How much are the plans?
Solo is R199 a month for 1 staff login. Starter is R399 for 2. Growth is R999 for 5. Professional is R1,999 for 12. Enterprise starts at R3,999. Extra staff are R99 a month each. Credits are on top. All prices include VAT.
Questions
Short answers
Billing, cancellations, client files, WhatsApp, and what to try when a screen will not do what you expect.
Billing
Is VAT included in the monthly price?
Yes. You do not add 15% on top of the plan price shown on Billing.
How do I change plan?
Open Billing. Tap Move to the plan you want. The owner has to do this. The new period runs for 30 days.
How do I renew the plan I am already on?
Open Billing and tap Renew this plan. That starts another 30 days on the same plan.
How long is the trial?
A new salon starts on Solo for 14 days. You can move to Starter, Growth, Professional or Enterprise from Billing whenever you are ready.
Why was my card not charged?
Card checkout is not live yet. Yoco and PayFast are prepared, but this version records the plan or the credit bundle as a practice payment. A real card is not charged.
How do I cancel the salon subscription?
There is no cancel button on Billing. Open Help, ask the assistant, and if you still need it closed, send a note with the salon name and the owner email. Ask for the account to be closed.
What is the difference between the plan and credits?
The plan is the monthly subscription for the diary. Credits pay for drafts, Ask PawOS, the overnight scan and approved marketing messages. 1 credit is R1. Reminders and Help do not use credits.
How do I buy credits?
Open Credits. Buy 250 credits for R199, or 700 credits for R499. Only the owner can buy. The price includes VAT. The card is not charged in this version. The balance updates straight away.
Do booking reminders cost credits?
No. Reminders for a booking are free. Credits are spent when you draft marketing, ask about your figures, run the night scan, or approve a marketing send.
What happens if I run out of credits?
Drafts, Ask PawOS, auto mode and new marketing sends wait until you buy a bundle. The diary, bookings and reminders keep working.
How do I add another staff login?
Billing, Add a staff seat, R99 a month. Then add the person under Settings, Team. Solo includes 1, Starter 2, Growth 5 and Professional 12, plus any seats you have added.
Branding
Can I put my logo on PawOS?
Yes, on every plan, including Solo. Open Settings, then Branding, choose a PNG, JPG or WebP under 1.5 MB, and tap Save branding. It shows on the booking page, the pet portal, VAT invoices and the home-screen icon.
Why does it say upgrade to use your brand colours?
Solo keeps the PawOS colours and your logo. Starter at R399 unlocks your own colours. PawOS checks that text is at least 4.5:1 and that the brand colour stays visible. If a pair is too pale, it tells you the ratio and does not save it.
How do I use book.salon.co.za and remove Powered by PawOS?
That starts on Growth at R999. In Branding, enter an address you own, such as book.salon.co.za, and point a CNAME at PawOS. The Powered by PawOS line comes off the booking page, the portal, messages and invoices. The PawOS link keeps working.
What is full white-label?
Enterprise replaces the PawOS name on the customer booking page, the pet portal, WhatsApp and email, VAT invoices, and the home-screen icon. The salon diary you and your staff use still says PawOS.
Where do clients see my colours?
On the public booking page, the pet portal, the counter QR poster, VAT invoices, and the icon if they add the portal to their home screen. Email can include the logo address. WhatsApp and SMS stay as text, with your salon name, and without the PawOS line from Growth upwards.
Cancellations
How do I cancel a booking?
Open the booking from Today or Calendar. Tap Cancel. The visit stays on the record as cancelled. It no longer holds the chair.
What does No-show do?
No-show marks that the client did not arrive. It does not award a stamp. Use Cancel if the visit was called off before the time.
Does cancelling a booking message the client?
Cancelling updates your diary. It does not send a new marketing note. A reminder that was already queued may still be sitting in Messages. Open Messages if you want to see it.
Can a client cancel from the booking link?
The public page is for making a booking, not for cancelling one. If they need to move or cancel, they contact the salon and you tap Cancel on the visit.
Your data
Where is the client list kept?
It is kept for your salon only. Another salon cannot open it. Staff of your salon can work the diary. Billing, credits and deleting a file are for the owner.
How do I give a client a copy of their information?
Open the client and tap Download JSON under Their data. The file has their details, pets, bookings, purchases and loyalty. It does not include passwords. Send them that file.
How do I delete a client?
Open the client, tap Delete customer, then Delete their data. Only the owner can do this. Pets and visits for that person are removed.
If I delete a client, do I lose the month's takings?
No. The salon's revenue totals stay, without that person's name attached.
What is the difference between the two consent ticks?
The first tick is required. It lets you store their details and the pet's care so you can do the groom. The second tick is for offers and birthday notes. Without the second tick they still get reminders for bookings they asked for.
Where do I put my VAT number?
Settings, in the salon form. It is 10 digits. Tap Save salon. Booking invoices then show it with the 15% split.
How do I send the booking link on WhatsApp?
