

Picture a four-chair hair salon that takes bookings over WhatsApp and writes everything in a notebook. The owner is looking at several systems, and every demo shows her each one at its best.

Instead of comparing presentations, she sends all of them these ten questions in writing. With the answers in a table, she sees the same things side by side: what she’d pay with four professionals, what happens to reminders when the messages run out and how she gets her data back if she leaves.

Then she tries the option that answers best, with a real week’s schedule, and asks one of her stylists to book from her phone as if she were a client. She decides with her own schedule, not with a presentation.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Citauno cost?

The price is per active professional and it’s published on pricing. We don’t repeat it here because it can change. The first 15 days are free, with no card.

Can I bring my clients over from a spreadsheet or another system?

There’s no import tool, but the support team helps you migrate. Write to us when you start your trial.

Does it work if I have more than one location?

Yes. You can add several locations, each with its own hours, and limit each professional to the locations where they work. The steps are in multiple locations.

Do I have to set everything up myself?

Signing up is a step-by-step wizard that takes about 15 minutes, and you can look through it first in how to register your business. If you get stuck, support helps you during business hours.

If you’re looking for a booking system for salons and barbershops, try Citauno with your real schedule: 15 days free, no card needed. If you run a hair salon, also take a look at the online booking system for hair salons.