Understanding Placeholder Values in the Booking Process

Understanding Placeholder Values in the Booking Process

Placeholder values (e.g., "111-111-1111" “222-222-2222”) may sometimes appear in reports when guest phone numbers are not provided during the booking process. This occurs due to limitations in the MINDBODY Identity login system and the complexities of guest behavior, such as incomplete profile creation or cart abandonment. Here’s why this happens and what we’re doing to address it:

Why Placeholder Values Happen

1. Social Login & MBO Account Creation:
   • When guests create an account using social login (Google, Facebook, or Apple), MBO doesn’t currently require them to enter a phone number during account setup. This is a limitation of MINDBODY's Identity login system.
2. Guest Checkout Process:
   • Guests can select services, stylists, and appointment dates while logged in as a guest. To complete the booking, however, they must create an account or log in with social login (Google, Apple, or Facebook) and provide a phone number at checkout.
   • If a guest abandons their cart at this point, placeholder values (111-111-1111, 222-222-2222, etc.) are inserted because the system can only capture the phone number once the booking is completed.
3. MBO System Restrictions:
   • The current MBO setup does not enforce mandatory phone number entry during initial account creation or login. This leaves room for incomplete data until later in the process.

What We’ve Already Implemented

1. Phone Number Capture During Checkout:
   • Guests logging in with social login (Google, Apple, Meta) are required to provide a phone number to complete their booking. While this ensures most bookings include accurate contact details, abandoned bookings still result in placeholder data.
2. Monitoring for Incomplete Data:
   • If a guest selects services, logs in with social login, but abandons their cart, the phone number cannot be captured until they return to complete the booking.  

What We’re Doing to Improve This

1. Earlier Phone Number Collection:
   • We’re exploring ways to collect phone numbers earlier in the process to reduce placeholder values, such as:
     • Prompting for phone numbers during social login account creation.
     • Requiring phone numbers earlier when logging in as a guest, before selecting services.
2. Collaborating with MINDBODY:
   • We are working with MINDBODY to address technical limitations of their system by enhancing the social login flow to allow required fields, such as phone numbers, during account setup.
3. Avoiding Duplicate Profiles:
   • As part of our efforts, we are investigating ways to prevent creating multiple MINDBODY profiles for the same guest. This includes enhancing guest account merging processes and ensuring data integrity.
4. Educating Front Desk Teams:
   • We encourage teams to verify and update guest profiles during calls or in-person visits to reduce placeholder values and improve guest communication.

What You Should Know

• Placeholder Values Are a Fallback:
  • Placeholder values are not system errors but default placeholders when phone numbers are not entered by the user. While they can create reporting or communication challenges, they are a known behavior of the current system.
• Encouraging Accurate Guest Information:
  • Remind guests to update their profiles with accurate contact details for a smoother booking experience.

What You Can Do

1. Communicate with Guests:
   • Use confirmation emails and other communications to encourage guests to review and update their profiles, ensuring contact details are accurate.
2. Submit Feedback:
   • If placeholder values are causing significant challenges, please share details via the feedback form. This helps us prioritize improvements and technical resolutions.

Next Steps

• Prevent Duplicate Profiles:
  • We are prioritizing efforts to ensure guests do not unintentionally create multiple profiles in MINDBODY. This will streamline guest data and eliminate redundancies in reporting.
• Implementing Better Data Collection:
  • By collaborating with MINDBODY and refining our internal processes, we aim to capture accurate data earlier in the booking process and reduce reliance on placeholder values.