• Do I have to take payment from my customers?
• What if I don’t have an internet payment gateway?
• What if I don’t have a website?
• Can I use my own payment gateway?
• Can I have the booking screen branded with my logo and colours?
• Can I have the booking system on my website?
• I only want to use the system internally, is this possible?
• I want to continue to use a paper diary but also sell online, is this possible?
• Can I get my data out of the system?
• Is the payment system secure?
• Is the system easy to set up?
• Do I have to download BookGenius?
• How easy is it to get the system on my website?
• Why do you need my bank account details for the free trial?
• Do I need any hardware to work the system?
• Is the free trial version the full system or are there limitations?
• Will your software work for my business?
• Do I have to give you my credit card details to start my free trial?
• Do you use my information for anything?
• Are there any costs of setting up the system?
• I only want to use the system once a year for a set period, do I have to pay all year?
• How long is the contract?
• If I start paying can I stop using the system when I want to?
• What support to you provide?
• What if the system goes down?
• What if I have questions about using BookGenius?

Do I have to take payment from my customers?

No. Whether you take payment or not is completely your choice. Currently there are 5 options:

1. No price - If your product doesn’t have a price (e.g. you are intending to use BookGenius to operate a call-back service) then there is no payment and the payment screens are missed out completely.
2. No payment - You choose to show the price that your customers will have to pay when they arrive but the booking system will miss out the payment process completely.
3. Authorisation Only - Our system can take a swipe of your customer’s card details and they are stored as a deferred payment. You can choose to take payment on arrival with the knowledge that you can take full payment through our system in the event of a cancellation or no show.
4. Deposit – You can choose to take a deposit payment through our system and then take the full amount at a later date either by using the card details already saved in the system or collecting the money on arrival.
5. Full Payment – Our system takes full payment from your client at the point where the booking is made.

All these options are part of our standard booking system and are not necessarily attached to our payment gateway. If you choose to use your own payment gateway then these options are still available to you. The only difference is that you will be responsible for the collection of the payments and the costs associated with it.

What if I don’t have an internet payment gateway?

If you don’t have your own merchant services and or payment service provider then that is not a problem, you have many options available.

1. You can choose on of the options where payment is not required. This means that you take payment when you provide the service to your clients.
2. You can choose from the full range of payment options provided by BookGenius and simply use our payment gateway. There is a small charge for this but the funds are passed to you on a regular basis with an itemised log of payments taken.
3. You can choose to begin a relationship with a merchant and payment service provider which we can support and provide introductions and advice.

What if I don’t have a website?

This is not a problem. We have a number of solutions:

1. You’re booking screens are hosted and positioned on the BookGenius servers so the minimum you require is a link to those screens and you can start to take bookings. You can send this link out on an email or even on a word document.
2. We can provide a simple web address with your booking screen on and your logo to identify for a very small charge. Please ask us for price but this starts at as little as £50 (plus VAT).
3. We can provide a simple template website for your booking screen to reside on. This will be 3 to 4 simple pages with space for some general information about you and some images. Please ask us for a price but this starts at as little as £300 (plus VAT).

Can I use my own payment gateway?

Yes you can.

We regularly link our booking system to payment gateways used by our clients. There are some technical steps to overcome and as a result there will be a charge for this work. Please ask us for a price but this starts at as little as £300 (plus VAT).

We regret that because of the complexity of this work we are not able to provide this for anyone using the free trial option. This is only an option if you have signed up for the full service.

Can I have the booking screen branded with my logo and colours?

Yes you can. We can provide you with branded booking pages and confirmation emails on your request. There is a small charge of £300 (Plus VAT) for this.

Can I have the booking system on my website?

Yes. BookGenius is designed to be linked to your website. Once you have set up your availability you will have access to a link. Simply copy and paste that link into your website or emails where and how you would like it to look, and your booking system is up and running. This takes only a few minutes.

I only want to use the system internally, is this possible?

Yes. We have a number of clients that use the system for internal use only. Instead of attaching the booking system to the internet you can just add it to your intranet or send out on an email or even a work document. The booking system will need internet access to work but you can easily restrict it from being available on the web.

I want to continue to use a paper diary but also sell online, is this possible?

Yes it is. This is not advised because it potentially leads to double bookings and mistakes but we understand that you may wish to use this in the short term while you test using an online system and prepare to change your operations. We have some clients who use this approach successfully so we will be happy to talk you through it.

Can I get my data out of the system?