Settings, Copy link. Open WhatsApp, paste, and send. Clients tap the link in the browser. They do not install PawOS.
How do I choose WhatsApp, SMS or email for reminders?
Settings, Reminder channel, then Save salon. New reminders use that channel. The usual choice is WhatsApp.
Why did the WhatsApp not arrive on the client's phone?
PawOS prepares the message and keeps it under Messages. Until your WhatsApp Business line, SMS account or email sender is connected, it is not delivered to the phone. You can still read the wording.
Will a marketing WhatsApp go to every client?
No. Only people with marketing consent are included, and only after you tap Approve and send. Everyone else is left off the draft.
Does a social caption get posted for me?
No. Approve caption saves the words so you can copy them to Facebook or Instagram yourself. PawOS does not post them.
How do I connect WhatsApp?
Settings, WhatsApp. Connect my existing WhatsApp Business app number if that number is already on the phone. Use a new number if it is not. Without Meta keys the connection stays in the sandbox and messages still appear under Messages.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on my phone?
Yes. Connect my existing WhatsApp Business app number. You keep chatting on the phone. PawOS shows those sends as From the phone app, and it syncs contacts and history when you connect. The app needs a recent version and the number must already be active. Disconnect WhatsApp in Settings if you want to stop the link.
What does Meta charge for on WhatsApp?
Meta charges for template messages. Booking reminders and marketing templates are in that group. A reply within 24 hours of a message the client sent is free. PawOS credits are separate: marketing still costs 1 credit per person, reminders do not, and a reply inside 24 hours spends none.
Why can I not link the number on my phone?
The WhatsApp Business app needs a recent version, and the number has to be active on it already. Update the app, open it once on that number, and try Connect my existing WhatsApp Business app number again. If the SIM has never used the app, choose Use a new number.
Pet portal
How does a client sign in to the portal?
They open the portal link or scan the QR poster. They enter the mobile number you saved, then the 6-digit code sent on WhatsApp or SMS. There is no password. In this version the code also appears on the screen because WhatsApp is not live yet.
How does a client join the portal?
Add their cellphone when you save them at the counter. PawOS sends a welcome with the link. They can also join the first time they book online. Marketing offers stay off unless they tick the consent box.
Where is the QR poster?
Settings, under the booking link. Tap Print QR poster. It opens a page you can print and put on the counter.
Can a client see stamps and use a reward?
Yes. Loyalty in the portal shows stamps, how many are left until the next reward, and points. If a reward is waiting they can ask for it on the next groom. You still tap Complete and award a stamp in the diary.
How do grooming memberships work?
You add the club under Clubs, with a monthly price and how many grooms are included. The client joins, pauses or cancels from the portal, and can book an included groom from Visits.
How do food repeats work?
Add the product under Shop. The client picks every 2, 4 or 8 weeks. Before the order they get a WhatsApp to confirm, skip or change it. You tap Fulfil when the bag is ready. They can also order once.
If something is stuck
I tapped a page and it sent me to log in.
Sign in again on that screen. PawOS opens the page you were trying to reach. Then refresh once and carry on. If it happens on every tap, you were signed out and the new sign-in puts the session back.
I forgot my password.
There is no reset link yet. If you are staff, ask the owner. The owner can send a note from Help with the salon name and the email that cannot sign in, and ask for the password to be replaced.
A team member cannot sign in.
Check the email you typed under Team in Settings. They use Log in, not a different app. The password is the temporary one you set, at least 8 characters. Hide from diary does not block the login. It only takes them off the booking list.
The public page will not take a booking.
In Settings, tick Accept online bookings and tap Save salon. Also check the service is not paused, and that the groomer is set to Show on diary.
I cannot see a free time.
Pick another day. Times that overlap a booking are hidden. If the whole day is closed, that weekday is not in the salon's open hours. First available only shows groomers who are on the diary.
I cannot approve a marketing draft.
Only the owner can approve. You also need enough credits: 1 per person on a WhatsApp, SMS or email. A social caption does not spend a credit per person. If nobody on the draft has marketing consent, there is nobody to send to.
Ask PawOS gave me a figure I do not trust.
Ask PawOS only uses this salon's own totals. Compare it with Insights and Today. It will not explain how to use PawOS. For that, stay in Help.
The help assistant says it is not sure.
That is on purpose. It only answers from this manual and these questions. Send the note on the form. There is no phone line. Support reads the same manual.
How do I put PawOS on my phone?
Open PawOS in the phone browser. Use the browser menu and Add to Home Screen. Clients should not do this. They only need the booking link.
Who do I phone?
There is no call centre. Use Help and the assistant. If the manual does not cover it, send the form. Replies come by email.
When does a client get a stamp?
When you open the booking and tap Complete and award a stamp. Cancelling or marking a no-show does not give a stamp. Six stamps earn a reward you can use on a later groom.
Will auto mode message clients while I am asleep?
No. At 02:00 it only queues drafts. You still tap Approve and send in the morning. People without marketing consent are left off.