A do-not-book list on the office wall only helps if someone looks at it before confirming. Here are the two kinds of entries to keep apart, the three places they need to show up — the phone, the booking screen and the client's own booking app — and who should be allowed to remove them.

The list existed. It was pinned to the office wall.

The late-shift desk checked it after confirming the booking. The entertainer was already on her way.

⚠️ A do-not-book list is only as good as its visibility at the moment of booking.

The short version

Keep two kinds apart: client–entertainer pairs, and clients flagged for the whole venue
Make them show up in three places: the phone, the booking screen, the client's own booking app
In some places a warning is enough; in others the option should not appear at all
Add entries the same night they're reported
Decide who can remove an entry

Two kinds

Pair      …this client is never booked with this entertainer
Flagged   …this client needs caution, or is barred altogether

⇒ Pairs protect the entertainer; flags protect the venue. Keep them separate.

One — the phone

The desk knows a caller is flagged before saying hello

⇒ They can decide whether to take the booking at all.

Two — the booking screen

Pick the client and the entertainer
⇒ a do-not-book pair is obvious immediately

⇒ No walk to the wall. A change of colour at the moment of choice is enough.

⚠️ If the screen warns but still lets the booking through, add a rule: "red means call the manager."

Three — the client's own booking app

Clients booking themselves
⇒ entertainers they're paired against simply don't appear

⇒ Here, a warning isn't enough — don't show the option. Shown options get chosen.

Adding and removing

Entertainer says "never again" ⇒ entered that night
Removal ⇒ manager only, after checking with the entertainer

⚠️ If anyone can remove entries, they quietly disappear.

The numbers to keep

One   do-not-book pairs on record
Two   flagged or barred clients
Three bookings that nearly went through on a do-not-book pair

⚠️ If Three isn't zero, one of the three places isn't working.

A sheet for the office

────────────────────────────────────
  Do-not-book

  Two kinds: pairs / flagged clients
  Show at: the phone / the booking screen / the client app
  Client app: don't show paired entertainers at all
  Add: the same night
  Remove: manager only
────────────────────────────────────

Common objections

"The manager remembers"

⇒ On the nights the manager is there.

"Clients will notice they're blocked"

⚠️ They just see that entertainer as unavailable — no reason shown.

"The list keeps growing"

⇒ Review it once a year; the manager removes what no longer applies.

This week

One   gather every do-not-book from wall, paper and memory into one place
Two   split pairs from flagged clients
Three check the booking screen shows pairs clearly
Four  check the client app hides paired entertainers
Five  decide who may remove entries

Doing it by hand, or on a screen

By hand …walk to the wall before each booking
On screen …the pair shows red as soon as client and entertainer are chosen

⇒ In tasteck, choosing a client and an entertainer on the desk's booking screen shows a do-not-book pair in red, and clients categorised as "NG" (categories can be set per venue) are caught too. In the client's own booking app, paired entertainers don't appear in the list to choose from. With a CTI phone system connected, the caller's category shows when they ring.

⚠️ On the desk screen it's a red warning, not an automatic block. Set your own rule for what happens when red appears.

Wrapping up

Two kinds: pairs and flagged clients
Show them at the phone, the booking screen and the client app
In the client app, don't show the option
Add the same night, remove manager only

A do-not-book list only works if it's in front of you when you book.

Do-Not-Book Lists That Work At The Moment Of Booking