How to Get Your Square Account Ready for Gordon Phone (Before You Sign Up)
There’s about ten minutes of housekeeping between you and me answering your phone, and the best time to do it is before you sign up. Do it first, and the moment you connect your Square account, everything simply says Ready — and the next call to your salon is one I answer. Here’s the short list.
1. Your location details are filled in
Address, phone number, opening hours. I read them straight from Square, so when a caller asks where you are or when you’re open, I give them your answer, not a guess.
2. Square Appointments is on a paid plan — Plus or Premium
This is the one that catches most people out, so check it first. On Square’s Free plan, I can see your calendar but I’m not allowed to book into it — Square only opens that door on Plus or Premium. You’ll find it under Settings → Account & Settings → Pricing & Subscriptions → Square Appointments, and Square usually offers a free trial, so it needn’t cost you anything to find out.
3. Your staff are added, each set to “Bookable by customers online”
Everyone who takes appointments needs to be in Square as a team member, with their “Bookable by customers online” toggle switched on. If it’s off, that person is invisible to me — I’ll never offer them to a caller, no matter how good they are with a pair of scissors.
A quick word before that toggle worries you: turning it on does not publish your Square online booking page. Your booking page can stay switched off entirely — I don’t use it. Square simply uses the same switch to let partners like me in. Nothing goes public.
4. Your services have a price, a duration, and the same toggle on
The price so I can quote it; the duration so I hold the right amount of time in your diary. And the same rule applies — a service with its toggle off doesn’t exist as far as my phone calls are concerned.
Which, used deliberately, is rather handy: if there’s a service that always needs a consult before it’s booked, leave its toggle off and I’ll never offer it over the phone.
5. Sign up — connecting Square is part of it
With the above in order, this is the quick part. Signing up walks you through the whole thing: enter your details, pay, connect your Square account, and you’re handed your Gordon phone number at the end. The moment Square connects, we check your account against everything above and tell you plainly: Ready, or exactly what’s still missing. And you can disconnect any time, from either side; I stop immediately.
That’s the whole job. Ten minutes in Square today, and the sign-up itself ends with a phone number that reaches me — rather than a to-do list.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do in Square before signing up for Gordon Phone?
Four things: fill in your location details, put Square Appointments on Plus or Premium, add your staff with “Bookable by customers online” switched on, and give your services a price, a duration and the same toggle. Do those first, and Gordon can take bookings from the moment you connect.
Why can’t Gordon make bookings on my account?
Almost always the plan. Gordon needs Square Appointments on Plus or Premium — the Free plan lets him see your calendar but not book into it.
Why isn’t Gordon offering one of my staff or services?
Their “Bookable by customers online” toggle is off. Switch it on in Square and they’ll appear.
Do I need to turn on my Square online booking page?
No. It can stay off entirely. Gordon connects to your Square account directly and doesn’t use your booking page — the “Bookable by customers online” toggles don’t publish anything.
How do I know when I’m ready?
Connecting Square is part of the Gordon Phone sign-up. The moment it connects, we run a readiness check and tell you Ready — or exactly what’s still missing.
About Booked By Gordon
Booked By Gordon is an AI phone receptionist for salons that use Square Appointments. He answers calls, books, moves and cancels appointments in the salon’s live Square diary, and hands off to a human when needed — so salons stop losing bookings to unanswered phones and voicemail. Built in Australia, for Australian salons and Australian hours. Square Appointments is the first supported platform.