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 decision changes and ownership changes in a business due to downsizing, a dissolution of people involved, 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 EG You can change between locations easily.
It’s highly recommended to discuss with the Onboarding team about any upcoming situations in your locations, prior to any business agreements, to what options are available with the software in a technical aspect. The below 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 updates are requested by the new owner EG New Services, Staff lists, Online Booking, or Phorest Pay setup.
Common use cases for this are a salon 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 new owner to complete the account change.
Important: This is for new owners planning on taking over the current locations/systems and all data inside of 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 a 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 (EG Only a client list is chosen to be copied).
This may be a slightly longer process. It is dependent on resources available, the size of the system’s data, the time to complete the change of ownership paperwork, and the availability of both existing & new owners.
Important: Please be aware all data is a copy shared with a new owner and no original information is deleted from the original location planned to be inactive.
Please review the below information 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 EG 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 Appointments - Any appointments booked online will disconnect from online and be transferred as regular appointments. Similar to client course sessions booked online; it won't show as a course session, but just a regular priced service.
- Online Deposits - Any original deposits paid will be dropped from the services and remain linked to the previous system. Any deposits previously paid will require adding manually to upcoming appointments in the new system. A list of these can be provided to the current owner. No-shows cannot be charged for clients with upcoming appointments that are being imported.
- Courses - Any course session appointments will transfer as full-priced services into the new system. These need to be manually changed to 0 or rebook the appointment as a course session.
- Service History & Product History - This information is READ-ONLY. Previous client history is viewable in the client’s profile for in-salon reference. Targeted marketing based on the previous history cannot be done until the knowledge builds into the new system.
- Consultation Forms - Any forms built using pre-made or custom options AND Any forms completed out by the client previously
- Patch Tests
- Previous financial reporting
- Custom-built SMS & Email marketing templates
- Rosters
- Staff Qualifications
- TreatCard rewards
Important: The Salon Branded App will need a rebuild (package-specific). Salon clients will create a new online booking account in order to use your new online booking and salon 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 (EG 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 are dependent on resources available, 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 all data is a copy shared with new owners and systems.
Next Steps
Please reach out to the team to discuss any upcoming opportunities about your Phorest systems and we’re happy to answer any questions, provide more clarity and discuss the next steps.
Email: onboarding@phorest.com