Getting Started
Today Dashboard
Use the Today dashboard to review appointments, daily metrics, Venue Pulse, team status and time-clock actions on web and mobile.
Last updated 30 July 2026
Today is the daily operating summary for a personally signed-in OpenChair user. It brings the day's appointments, metrics, team status, time clock and highest-priority insight into one place.
Where to find it. Web: open your venue after signing in. Mobile: select Today in the tab bar or tablet rail.
TL;DR
- New venues see a five-part Getting Started checklist until their core setup is complete.
- The live view uses one venue-day snapshot for booked value, attention, upcoming appointments, team status, time clock and an optional Venue Pulse opportunity.
- Mobile booking cards support the same workflow-aware actions as booking detail and refresh with pull-to-refresh.
- Owners and Managers see venue-wide information; staff see role-appropriate information, while a dedicated shared workstation uses its separate restricted interface instead of Today.
Getting Started or live dashboard
The Getting Started view guides a new venue through the minimum setup needed to operate:
- Add at least one bookable service.
- Set operating hours.
- Add staff roster hours.
- Assign services to staff.
- Connect payments or choose cash only.
When the required steps are complete, OpenChair switches to the live dashboard automatically.
What the live dashboard shows
Sections appear only when they are relevant and when your role can view them.
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Greeting and clock | Venue context, the current date and time, and your clock-in state when time clock is enabled |
| Daily summary | Today's appointment count and booked value where your role has access |
| Venue Pulse | An optional exact waitlist-to-opening match for Owners and Managers |
| Next Up | Upcoming appointment cards and the next valid action for the venue's booking workflow |
| Close out today | Appointment-level rows for finished bookings that still need a final status, plus Review schedule |
| Team Schedule | Who is working and their schedule for the day |
| Who's In | Current clock-in status when time clock is enabled and the team schedule is not shown |
| Recent Activity | A short summary of recent venue events where available |
If there are no appointments today, the empty state links to the calendar, booking creation or waitlist when those actions are available.
Closing out overdue appointments
When finished appointments still need a final status and there is no current Next Up appointment card, Today shows Close out today. It lists each overdue appointment as its own row with the time, client, service and assigned staff member when available. A single Review schedule button opens the calendar.
In this state, OpenChair removes the aggregate overdue-closeout item from Needs attention so the same work is not shown twice. Other actionable items can still remain under Needs attention.
To clear the attention state:
- Open Review schedule from Close out today.
- Open each overdue appointment.
- Check what happened and set the appropriate final status: Completed, Cancelled or No-show.
- Return to Today or refresh it to confirm the attention item has cleared.
Do not mark an appointment completed unless the service was actually completed. If an Owner or Manager marks an appointment Cancelled or No-show by mistake, open the appointment, select Correct status, choose Confirmed, Arrived or Ready to start, and enter a reason. This restores the active booking status only. Money, messages and earlier activity remain in the audit trail. OpenChair may block the correction if the restored booking would overlap another appointment or resource, so follow the on-screen recovery message before trying again.
Next Up appointment actions
The primary action follows the venue's workflow:
- Fast checkout makes checkout available from the appointment start time. A fully paid appointment can be completed without another payment.
- Track service stages progresses through arrival, service start, checkout and completion.
On web, open the action menu on an appointment card. On mobile, swipe the card left or open the booking. Actions that your role cannot perform remain unavailable.
Time clock
When time clock is enabled and you have an active staff profile, the dashboard can show your current shift and Clock In or Clock Out action. Clocking out asks for break minutes before saving the shift.
Owners and Managers can use the team Timesheet for venue-wide records. Each staff member can use My Hours for their own history.
Venue Pulse
Venue Pulse appears only when a current waitlist request exactly fits an available slot. Review match revalidates that same request and opening before opening a review-only destination. It does not send, book, charge or change customer data. Dismissal and Not relevant follow your account across devices for that exact candidate.
See Venue Pulse for eligibility and review rules.
Web and mobile differences
| Behaviour | Web | Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Venue home page | Today tab |
| Appointment actions | Primary action and action menu | Swipe left or open booking detail |
| Refresh | Reload or revisit the page | Pull down to refresh |
| Time clock | Dashboard card | Today card, with full history under More > My Hours |
| Tablet layout | Responsive web layout | Vertical navigation rail and wider dashboard layout |
Shared workstation behaviour
A dedicated shared workstation does not open Today and does not inherit a personal user's dashboard permissions. It opens a separate redacted calendar while locked. After a staff member claims it with their own PIN, the fixed Calendar, Waitlist and Time clock tools become operational.
Legacy session-backed kiosk and display modes are separate from the dedicated workstation. Their signed-in-session behaviour does not apply to this setup.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to do |
|---|---|
| Getting Started remains visible | Complete services, operating hours, rosters, service assignments and the payment or cash-only choice. |
| Today's appointment is missing | Check the venue timezone, appointment date and your role's staff scope, then refresh. |
| Time Clock is missing | Confirm time clock is enabled and your user is linked to an active staff profile. |
| An appointment action is unavailable | The booking state, venue workflow or your role may not allow that action. Open booking detail for the reason. |
| An appointment appears under Close out today | Open Review schedule, check what happened and set the appropriate final status. |
| Venue Pulse is absent | No exact waitlist match may be active, or you may have dismissed that exact candidate. |
| A shared workstation does not show Today | This is expected. Use its dedicated Calendar, Waitlist and Time clock tabs. |
FAQ
Where is the Today dashboard?
On web, Today is the venue home page after you sign in. On mobile, select the Today tab.
Why do I see a Getting Started checklist instead of daily metrics?
The checklist remains until the venue has services, operating hours, staff rosters, service assignments and a payment choice. Complete those steps to open the live dashboard.
Does a dedicated shared workstation show Today?
No. A dedicated shared workstation opens its own redacted Calendar with Waitlist and Time clock tabs. Today remains part of the personally signed-in app.
Why does Today say an appointment needs closing out?
The appointment has passed its end time but still has an active status. When no current appointment card owns the next action, Close out today lists each affected appointment instead of showing one aggregate Needs attention item. Open Review schedule, check what happened and set each appointment to Completed, Cancelled or No-show as appropriate.