Automatic Actions on this page means the five lifecycle automations: Pre-hold funds, which is on Pricing & Payments, and the four switches on Automatic Actions: Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices. Appointment reminders and vaccination reminders are separate and are covered in Notifications. Automate as much or as little as you want: each setting can also be set per service.
Across the whole appointment journey, Petboost can take bookings from customers at any hour within your availability rules, send reminders by SMS and email, check terms and vaccinations before a booking confirms, pre-authorise the card 72 hours before the service, create the invoice and charge the card after the service. Across Petboost, more than half of appointments are booked by customers themselves, and more than 70% are booked after hours.
Trap
Auto-pay invoices and Pre-hold funds are set per service as well as for the business. If Auto-pay invoices is on for the business and off for a service, that service's appointments are not charged automatically. Check each service's Automatic Actions tab for Auto-pay invoices and its Pricing & Payments tab for Pre-hold funds.
Automatic Actions are included in Business Pro and Business Max:
| Plan | Automatic Actions |
|---|---|
| Calendar Lite | Not included |
| Business Pro | Full access |
| Business Max | Full access |
On Calendar Lite the five lifecycle automations stay off, so appointments are started, completed, finalised and charged by hand. Appointment reminder emails and vaccination reminders still send on paid Calendar Lite. They stay off during the 14-day trial. Upgrade to Business Pro or Max to turn the lifecycle automations on.
Turn on automatic actions
Turn on the automations you want to run for every service that does not keep its own setting.
- Open Automatic Actions.
- Switch on Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices, or only the ones you want.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Each switch sits under the status change it makes: Confirmed to In Progress, In Progress to Complete, Complete to Ready to Pay, and Ready to Pay to Paid. When services keep their own value, a badge under the switch says how many use their own setting. Open it to see which services the switch does not reach, and select Set all to to bring them into line. Per-Service Settings, under the switches, shows every service's value side by side.
Turn on pre-hold funds
Pre-hold funds pre-authorises the appointment amount on the customer's card before the appointment, which reduces no-shows. It is a money setting, so it lives on Pricing & Payments, and per service on the service's Pricing & Payments tab. It is covered here because it works with the automatic actions.
- Open Pricing & Payments.
- Under Card on file, switch on Pre-hold funds.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
With Pre-hold funds on:
- 72 hours before the appointment, Petboost checks the customer's card on file
- It places a temporary authorisation hold for the appointment amount
- The funds are reserved, not captured, so the customer is not charged yet
- On the appointment day, the hold is released or converted into the actual charge
- The customer is told if their card fails the check, so you know the card is valid and has enough funds before the day
With it off, there is no pre-authorisation and the card is only charged after the appointment. The risk of a no-show is higher, and an expired card or one without enough funds may not show up until after the service.
Use it for all appointment types, which is the recommendation, and especially for high-value services, appointments that need preparation, and businesses with a no-show problem. It commits the customer, you know the payment will go through, and you hear automatically if the card fails. You might leave it off when customers strongly prefer no pre-authorisation, for walk-in appointments, or for emergency services.
Pre-authorisation alerts on the appointment
When a service has Pre-hold funds on, the appointment shows a banner with the pre-authorisation status. No other setting is needed.
| Banner | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pre-authorisation scheduled | The hold is coming up, with the amount and how long until it runs |
| Pre-authorisation ready | The appointment is inside the pre-authorisation window, up to 76 hours before it, and the hold has not run yet |
| The amount and pre-authorised | The hold is in place. The banner shows the card and Held until, the time the card network lets the hold go |
| Pre-authorisation declined | The hold failed, for example for insufficient funds |
| Pre-authorisation released | The hold was let go before a charge |
If the customer has no card saved, the appointment shows a separate alert that automatic charges and pre-authorisation will not work, with a way to text them a secure link to add a card.
Place, retry or release a hold
Act on the banner when a hold has not run, has failed, or should be let go.
- Open the booking from Appointments.
- On the pre-authorisation banner, select Pre-auth when it is ready, Retry when it was declined, or Re-auth after a release. Each button shows the amount.
- To let a hold go instead, select Release, then Release hold in Release pre-authorisation?.
Auto-start appointments
Auto-start appointments moves an appointment from Confirmed to In Progress at its scheduled start time. The pet is checked in without anyone doing it, and the service duration starts counting.
With it on, you never need to check pets in by hand, service times are tracked accurately and appointments do not get left in Confirmed. With it off, you select Check in on each appointment, which gives you control over the exact start time and suits pets that often arrive late.
Turn it on for most appointment types, punctual customers, and grooming, daycare and training. Leave it off for frequent late arrivals, drop-off windows with flexible start times, or when you want to control start times yourself.
Auto-complete appointments
Auto-complete appointments moves an appointment from In Progress to Complete when its duration ends. The pet is checked out without anyone doing it, and the appointment is ready to be finalised and charged.
With it on, appointments do not sit in In Progress indefinitely, statuses stay accurate and the automatic invoicing workflow can run. With it off, you select Check out on each appointment, which finalises it and moves it to Ready to Pay. That suits service times that vary a lot.
Turn it on for predictable service durations, grooming with set times, group classes and courses, and most appointment types. Leave it off for highly variable service times, when you want to add notes before completing, or for services that need a final inspection.
