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Introduction

You can require that a client has already had - or at least booked - another service before they can book a treatment online. This is the Prerequisite service setting on the service form (under the Booking policies tab), and the same fields exist on a bundle. Use it for the classic clinic pattern: a free consultation first, then the paid treatment. This is separate from members-only services. A membership gate asks whether the client holds a covering membership; a prerequisite asks whether they have a history (or a booking) for a specific service.

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How to set it up

  1. Edit the gated service (the treatment clients should not book first)
  2. Open the Booking policies tab
  3. Turn on Prerequisite service and pick one or more services the client must satisfy first (e.g. Laser Consultation)
  4. Choose the requirement and, when you list more than one prerequisite, how they combine:
    • Completed (default) - the client must have an appointment for that prerequisite marked Completed
    • Booked - any non-cancelled appointment for the prerequisite is enough, including an upcoming one
    • Any (default when multiple) - satisfying one of the listed prerequisites unlocks the treatment
    • All - the client must satisfy every listed prerequisite
  5. Save
You can also edit from the other direction: open the consultation (or other prerequisite) and use Services this unlocks to point at the treatments it should unlock - the same setting, written from the other side.

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Completed vs Booked

Completed means the appointment status Completed - not “the date has passed” and not a separate “attended” flag. If your team rarely marks appointments Completed, Completed-mode prerequisites will stay locked for those clients; use Booked when that looser reading is what you want.

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Online booking behaviour

  • A gated service still appears on the booking page. Clients who have not satisfied the prerequisite see it locked, with a clear message (e.g. “Requires Laser Consultation”) and a way in - typically a button to book the prerequisite, or to log in so history can be checked. It is not hidden from the public page.
  • The shortcut button (labelled Book Laser Consultation, after the prerequisite it names) appears only when there is exactly one prerequisite and that service is itself bookable online. If it is enquiry-only, switched off for online booking, or members-only and hidden from that client, the lock still says what is required but offers no button: there is nothing online to send them to, so they contact you the usual way.
  • Anonymous visitors fail closed: they see the lock and are asked to book the prerequisite or log in - the treatment is never offered as freely bookable and then rejected at submit.
  • This gates online booking only. Your team can still book a gated service for anyone from the dashboard; Bella shows an advisory when the client has not met the prerequisite, and they can override and save.

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Bundles

A bundle is prerequisite-gated if the bundle itself has prerequisite services set, or if any service inside it has them. A consult delivered as part of a bundle still counts toward the client’s history - every appointment line carries its own service.

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Waitlist

The online waitlist for a prerequisite-gated service is ungated in the same way as members-only: a client who has not satisfied the prerequisite can still join the waitlist, and your team books them off it from the dashboard. Closing that gap is planned for a later release.

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If the prerequisite is cancelled later

If a client books under Booked mode and the prerequisite appointment is later cancelled, the gated booking stands. Bella does not retro-cancel the treatment. For a compliance-style gate where the consult must genuinely have happened, use Completed mode and mark the consult Completed before the treatment is unlocked.