Switching to Resos from another booking system
In this article
Thinking of changing your booking system and moving to Resos? This checklist takes you from your old system to a live booking page in the right order. Each step links to the guide that covers it in detail.
Before you start, know what Resos can and cannot bring across. You can import your booking history and your guest list, each from a CSV file, and nothing else. Opening hours, tables, areas, settings and notification texts are not imported, so you set those up in Resos by hand. What your old system lets you export, and in which format, is decided by that system, so check its own help pages or ask its support.
1. Export your data from the old system
Ask your old system for your bookings and your guests as CSV files. Keep them in a safe place before you cancel anything there: once your subscription ends, you may lose access to them. If you have only one combined file, you can use it for both imports and map the relevant columns each time.
2. Create your Resos profile
Sign up and go through the onboarding. See how to set up a Resos profile.
3. Set up opening hours and tables
Guests can only book what your opening hours and tables allow, so do this before you share anything.
- Opening hours and special days: how to set up default and special opening hours.
- Tables and areas: how to add and manage tables and areas.
4. Import your guests and bookings
Go to Menu → Settings & add-ons → Advanced and use Import customers and Import bookings. Bookings and customers are imported separately, and importing bookings does not build guest profiles.
Read the plan-limit note in the bookings guide before you import a large history, especially on the Free plan.
5. Set up notifications
Choose how you and your guests are notified of new bookings, and edit the texts guests receive.
6. Put your Resos booking link where guests book
Find your booking link and widget code under Menu → Settings & add-ons → General → Link & widget.
- On your website: how to add the booking widget to your website, or use the booking link behind a Book a table button.
- On Google: how to add the booking link to your Google business profile, or the Reserve with Google FAQ for the booking button.
- On Facebook and Instagram: how to get bookings through Facebook & Instagram.
If your old system is still connected to Google, Facebook, Instagram or your website, it keeps taking those bookings until you replace the link there. Remove the old link or button in each place so guests do not land on the old system.
7. Check it works, then switch over
Make a test booking from your booking page, as a guest would, and check that it arrives in Resos with the confirmation you expect. If guests see fully booked or no times, see why your booking page shows fully booked. Once everything checks out, you can cancel the old system.
If you need help with any step, contact us at hi@resos.com.