Yes. There are report functions which you can extract data on a regular basis yourself. If you require an extraction of specific data then you can request this through the technical team.

Is the payment system secure?

Our payment gateway is provided by two of the biggest names in worldwide payment services in Streamline and Paypoint.net (formerly SECPay). Their systems are fully secure and provide all relevant certification upon request.

Click Here to read more about Streamline

Click Here to read more about Paypoint.net

Is the system easy to set up?

The system is designed to be very flexible and very easy to use day to day. As a result the functionality for making and managing your diary and bookings is simple and functional. In order to be flexible there is more complexity in the set-up process. When you start your set up you will be helped by someone at BookGenius. You can get in touch or book a call-back and someone will get back to you to help you through the set-up process.

With help from someone at BookGenius most businesses can be set up in 15 minutes.

Do I have to download BookGenius?

No. The system is completely online. This means you can log in at any time to manage your account. There is no software to download or install.

How easy is it to get the system on my website?

It is very easy. It can take only a few minutes. Once your system is set up you can generate a link and simply copy and paste that into you website and your booking system is ready to go.

Why do you need my bank account details for the free trial?

If you wish to have payment taken on the site through our payment gateway then we will need your bank account details to pass make transfers to. If you wish to test the system out by taking payment only when your customers arrive then you will not need to give us your bank details.

Do I need any hardware to work the system?

Yes but you are likely to already have all you need.

All you need to operate BookGenius is a PC or laptop and an Internet connection. You can view and manage all your bookings and manage your diary and availability online so all you need is a standard PC or laptop and the Internet to do this.

There is no specific hardware needed to run BookGenius.

Is the free trial version the full system or are there limitations?

The Free trial gives you access to the full system. You can have full access, take payment through our payment gateway and there are no limitations.

Unfortunately because of the work involved we are not able to offer the Golf Service, which gives you a fully branded booking engine and confirmation emails, on the free trial. Similarly we are not able to attach your booking system to your own payment gateway as part of the free trial.

Will your software work for my business?

We can’t promise because every business and operation is different but we can say that we have worked with a number of people and organizations and so far we have been able to help them all. If you want to present diary or appointment based inventory on the web, whether that be for internal or external use, then it is likely that BookGenius can help you. Since it is free for the first month and free to set up then please get in touch and we discuss your needs.

Do I have to give you my credit card details to start my free trial?

No. The free trial is free of charge and of obligation. We will set you up with the system then at the end of the trial you will be given the chance to start monthly payments in order to keep the service. At this stage we require a card or direct debit.

Do you use my information for anything?

No. Your data is retained by you and we do not use or disclose it to anyone.

Are there any costs of setting up the system?

No. The system is free to set up. There is a free 30 day trial and after that there is a monthly subscription cost. If you wish to have extra services, such as web pages to support your booking system, fully branded booking pages and emails or to use your own payment gateway, then there are some small set-up costs for each of these.

I only want to use the system once a year for a set period, do I have to pay all year?

No. There is no contract for using BookGenius. You can start and stop at any time. Once you have started paying for the full service we do require written notification of your wish to stop the service at least 7 days in advance.

How long is the contract?

There is no contract for using BookGenius. You can start and stop at any time. Once you have started paying for the full service we do require written notification of your wish to stop the service at least 7 days in advance.

If I start paying can I stop using the system when I want to?

Yes. You can stop and start using the system at any stage. You are not tied into a contract and so have complete flexibility. All we require is written confirmation at least 7 days before you wish the service to stop.

We charge on a monthly basis at the start of each month of operation. If you choose to stop the service mid-month then we regret that we cannot refund the remainder of that month’s subscription cost.

What support to you provide?

We have a technical support on hand 7 days per week for emergency technical support. Click Here to find out how to contact the technical team.

Our phone lines and call-back facility is available 5 days a week for general enquiries, set-up, account and billing queries. Click Here to find out how to contact the right person.

What if the system goes down?

We have a rigorously tested and secure hosting package for the system. This means that outage is a very rare occurrence and, in the unlikely event that there is an outage, we have system in place to get the system running again within minutes.

As we have no control over your hardware, browsers or internet connections we always strongly suggest that you print off your daily appointments schedule in case that your experience faults at your end.

What if I have questions about using BookGenius?

BookGenius staff are on hand 5 days a week to provide support and answer your questions. Since our lines get busy sometimes and we don’t want you to have to wait on the phone we use the BookGenius system to operate a call-back service. It is very simple. Just click here, select a time that suits you, leave your name and phone number and we will call you back.