Policies
Policy questions come up constantly — "what if I need to cancel?", "do I pay a deposit?", "what happens if I'm late?". These are exactly the questions where a vague or wrong answer costs you trust. The Policies section lets you set the rules once, clearly, so Costello answers the same way every time.
Open Knowledge in the left-hand menu and scroll to Policies.
The policy fields
| Field | What to put here |
|---|---|
| Cancellation policy | How much notice you need and what happens if a customer cancels late. |
| Deposit requirements | Whether a deposit is needed, how much, and when it's taken. |
| Late-arrival rules | What happens if a customer turns up late, and any grace period. |
| Refund policy | When refunds are and aren't given. |
Why use the structured fields, not a PDF
You could bury these rules in a brochure or terms document and upload it — but the structured Policy fields give far more reliable answers.
When a policy lives in its own field, Costello knows exactly where to look the moment a customer asks. Pulled out of a long PDF, the same rule can be missed, mixed up with another clause, or quoted with the wrong number. The structured fields remove that guesswork.
Anything a customer might ask about directly — cancellations, deposits, lateness, refunds — belongs in these fields. Save uploaded documents for longer reference material.
Examples of well-written policy text
Write policies the way you'd say them to a customer's face — clear, specific, and friendly.
Cancellation:
"We ask for at least 24 hours' notice to cancel or reschedule. Cancellations inside 24 hours may lose their deposit. Just message us as early as you can and we'll always do our best to help."
Deposit:
"A £20 deposit secures your appointment and comes off your final bill. We take it at the time of booking."
Late arrival:
"If you're running late, please let us know. We can hold your slot for up to 10 minutes; after that we may need to shorten or rebook your treatment so the next client isn't kept waiting."
Refund:
"Treatments already carried out aren't refundable, but if something isn't right please tell us within 48 hours and we'll make it good. Unused deposits are refundable if you cancel with more than 24 hours' notice."
What makes these work
- They give a specific number (24 hours, £20, 10 minutes) rather than "a reasonable time".
- They state the consequence plainly, so there's no ambiguity.
- They stay warm — a policy can be firm and friendly at once.
After you save
Costello retrains automatically, so your policies take effect within about a minute. Test a couple of "what if I cancel?"-style questions in the Playground to be sure.