Glossary
PINs and codes
Section titled “PINs and codes”FocalPOS has three different numbers people mix up:
| What it is | Where it comes from | What it’s for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pairing code | 6 digits, works once, for 10 minutes | Web dashboard: Devices, the device’s ⋯ menu, Get a pairing code | Signing a tablet, kiosk, TV or card terminal in. The tablet’s screen calls it “PIN” (“Enter your 6-digit PIN to continue”). |
| Device PIN | 8 digits, one per device | Set when you add the device in Devices (change it with Set a new PIN) | Signing the device out, and unlinking a TV display. |
| Employee PIN | 8 digits per employee (older 6-digit PINs still work until changed) | Set on the employee in Employees > Staff | Clocking in and out (when the tablet asks), and approving refunds, discounts, price changes and other actions on the tablet. |
Clients signing in on your booking site get a different code again: a sign-in code texted to their phone. See Customer sign-in.
Booking and clients
Section titled “Booking and clients”Booking address
Section titled “Booking address”Your online booking site’s web address, like halo.focl.app. You choose it in Settings > Online booking. It’s also used for your texts’ booking links. See Turn on online booking.
Needs confirmation
Section titled “Needs confirmation”A booking waiting for you to confirm it, because Bookings need your confirmation is on. See Booking problems.
Deposit
Section titled “Deposit”Money a client pays by card when booking online, set per location in Settings, under the location, Deposits: a fixed amount, a percentage or the full price. See Deposits.
Customer sign-in
Section titled “Customer sign-in”Clients signing in on your booking site with a texted code, to see and change their appointments. Off, Optional or Required per location. See Customer sign-in.
Walk-in
Section titled “Walk-in”A client checked in at the front desk without a booking.
Someone on a visit who has no client record (no name or phone saved). Guests get no texts.
Texts and marketing
Section titled “Texts and marketing”Appointment texts
Section titled “Appointment texts”Texts about a client’s own booking: Booking confirmation, reminders 48 hours, 24 hours and 1 hour before, and the Thank-you after the visit. Fixed wording, any time of day, need the client’s yes to appointment texts. Included in your plan (not billed per text). See Appointment texts.
Marketing texts
Section titled “Marketing texts”Texts that bring clients back: automatic messages, one-time sends and offers. They need the client’s separate yes to marketing texts, go out only in the sending hours, and cost $0.012 each. See Automatic messages.
Automatic message
Section titled “Automatic message”A marketing text that goes out by itself when something happens (a first visit, a birthday, a missed appointment). Found in Marketing > Messages. Older guides call these “campaigns”. See Automatic messages.
One-time send
Section titled “One-time send”One marketing text to a group of clients, made with Send a message. See Send a one-time text.
Rebook reminder
Section titled “Rebook reminder”An automatic message sent exactly N weeks after a completed visit if the client hasn’t booked again. See Rebook reminder.
Sending hours
Section titled “Sending hours”The fixed hours marketing texts go out: 9 AM to 5 PM for scheduled texts and one-time sends, 8 AM to 9 PM for texts after a visit. See Marketing settings.
Text consent (opt-in, opt-out)
Section titled “Text consent (opt-in, opt-out)”A client’s yes (or no) to appointment texts and to marketing texts, kept per phone number for your whole business. See Text consent.
STOP, START, HELP
Section titled “STOP, START, HELP”Words clients can text to your number. STOP (or CANCEL, END, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, STOPALL, REVOKE, OPTOUT) stops all texts. START (or YES, UNSTOP) opens a 1-2-3 menu to choose again. HELP (or INFO) says who is texting. See Text consent.
Texting number
Section titled “Texting number”Your salon’s toll-free number that texts go out from, $2.50 a month, set up in Settings > Texting number. See Your texting number.
Verification profile
Section titled “Verification profile”Your business details that phone carriers check before they deliver texts from your toll-free number. See Your texting number.
Shared code
Section titled “Shared code”A coupon code anyone can use at checkout, like SUMMER20. Made in Marketing > Coupons. See Coupons and offers.
Personal offer code
Section titled “Personal offer code”A 6-character code given to one client by a marketing text with an offer. It only works for that client. See Coupons and offers.
Devices
Section titled “Devices”Device
Section titled “Device”Any tablet, customer kiosk, TV display or card terminal signed in to your business. Managed in Devices. See Tablets and devices.
Profile
Section titled “Profile”A set of rules shared by devices of one kind: what staff can do on a tablet, which actions need an employee PIN, a card terminal’s tip choices. Managed in Devices > Profiles.
Clocked in (on shift)
Section titled “Clocked in (on shift)”An employee who has started their shift. Walk-ins can only be assigned to clocked-in staff. See Clock staff in and out.
Card terminal
Section titled “Card terminal”The card machine at the front desk that takes card payments for the tablet. FocalPOS uses Fiserv (CardPointe) terminals, set up by support. See Get paid.