How to Use Roster: Client Scheduling
Share
Roster is built around one simple idea: give small businesses a clean appointment schedule they can own and use every day.
This guide walks through how to use the app from start to finish. Roster is designed for iPad first.
Start with your business
Every setup begins with your business details.
You choose the type of business you run, add your business name, and set up the basic language the app should use. A salon can work with chairs, stylists and appointments. A clinic can work with rooms, doctors and patients. A workshop can work with bays, technicians and jobs.
This keeps the app simple while still making it feel correct for different types of appointment-based businesses.
Set up rooms, chairs, bays or other resources
Roster is based around bookable resources.
Depending on your business, these can be rooms, chairs, stations, bays, tables, offices or any custom resource you choose. Each resource has its own schedule and can be used to organise the working day clearly.
This is useful for salons, clinics, workshops, trainers, consultants and other businesses where appointments need to happen in a specific place or with a specific setup.
Add staff
Staff members can be added to match the way your business works.
You can keep staff simple, with names and optional resource assignments, or use them as part of a more detailed schedule. The goal is not to force a complicated system, but to give you enough structure to know who is working where.
Create services
Services describe what the booking is for.
You can add common services, treatments, sessions, job types or meeting types and give them names, durations, prices and colours. These make appointments easier to read in the schedule and help keep records consistent.
The wording adapts to your business type, so the same app can talk about services, treatments, sessions or jobs depending on how you use it.
Book appointments
The main schedule gives you a clear view of the working day.
Appointments appear as coloured blocks with the client name and service visible inside. The time axis makes it easy to see what is booked, what is free, and what is outside working hours.
When creating a booking, you can choose the client, service, resource, staff member, date and time. Notes can be added when needed, and the label for those notes changes depending on your business type.
Manage clients
Roster keeps client details and appointment history in one place.
You can store names, phone numbers, contact details, notes and preferences. Phone numbers are used as the main lookup key, so repeat clients can be found quickly when booking again.
For businesses that rely on regular clients, this makes it easier to see previous appointments and keep useful notes close to the schedule.
Use the schedule during the day
Roster is meant to sit on the iPad and act as the working schedule for the business.
The current day is shown clearly, with a current-time indicator so you can see where you are in the day. Future appointments, ongoing work and completed bookings are easy to follow from the same view.
Cancelled appointments free the time slot, while no-shows can remain visible in the schedule for proper records.
Create receipts
Receipts can be generated from appointment details.
Roster supports branded PDF receipts with your business name, address, phone, website, logo, appointment information, service, price and notes. Receipt fields can be configured so you only include the details you need.
You can create a receipt when booking, or generate it later from the appointment record.
Review reports
Roster includes basic reports to help you understand how the business is running.
You can review appointments by day, week or month, see busy periods, check no-shows, and break down activity by staff, resource or service.
Reports are designed to be practical, not overloaded. The goal is to give you useful business information without turning the app into a complicated accounting system.
Back up your data
Roster is local-first by design.
Your schedule, clients, appointments, services, settings and business data are stored on your iPad. The app does not require a cloud account to run.
Backup and export tools are built in, so you can keep a copy of your data and restore it when needed. Roster can also remind you when you have not backed up recently.
Typical workflow
Most businesses follow the same flow:
- Choose your business type
- Add your business details
- Create your rooms, chairs, bays or other resources
- Add staff
- Add common services or job types
- Book appointments into the schedule
- Manage client records and appointment history
- Create receipts when needed
- Review reports
- Back up your data regularly
Important notes
Roster is focused on private, local appointment scheduling for small businesses.
It is not built around cloud accounts, online booking portals or complicated setup. It is made for businesses that want a practical schedule on their own device, with their data kept under their control.
Roster is a one-time purchase with no subscription.