The problem
Asking for reviews depends on who remembers, and the happy regulars get asked more than the rest. If a therapist texts a link after each of 90 appointments a month at about 1 minute each, that's 90 minutes a month, and it still gets skipped on busy days.
What the AI does
Booksy's site says every subscription includes automatic review requests after every appointment, and its profile features verified client reviews. The site doesn't state the timing or wording, so check the settings. Ask everyone, every time, in the same neutral way. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, fake and incentivised reviews are banned: never offer a discount or free treatment for a positive review, never ask only clients you expect to be happy, and never use AI to write reviews. Booksy costs £40 a month plus £5 for each extra user, plus VAT; if you already use it for bookings, the review requests add nothing.
A worked example
A beauty salon in Bath with three therapists and about 90 appointments a month already uses Booksy for bookings, and turns on automatic review requests.
Before
Texting a link by hand, about 1 minute each, plus 10 minutes a week reading and replying: 90 + 43 = 133 minutes a month, and links skipped when busy
After
Requests go to every client automatically; 10 minutes a week reading and replying: 10 x 4.3 = 43 minutes a month
What it's worth
About 90 minutes a month saved (133 less 43, the hand-texting time), worth around £38 if your time is worth £25 an hour. If you already use Booksy the extra cost is £0. If you would take Booksy just for this, £50 a month (£40 plus 2 extra users at £5, plus VAT) doesn't pay back on time alone; it makes sense only if you want its booking diary too. The value of more reviews isn't counted.
How to set it up
- In Booksy, switch on automatic review requests and check the timing and wording it uses.
- Keep the wording neutral, such as 'tell us how your visit went', with no mention of discounts or gifts.
- Don't edit who gets a request: every client gets one.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, in your own words.
- Once a month, check the requests are still going out by looking at a few recent appointments.
What goes wrong
- Offering a reward for a review, or asking only happy clients, can breach the 2024 Act. Treat everyone the same.
- Reviews that appear on your Booksy profile are not the same as Google reviews. The site doesn't say requests go to Google, so check which one you want.
- Never write, edit or generate reviews with AI, and don't ask staff to post them.
- You need Booksy's other features to make the £40 plan worthwhile; the review feature alone isn't worth switching for.