To take a phone booking in Papalocal, open Rentals and choose New reservation. Pick the customer, the dates and party hours, and what they're renting. Each item is checked for that date. Add the party address, and the price fills in from your delivery rules and deposit setting. Choose Quoted to email them a link to approve.
Step by step
Before you start: your rental company on Papalocal, with its items, delivery rules and deposit setting. Those fill in the price.
0:00Open a new booking. In Rentals, under Reservations, choose + New reservation.
0:08Find the customer. Type a few letters of their name under Search contacts, and pick them from the list.
0:14Set the times. Under Reservation window, set Starts at and Ends at. Then set the party's hours: Party starts and Party ends.
0:18Pick what they're renting. Choose the item and how many. In the video, asking for two castle bounce houses shows Only 1 available that Saturday.
0:26Change the count. Make it one, and it shows as Available: 1 of 2 free that day.
0:29Add the address. Type where the party is. Delivery, the total, the deposit and the balance fill in from your delivery rules and deposit setting.
0:35Set this booking's own numbers. Type your own Delivery fee, Deposit or Discount for this one booking. The total changes as you type.
0:43Send it for approval. Under Send to customer?, choose Quoted. The customer is emailed a link to look it over and approve it. Click Create reservation.
0:50Find it on your list. Go back to All reservations. It's there with your other bookings, marked Quoted.
Good to know
Inquiry or Quoted.Send to customer? starts on Inquiry, which saves it on your side and sends nothing. Quoted emails the customer a link to approve it.
It holds the items like any other booking, even as an Inquiry. The count is for that date. In the video, one of two castles is already booked.
No customer yet? Leave the contact blank for an anonymous inquiry. You can attach one later from the booking's page.
Pinewood Party Rentals, Priya Shah and the address are made up, and so are the prices in the video.
Written with AI from this video's script and screens.
Taking a booking by hand is one part of running your rental company on Papalocal.
The everything app. As simple as you want it, or as complete as you allow it to be.
Looking for party rental booking software? Phone bookings and online bookings land on the same list.
The plan holds, in one place:
Your customer list: each lead and customer, with their quotes and jobs on one page
Quotes, jobs and schedule
Invoices and pay links
Your website, on a domain you own
Google Business Profile sync, for your first location
Reviews: links, QR codes and an embed
Time clock, team chat and training
The same account holds your own side too: music, books, messages, your money and your people. Some of it has paid upgrades.
Free to sign up, no card. Your account and your business page have no monthly charge. One thing is on from the start: AI replies to your reviews, $0.15 each plus AI usage. You can pause them.
Once you turn the plan on: $30 a month (one person; each added employee is $10 a month), plus 1.25% of payments your customers make through Papalocal, plus Stripe's processing fee. It's billed daily from a prepaid balance. Once your card is saved, it's charged a top-up within the hour, and again each time the balance falls under a month's charges plus 15%. You choose the top-up amount ($25 or more; $100 until you change it). You can cancel the plan online after its first 30 days; cancel any add-ons on it first.
Papalocal's founder, Garret Merkley, has started 7 local service businesses in 16 years. He bought one, sold one and closed some.
In Rentals, under Reservations, choose + New reservation.
Can I make a manual booking with no customer picked?
Yes. Leave the customer blank for an anonymous inquiry. You can attach a contact later from the booking's page.
Does the customer get an email?
Only if you choose Quoted. Then they're emailed a link to look it over and approve it. Inquiry saves it on your side and sends nothing.
What if the item is already booked that day?
It says so while you fill it in. In the video, asking for two shows Only 1 available. Change it to one, and it shows as available.
What does it cost?
It's free to sign up, with no card. Your account and your business page have no monthly charge. One thing is on from the start: AI replies to your reviews, $0.15 each plus AI usage. You can pause them. The plan starts only when you turn it on: $30 a month (one person; each added employee is $10 a month), plus 1.25% of payments your customers make through Papalocal, plus Stripe's processing fee.
How is it billed, and can I cancel?
It's billed daily from a prepaid balance. Once your card is saved, it's charged a top-up within the hour, and again each time the balance falls under a month's charges plus 15%. You choose the top-up amount ($25 or more; $100 until you change it). You can cancel the plan online after its first 30 days; cancel any add-ons on it first.
Will Papalocal find me customers?
No. Papalocal gives you the tools. Finding customers is your work.
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