How long should I keep my old booking system?

Until the last appointment and held deposit booked there are done. For most businesses that means running both for a few weeks, with new bookings going only to the new link.

When is a good time to switch?

A quiet week, not the fortnight before Christmas or a long weekend. Give yourself two weeks of preparation before the cutover day.

Guides

How to move from Fresha or Timely without losing clients

Clients rarely leave because you changed software. They drift when the link they always used stops working. So most of the plan is about the link.

Facts checked 30 September 2026. Prices change; the sources are listed at the end.

Two weeks before: export and import

Export your clients, services, staff and upcoming appointments as CSV files. Your current provider’s help centre explains where the export lives.

Bring your clients, services, staff and diary across by CSV. Notes history, held deposits, stored cards and your old booking link don’t move. Review what came across: switch each service and staff member on, and check any diary rows flagged for a second look. What moves when you switch covers each item.

Pick a cutover day

Choose one day from which every new booking goes to the new system. A quiet weekday works well. Connect Stripe before then if you take deposits: card payments go through your own Stripe account; Preen adds nothing on top of Stripe’s rate. Stripe’s fees apply. See stripe.com/au/pricing.

A week before: tell your clients

Send one short message to clients who have agreed to hear from you. Something like:

“From [Monday 2 November] we’re taking bookings at [your new link]. Appointments you already have stay exactly as they are. Any questions, just reply. [Business name]. Reply STOP if you’d rather not hear from us.”

Say it again at the front desk for a few weeks. Plenty of regulars will hear it in the chair before they read it anywhere else.

On the day: replace the link everywhere

This is the step that decides whether clients follow you. Update the booking link in:

your Instagram and Facebook profiles, and any pinned posts
your Google Business Profile
your website’s “Book” buttons
printed QR codes, business cards and window stickers
your email signature and your voicemail message

Then stop taking new online bookings in the old system, so nobody books a slot that no longer exists.

The overlap: a few weeks of both

Appointments already booked in the old system, especially any holding a deposit, run their course there. Check both diaries each morning until the old one is empty.

If a marketplace sends you new clients

Decide before you switch whether to keep a marketplace listing. Clients who found you there will look for you there. The Fresha fees guide sets out what that listing costs, so you can weigh it.

After the last old booking: close the old account

Export any notes you want to keep, confirm no deposits are still held, then close it.

Questions people ask

Can I move my client list from Fresha or Timely?: Yes. Bring your clients, services, staff and diary across by CSV. Notes history, held deposits, stored cards and your old booking link don't move, so export any notes you need before you close the old account.
How long should I keep my old booking system?: Until the last appointment and held deposit booked there are done. For most businesses that means running both for a few weeks, with new bookings going only to the new link.
When is a good time to switch?: A quiet week, not the fortnight before Christmas or a long weekend. Give yourself two weeks of preparation before the cutover day.

Sources

Preen is not affiliated with Fresha or Timely. Fresha and Timely are trademarks of their respective owners. Each provider’s export steps are in its own help centre.