Change of Ownerships - Multi-Location

This article outlines what can and cannot be done in a Change of Ownership for a multi-location business.

Note: This guide applies if you have multiple locations in Phorest. If you only have one location in Phorest, check out this guide.

There may be changes in decisions and ownership in a business due to downsizing, the departure of key personnel, or new business opportunities. 

Simple business splits within Phorest are not possible. Selected information in Phorest software is stored at a business level. Businesses with 2+ locations may have been linked together in Phorest for operational purposes, e.g., you can easily switch between locations. 

It’s highly recommended to discuss with the Onboarding team any upcoming situations at your locations before any business agreements, to determine which options are available with the software from a technical perspective. The following options are an overview:

1. Name Change (All locations)

This option is when all locations of the business are being sold to a new owner, and only the owner’s contact details and billing information are updated. The location’s systems will remain unchanged unless the new owner requests updates, such as New Services, Staff lists, Online Booking, or Phorest Pay setup. 

Common use cases for this are a staff member is taking over the full business, or an external person is purchasing the business along with all previous business data. Paperwork is sent digitally to the existing owner and the new owner to complete the account change. 

Important: This is for new owners planning to take over the current locations/systems and all data within them. This includes previous financial data.

2. New System Required (1-3 Business locations)

This option is where 1 location of the business group is being sold to a new owner. A new system is built for the new owner, fully independent from the original linked systems. Our team will discuss what system information to copy and share with the new owner. Paperwork is sent digitally to the existing owner to authorise Phorest to move any data between systems. The new system will include a copy of data, agreed between you & Phorest, and imported to the new system (e.g., only a client list is chosen to be copied). 

This may be a slightly longer process. It depends on the resources available, the size of the system’s data, the time required to complete the change-of-ownership paperwork, and the availability of both existing & new owners. 

Important: Please be aware that all data is a copy shared with a new owner, and no original information is deleted from the original location, which is planned to be inactive. 

Please review the information below carefully: 

Information that CAN be transferred to the new account:

• Clients - A list of clients with a previous visit to this location
• Service & Product History - A list of history specific to this location’s visits
• Future Appointments 
• Staff Members 
• Services 
• Products 
• Vouchers - Vouchers created in this location
• TreatCard points
• Deposits - This is business level, e.g., if Client X has visited 2+ locations, the deposit will be in the original and new systems

Information that CANNOT be transferred to the new account:

• Online Booking appointments - If the appointment was booked online, the deposit will be dropped and remain linked to the previous system. The same goes for client courses; they won't show as courses, but just as regular-priced services.
• Online Booking deposits - This will mean that the no-shows cannot be charged for clients with upcoming appointments that are being imported
• Service History & Product History - This information is READ-ONLY.  Previous client history is viewable in the client’s profile for reference. Targeted marketing based on the imported previous history cannot be done.
• Patch Tests
• Courses/Series - Any course/series session appointments will transfer as full-priced services into the new system. These need to be manually changed to 0, or the appointment needs to be rebooked as a course session.
• Previous Financial Reporting Data
• Consultation Forms - Any forms built using pre-made or custom options, and any forms completed out by the client previously
• Rosters
• Custom-built SMS & Email Marketing Templates
• TreatCard Settings - Including point configuration, rewards, etc.
• Staff Service Qualification Settings
• Courses & course sessions booked - Course sessions on the appointment screen will appear as full price. You will need to manually change to 0)
• Reviews (under Marketing > Reviews)

Important: The Branded App will need a rebuild (package-specific). Clients will create a new online booking account in order to use your new online booking and branded app

3. Full Systems Rebuild (4+ Business locations)

This option is where there are 4+ locations within the business group. A number of locations are being transferred to a new owner. Potentially, new systems will be built for both owners, fully independent from the original linked systems. Our team will discuss what system information to copy and share with both systems. Paperwork is sent digitally to the existing owner to authorise Phorest to move system data. The new systems will include a copy of data, agreed between you & Phorest, and imported to the new system (e.g., only the Client list is chosen to be copied).

This is a long process. An estimated timeline will be drafted after a screening call with the current business owner & Phorest. Timelines for completion depend on available resources, the size of the system’s databases, the number of locations to rebuild, and the availability of both existing & new owners. 

Please review the information under Option 2 carefully. 

Important: Please be aware that all data is a copy shared with new owners and systems. 

Next Steps

Please reach out to the team to discuss any upcoming opportunities related to your Phorest systems. We’re happy to answer any questions, provide more clarity, and discuss the next steps. 

Email: onboarding@phorest.com