New in OpenChair: colour workflows, walk-ins and booking notice | 15–30 September 2026

Late September brought colour records closer to the appointment, gave walk-ins a dedicated workspace and added a minimum-notice setting for online bookings. We also reorganised Services and improved search to make everyday setup easier to find.

This roundup focuses on changes available in OpenChair on the web by 30 September, covering the 15–30 September release window.

Keep colour work with the appointment#

We've improved the connection between the appointment, the client's colour history and the mixing workflow. Colourists can work from the client and visit they're already handling, with formulas, recorded bowls and results available in that context.

For Pro salons, a formula can stand on its own. When you're ready to record a mix, match its ingredients to the salon's catalogue products and review the target quantities. Weigh the products on your scale and enter the actual readings manually, following the manufacturer's mixing and application instructions.

Suppose a client has a roots service followed by a toner. Keep the two bowls separate, then add another bowl if you need a top-up. At the next visit, the team can review what was recorded for each part of the service rather than trying to reconstruct one combined quantity.

A complete previous mix can provide targets for a new visit. The new appointment still needs its own actual readings. Unknown quantities and missing product costs stay visible, and saving the colour record doesn't add a customer charge.

These changes build on the manual mixing covered in our early September update. The colour-record guide explains formulas, bowls and top-ups in more detail.

Give walk-ins a clearer place in the day#

The updated Walk-ins workspace brings Waiting, Ready and In service entries together, with access from the main navigation and Schedule. On the web, teams can also use the contextual panel beside the diary.

A customer can select more than one eligible service and request a team member who can perform the complete visit. The team can review the queue alongside staff availability, choose who will provide the service and check capacity before starting.

For a barbershop, that means you can see who is waiting for a particular barber and who is happy to take the next available chair. The customer's preferred barber and the team member starting the service are recorded separately.

Customer-facing start times are estimates. Being first in line doesn't tell a customer that the team is ready for them, and staff still decide when to call someone in or send an eligible callback text.

We've also added a setting to turn walk-in confirmation texts on or off. Callback and reminder controls remain separate, so changing the check-in confirmation doesn't change those other decisions. Text delivery still depends on your venue's supported messaging setup.

Set the notice your team needs for online bookings#

Owners and managers can now set a minimum notice for online bookings, with an optional override for individual team members. A team member can inherit the venue setting or use their own configured notice.

For example, with a two-hour notice setting, a client looking at 9 am can be offered eligible appointments from 11 am onwards. The usual service, staff and availability checks still apply.

Use this setting to leave preparation time before a new online appointment. A stylist who needs a different lead time can have an override without changing the rule for everyone else.

Staff-created bookings can still be made inside that notice window, subject to the usual scheduling checks. Existing appointments stay in place, and cancellation notice remains a separate policy. Review both settings so your team and clients have the right expectations.

Find and edit services more easily#

Services is now organised around three jobs: Service list, Public menu, and Prices & team. You can search for the service you need, work on what clients see and review staff pricing from the relevant view.

The service editor opens beside the list on wider web screens and uses a full-height drawer on phone-sized screens. We've also improved save handling to preserve staff-specific prices and timing when you make unrelated service changes.

Combo setup now starts with the services in the visit. Choose the components, quantities, booking order and team coverage before naming and pricing the combo. You can work through how the visit will run before setting its price.

Get to the right setting with clearer search#

We've improved search across navigation and Settings, including matching everyday wording and minor typos. Searches such as “book appointment” can take you towards creating a booking, while a search for online-booking settings leads to the relevant configuration.

If you're reviewing your setup, start with one service your team uses often. Check its timing, staff prices and online-booking notice, then follow the client booking path to see how those choices work together.

Book an OpenChair walkthrough if you'd like to work through that setup with us.