Require Customers to Select a Dependent, Asset, or Property During Online Booking

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Require Customers to Select a Dependent, Asset, or Property During Online Booking

Customer Portal Customer Property Selection

OctopusPro’s Customer Properties feature (also called Customer Dependents, Assets & Properties) lets you store profiles for the thing the customer is booking a service for—such as a child, pet, vehicle, device, piece of equipment, or a service site/property.

This page shows how to require customers to select (or add) at least one Customer Property when booking through your Customer Portal. This ensures you collect the right dependent/asset details before confirming the appointment.

Why require Customer Property selection?

  • Collect the right information upfront: avoid back-and-forth calls/messages to ask “which pet/child/vehicle?”
  • Reduce booking mistakes: customers select the exact dependent/asset the booking is for.
  • Faster repeat bookings: returning customers can choose from saved properties instead of re-entering details.
  • Better records & reporting: track history per child/pet/vehicle/site across bookings, invoices, and issues.

Common examples

  • Childcare / tutoring: select which child the booking is for.
  • Pet grooming / boarding: select the pet (breed, temperament, special notes).
  • Automotive / repairs: select the vehicle (make, model, year, rego/VIN).
  • Property maintenance: select the site/property (address, access notes, onsite contact).
  • IT / device repair: select the device (type, serial, issue category).

Before you start

  1. Set up Customer Properties for your business first (property types + fields).
    Example property titles: Children, Pets, Vehicles, Sites.
  2. Decide what should be mandatory:
    • Portal requirement: customers must select/add at least one property during booking (configured below).
    • Property fields requirement: specific fields inside the property form are mandatory (e.g., child name + DOB).

Learn more: Manage Dependents, Assets and Properties using Customer Properties

Enable “Select at least one customer property during booking process” (Customer Portal)

  1. Go to Settings > Customer Portal > Flags & Permissions.
  2. Scroll to the flag: Select at least one customer property during booking process.
  3. Toggle it ON to require customers to select or add at least one Customer Property when booking online.
Customer Portal flag: Select at least one customer property during booking process
Enable the portal flag to require customers to select/add at least one Customer Property during online booking.

Optional: Make the Customer Property mandatory (and/or make specific fields mandatory)

In addition to requiring selection during booking, you can also enforce data completeness by making:

  • A property mandatory (e.g., “Child information” must be provided for bookings).
  • Specific fields mandatory within the property (e.g., Name, Age/DOB, Breed, Registration).
Customer Properties setting showing Mandatory toggle
Example: toggle a Customer Property as Mandatory (customers must provide it during booking).

Customer experience in the Customer Portal (how it works)

Step-by-step flow

  1. The customer selects a service and clicks Schedule appointment.
  2. If a booking location/site hasn’t been chosen yet, the portal prompts them to select a location first (if applicable).
  3. The portal then prompts them to Select or Add a Customer Property (dependent/asset/site) for the booking.
  4. If the property (or property fields) are mandatory, the customer must complete them before continuing.
  5. The customer can select one or multiple properties for the booking (useful for sibling bookings, multi-pet bookings, fleet service, etc.).

If the customer already has saved properties (registered/returning customers)

Returning customers can select from a list of saved properties (e.g., pick “Sarah” or “Joe”), and can also click Add new to create a new one if needed.

Portal popup: select or add child information (saved properties list)
Customers can select existing properties and/or add a new one.

If the customer has no saved properties yet (first-time customers / guest booking)

If the customer is booking as a guest or has no saved properties, they will be required to create at least one property by clicking Add new, completing the form, then saving it before continuing.

Portal validation message: Please fill in all required properties
If required, the portal will block checkout until the required property is selected/added.
Portal form: Add new child information
Customers complete the required fields for the new property (fields depend on your Customer Properties setup).

Best practices

  • Name your property titles clearly (e.g., “Child information”, “Pet details”, “Vehicle”, “Service site”).
  • Keep fields short and specific (use standard field labels like Make/Model/Year, DOB, Breed, Registration).
  • Only require what you truly need to deliver the service (too many required fields can reduce conversions).
  • Use “Notes” fields for exceptions (allergies, temperament, access instructions, special handling).
  • Support multi-selection when customers might book for multiple dependents/assets in one visit.

Troubleshooting

  • The property prompt doesn’t appear: confirm you enabled the portal flag in Settings > Customer Portal > Flags & Permissions, and that Customer Properties are set up and active.
  • Customers can’t proceed: check whether the property is marked as mandatory and whether specific fields inside the property are mandatory. The portal will require those fields before allowing the customer to continue.
  • Customers don’t see the right fields: update your Customer Property fields in Settings, then test again in the portal.

Related guides

Import Customer Dependents Assets Properties

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