Getting Started
Day One Mode
Day One Mode
Day One mode is the guided first-day experience that helps you get your venue booking-ready after creating your account.
Overview
Day One mode:
- Replaces your dashboard with a Getting Started checklist until your venue is ready to accept bookings
- Shows a ghost booking on your calendar so you can see what a real appointment looks like
- Tracks your progress through 5 core setup steps and 6 optional enhancements
- Ends automatically once you create your first booking
Day One mode is active from the moment you create your venue until you complete the essential setup and receive your first booking.
The Getting Started Dashboard
While your venue is not yet booking-ready, your dashboard shows a Getting Started view instead of the usual metrics and appointments.
The Getting Started dashboard displays:
- A welcome message: "Welcome, [your name]" with "Let's get [venue name] ready to accept bookings. Complete the steps below and you'll be live in minutes."
- A progress bar showing "Setup progress" with "[X]/[Y] steps" completed
- The activation checklist (see below)
- A preview card titled "Your dashboard is waiting" showing what the live dashboard will look like once you are booking-ready
Once all core steps are complete, the Getting Started view disappears and is replaced by the full live dashboard with your metrics, appointments, and insights.
Setup Checklist
The checklist has two sections: 5 core steps that must be completed before your venue can accept bookings, and 6 optional enhancements to improve your booking page.
Core Steps
These steps must be completed (or skipped where allowed) before your venue is considered booking-ready:
| Step | Description | Where it takes you |
|---|---|---|
| Add your services | Create at least one bookable service | Services page |
| Set your operating hours | Define when your venue is open each day | Settings → Schedule |
| Set staff rosters (team) or Set your availability (solo) | Configure when each staff member is available to work | Team page |
| Assign services to staff | Link each service to the team members who can perform it | Services page |
| Connect payments | Set up Stripe to accept card payments and deposits | Payouts page |
If you do not plan to accept card payments, you can click "Skip — cash only" on the payments step.
Enhancement Steps
These optional steps are shown in a collapsible section below the core steps:
| Step | What it does |
|---|---|
| Customise your booking page | Set your theme, colours, and style in the Storefront Studio |
| Add a business description | Write a short description for your booking page |
| Upload your logo | Add your business logo to your booking page and emails |
| Connect your Instagram | Link your Instagram profile |
| Add a portfolio image | Showcase your work with a portfolio photo |
| Share your booking link | Copy your booking page URL to share with clients |
Completed steps appear as compact chips at the top of the checklist. Incomplete steps show a description and a link or button to complete them.
Dismissing the Checklist
You can collapse the Getting Started checklist if you want to access the dashboard temporarily. When collapsed, a banner appears showing how many steps remain: "[X]/5 setup steps done — your venue isn't booking-ready yet." with a "Show steps" button to restore the checklist.
Dismissing the checklist does not end Day One mode — the checklist reappears until all core steps are completed.
Ghost Booking
When you open the Calendar for the first time before creating any bookings, OpenChair displays a ghost booking — a demo appointment that shows you what a real booking looks like on your schedule.
The ghost booking:
- Appears 45 minutes from the current time (rounded to the nearest 15-minute slot)
- Shows the customer name as "You" and the service as "First Booking"
- Demonstrates the layout, colours, and structure of a real calendar entry
- Only appears for solo operators (owners who take appointments themselves)
The ghost booking disappears automatically once you create your first real booking.
Tip
Click the ghost booking on your calendar to explore the booking detail view and see what information is displayed for each appointment.
When Day One Ends
Day One mode ends in two stages:
The Getting Started dashboard disappears once all 5 core steps are complete — your dashboard switches to the full live view with metrics, appointments, and insights.
The ghost booking disappears once you create your first booking (any status — pending, confirmed, or completed all count).
There is no manual "end Day One" button. The system detects completion automatically based on your setup progress and booking count.
Who Sees What
| Role | Day One experience |
|---|---|
| Owner | Full Getting Started checklist on the dashboard + ghost booking on the calendar |
| Manager | Getting Started checklist on the dashboard (no ghost booking) |
| Staff | No Day One experience — sees the regular dashboard and calendar |
Web vs Mobile
The Getting Started checklist appears on both web and mobile:
- Web: Replaces the entire dashboard home page with the Getting Started view
- Mobile: Appears as a card at the bottom of the Today tab (owners and managers only)
On mobile, when less than 75% of steps are completed, the checklist shows the full progress bar and all steps. Once 75% or more are complete, it switches to a compact view showing only the remaining steps.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Getting Started checklist keeps showing even though I have completed all steps | Check that all 5 core steps show a green checkmark. The payments step must be either completed (Stripe connected) or explicitly skipped using "Skip — cash only". |
| Ghost booking is not showing on my calendar | The ghost booking only appears for solo operators (owners who take appointments). If you chose "team" mode during venue creation, the ghost booking does not appear. Create a booking to see real appointments instead. |
| Dashboard shows metrics but I still see the Getting Started card on mobile | On mobile, the Getting Started card continues to appear until all core steps are complete. Complete the remaining steps or skip payments to remove it. |
| I dismissed the checklist and cannot find it again | Look for the banner at the top of your dashboard: "[X]/5 setup steps done — your venue isn't booking-ready yet." Click "Show steps" to restore the full checklist. |
Related Articles
Last updated: March 2026