Auto-finalise appointments
Auto-finalise appointments creates the final invoice, with all services and charges, and moves the appointment from Complete to Ready to Pay. Petboost waits 30 minutes after the scheduled end time before it does. The invoice stays editable until it is paid, and Auto-pay invoices picks it up from Ready to Pay.
With it off, you finalise each appointment yourself, with Finalise Invoice in the invoice's Manage menu or with Check out. That suits reviewing charges first and adding last-minute items or adjustments.
Turn it on for standard services with fixed pricing, most appointment types, and when you use Auto-pay invoices. Leave it off for services with variable add-ons, when you want to review each invoice, or for complex billing.
Auto-pay invoices
Auto-pay invoices charges the customer's card on file once the invoice is finalised. Petboost charges the card at its next automatic check, and checks run every 15 minutes. Stripe processes the payment, the customer gets an email receipt automatically, and the payment is marked complete. If there is no card on file, the appointment stays in Ready to Pay for you to collect.
With it on, you get paid faster, with no manual charging, fewer outstanding invoices and no chasing customers. With it off, you process each payment yourself and the customer can choose how to pay, which is more flexible and more admin.
Before the charge:
- Auto-finalise appointments runs 30 minutes after the scheduled end time
- With Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices all on, the card is charged about 45 to 60 minutes after the scheduled end time
- Until the appointment is Paid, you can edit the invoice, select Void Invoice in Manage, or take payment another way
Turn it on for any business that wants automatic payment, which is the recommendation, for high-volume businesses, when customers prefer automatic charging, and to reduce admin. Leave it off when customers prefer to review and pay themselves, for complex billing that needs review, or when you want to offer several ways to pay.
Change automatic actions for one service
A service keeps its own copy of each automatic action, and its value wins over the business switch.
- Open Services, select Manage on the service, then Manage Service.
- Choose Automatic Actions.
- If the four switches are not on screen, switch on Advanced options.
- Switch Auto-start appointments, Auto-complete appointments, Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices the way this service needs them.
- Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.
Instant confirmation is on the same tab, above the line. For Pre-hold funds, choose the service's Pricing & Payments tab instead.
The automation chain
With all five on, an appointment moves from booking to payment with almost nothing for your team to do:
- 72 hours before: Pre-hold funds checks the card and places the hold
- At the appointment time: Auto-start appointments starts it
- At the end time: Auto-complete appointments completes it
- 30 minutes after the scheduled end time: Auto-finalise appointments creates the invoice
- At the next 15-minute check: Auto-pay invoices charges the card
- Done: the customer is charged, the receipt is sent and the appointment is closed
These are the recommended setups:
| Setting | Most businesses | Businesses that review first |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-hold funds | On | On |
| Auto-start appointments | On | On |
| Auto-complete appointments | On | On |
| Auto-finalise appointments | On | Off, for manual review |
| Auto-pay invoices | On | Off, for manual charging |
Tips for automating
- Turn on one automation at a time, watch the first few days and adjust to your workflow. Turn on all five to automate the whole journey
- Turn on Pre-hold funds to reduce no-shows, tell customers about the policy, and deal with failed cards early by rebooking or asking for a new card
- Turn on Auto-start appointments and Auto-complete appointments together. Keep service durations accurate, and adjust them if appointments complete too early or too late
- Turn on Auto-finalise appointments and Auto-pay invoices together for full payment automation. Check invoices before the charge runs: with all automations on, the card is charged about 45 to 60 minutes after the scheduled end time. Train your team to cancel or refund if needed
- Tell customers what to expect, such as "You'll be charged automatically after service", "Your card will be pre-authorised 72 hours before" and "You'll get an automatic receipt"
Common questions
What if a customer's card fails the pre-hold?
Petboost texts the customer and tries the hold again every 4 hours, up to 5 attempts, until the appointment starts. The appointment still goes ahead.
Can I cancel an auto-payment before it processes?
Yes, until the charge runs. Auto-pay invoices charges at the next 15-minute check after the invoice is finalised. Before then, edit the invoice, select Void Invoice in Manage, or turn off Auto-Pay Invoices for that customer:
- Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
- Open the Settings & Overrides tab.
- Switch off Auto-Pay Invoices, then select Save Changes.
What if an appointment runs longer than scheduled?
Complete it by hand when it finishes, or turn off Auto-complete appointments for that service. If it happens often, adjust the service's duration.
Do customers get notified about auto-charges?
Yes. They get an email receipt as soon as the payment goes through.
Can I turn on some automations but not others?
Yes, any combination. Auto-pay invoices also charges appointments you finalise by hand.
What if I need to add services after auto-finalising?
Edit the invoice directly. It stays editable until it is paid. There is no un-finalise step: while Auto-finalise appointments is on, Undo check out is not offered on an appointment it finalised.
Does pre-hold charge the customer?
No. It only authorises and holds the funds. The actual charge happens when the invoice is paid.
How much does Stripe charge for pre-authorisations?
Pre-authorisations (holds) are free. You only pay Stripe fees on the actual charge.
Next steps
- Configure Booking Settings to require payment methods
- Set up Notifications for automated customer updates
- Review Pricing & Payments to make sure Stripe is connected
- Set service-specific automation on each service's Automatic Actions tab in Services
- Test the automation workflow with a test appointment