How to Build a Booking Workflow in Dubsado
Booking clients is a critical phase in your client process, and therefore important to design correctly.
It’s also where Dubsado can really help you simplify the process for clients and yourself, automate follow ups and save you time.
Similarly to inquiry workflows - regardless of what niche you are in, chances are that your booking workflow will be similar to what I’m sharing below.
I’ve created workflows for people in many different industries: coaches, photographers, interior designers, wedding planner, and more - and this workflow is very similar across all industries.
In this blog post, we'll explore who can benefit from a Dubsado booking workflow, when to use it, the steps involved, and how to trigger it.
Benefits of Using a Booking Workflow in Dubsado
The benefits of a booking workflow are:
Automating the process of sending a proposal, contract and invoice - while still maintaining the ability to make edits and personalize content before sending it out.
Automating the process of following up with clients if they have not submitted the proposal in a certain number of days.
Holding subsequent tasks in the workflow - like beginning onboarding - until certain requirements are met: contract signed, invoice paid.
The ability to attach a payment plan to the workflow so that it is checking for the right invoice installment to be paid.
Kickstarting another workflow - like an onboarding workflow - once all conditions are met.
When to Use a Dubsado Booking Workflow
Who is this type of workflow best for?
A booking workflow like one being shared here is best for:
People who send proposals after verifying that their leads are a good fit for their services - after they've submitted a form or had an initial call.
People who send out custom proposals.
Steps of a Booking Workflow in Dubsado:
Once your packages, proposal, contract and canned emails are ready in Dubsado, you can build this workflow in Dubsado:
Steps of a Booking Workflow in Dubsado
Step 1 - To-Do: Edit Proposal and Email
A to-do will hold the next task in the workflow until you check it off. I prefer using it vs. approvals because it doesn’t time out. Approvals time out after 3 hours.
A to-do is placed in this spot of the workflow to allow editing and making changes to the proposal before sending out (like customizing any wording, customizing the invoice or packages for this particular client).
Once the workflow is applied to a project, the proposal, contract and invoice will appear automatically in the clients project - you don’t need to apply them to the project. Open the proposal form in the clients project, and make any needed edits. Then edit the email in the next step of the workflow to personalize it.
Once done, check off the to-do and it will send the proposal out to the client.
Tip: if you want to make sure you don’t forget, you can check the box at the bottom so Dubsado sends you an email with this to-do.
To-do action in a Dubsado workflow
Step 2 - Send Proposal (with Contract + Invoice)
This step sends the proposal form using a canned email selected from the canned email list.
If the contract and invoice are attached to the proposal, it will send all those documents as a 3 in 1 proposal form. But you don’t HAVE to send the proposal as a 3 in 1 form.
Tip: set an expiration date in your proposal, so it expires X days after it’s applied to the project. In this case it would be X days after the booking workflow has started. Because this workflow sends reminders, you don’t need to set reminders inside the proposal form.
Send a proposal via workflow
Step 3 - Change Project Status to 'Proposal Sent'
Once the proposal is sent, the project status will change to ‘Proposal Sent’ or a status that you prefer.
Create your project status first, so you can select it in the workflow. I have a status called ‘📩 Proposal Sent’ so I can visually see who has an active proposal.
Change project status in a workflow
Step 4 - Send Reminder Email to Fill Out the Proposal
If the proposal has not been submitted, Dubsado will follow up with them and send them the same proposal form again using a canned email that you choose from your list of canned emails.
You can set this reminder to go out however many days you want after the proposal was initially sent AND not submitted. Don’t worry, if someone already submitted their proposal, they will not get this reminder.
📌Note: You can send additional reminders, just know that this is where Dubsado get finicky. The reminders have to be in increasing number of days (or hours), meaning:
First reminder X days
Next reminder X+1 days (or more)
So you can’t send a reminder 3 days after you first sent the proposal, and then send a reminder 3 days after that. It needs to be 3 days after you first sent the proposal, and then 4 days after that.
Weird, but it’s just how Dubsado works.
Send an automated reminder to complete a proposal
Step 5 - Hold Actions Until Contract Signed
This is a way of preventing the workflow from continuing until the contract is signed.
Once a contract is signed, Dubsado automatically sends them an email letting them know their contract is signed. So that step doesn’t need to be added to workflows, but you can edit the email inside your canned email section under ‘Edit Templates’ → ‘Contract Completed’.
Hold action until contract signed
Step 6 - Hold Actions Until Invoice Installment Paid
This is a way of preventing the workflow from continuing until the invoice is paid:
If the invoice needs to be paid in full, select ‘invoice paid in full’
If the invoice only needs to be partially paid, FIRST attach the payment plan you want this proposal to follow at the top of the workflow (look at the image of the full workflow at the top). Then you can select the invoice installment in the workflow action.
Hold action until invoice is paid
Step 7 - Send Payment Confirmation Email (optional)
Send this payment confirmation email only if you are not using Stripe as a payment processor, since it automatically sends a receipt to your clients. Choose the payment confirmation email from the canned email list.
You can have this action happen after the previous actions are completed (contract signed, invoice paid) OR you can also have it happen after the invoice installment is paid / invoice paid in full. It’s up to you. I’ve done it both ways and both work.
Tip: Make sure to use smart fields to automate the amount they’ve paid + anything they may still owe.
Payment confirmation email
Step 8 - Start Next Workflow
This lets Dubsado know that it can start the workflow you select from the dropdown list as soon as all the previous tasks have been completed / requirements met.
It’s a great way of keeping your onboarding and booking workflows separate, in case someone receives a proposal from you but doesn’t move forward.
Start the next workflow
and… Done!! 🎉
How to Trigger a Booking Workflow:
Automatically via another workflow:
If you have an inquiry workflow, you can add a to-do after you receive a lead capture form or after you have a discovery call - checking that they are a good fit for your services.
Once you confirm that they are a good fit, you can check off the to-do and start the booking workflow.
Manually:
Once you have a discovery call or check a lead capture form and decide that they are a good fit for your services, manually apply the workflow to the project
To manually start a workflow:
Go to the clients project
Go to the ‘Workflows’ tab
Select the booking workflow from the dropdown menu
Click ‘Apply’
Done!
Conclusion
A booking workflow is a great way to add efficiency to your client process - by automating steps, reminders, and more - saving you time and also elevating your professionalism as a business owner.
By integrating automation while still allowing you to customize tasks at each step, Dubsado empowers you to focus on what you do best – delivering outstanding services to your clients.
Don’t have the time or energy to build all this?
After reading this blog post, if you’re like:
“nope! I don’t ________” Insert: have the time, want to, have the energy, etc.
AND
Want to hire me to build all the workflows for your entire client process in Dubsado. I mean automating everything from leads connecting with you to wrapping up a client project, and every step in between.
THEN
The first step is to book a discovery call.
Click the link below to book your 20 minute no-strings-attached free discovery call and let’s see if a Dubsado setup is right for you.