Switching from Phorest? Here's every step.

1. Before you start (10 min)

In Phorest:

1. Sign in as someone who can open “Manager” → “Business”: anyone with that can export.
2. Run every export yourself, and do it before you cancel. Phorest says: "You can complete all data export methods above using your Phorest system, free of charge. Cases where data exports are requested from Phorest may involve a charge."
3. With several locations, run each export in each location.

In On Hand: Start your free trial and pick Phorest. Your checklist on Today (Move in from Phorest) follows these same steps. Write down your team's names exactly as Phorest shows them.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest? · How can I export sales transaction information to CSV?

2. Move card payments to Square (30 min, plus a few days for Square to check your bank)

In Phorest:

1. PhorestPay (powered by Stripe) takes your card payments on PhorestPay terminals, and saved cards sit in each guest's “Wallet”.
2. PhorestPay pays out the next business day. Keep your payout files: “Manager” → “PhorestPay” → “Download CSV”.
3. Self-employed staff with their own PhorestPay each move their own.
4. Ask Phorest whether they (or Stripe) will send Square an encrypted file of your saved cards. Square brings cards in once from a file like that: the Square account owner asks Square Support, and it takes up to 15 business days. If not, guests save a card again in Square. Phorest's help center has no card export, so only Phorest can say.
5. Ask Phorest whether your PhorestPay terminal has to go back. Phorest's help center doesn't say.

In On Hand: Open a Square account (or use yours), link your bank, and get a Square Terminal or use Tap to Pay in the Square app. Then connect it in On Hand: Settings → Connections → Square.

Pick a quiet day as your switch day. From then on every ticket (services, Product Use, retail) goes to Square. Square's standard transfers are free and land the next business day for payments taken before 5 PM PT.

Doesn't come over: Saved cards, your PhorestPay terminal and PhorestPay's history stay with Phorest.

Sources: PhorestPay FAQ · How can I store a client's card details with PhorestPay? · When should I expect PhorestPay transactions to reach my bank account? · How do I check the history of my payouts from PhorestPay? · How can my self-employed staff set up their own PhorestPay account? · Import third-party card data to Square · Deposit options with Square

3. Your team (5 min a person)

In Phorest:

1. Your people are in “Manager” → “Staff Members”.

In On Hand: Team → add each person with the name Phorest shows and a 4-digit PIN. Past visits and formulas find each person by that name. Commission tracking goes on Reports → Pay.

Just you? Skip this one.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest?

4. Your guests (20 min, plus up to an hour for Phorest's file)

In Phorest:

1. “Manager” → “Business” → “CSV Export” → “+ New Export” → dates from your first day on Phorest to today → type “Transactions” → “OK”.
2. It shows Running, then Done: usually within 15 minutes, up to an hour for a long range. Then click the download icon.
3. Guests who never bought anything may not be in that file, so run the “New Clients” report too: “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Clients” → “New Clients”, tick “Use Client Since Date Instead”, and set the dates from your start to today.
4. Look for a “CSV” button at the bottom of the report to save it. Phorest's current help center doesn't say how its reports download.

In On Hand: Drop the “Transactions” file first: each guest who had a visit comes in with her phone and email, along with her visits. Then drop the “New Clients” report for everyone else. Anyone already in On Hand is matched, never doubled, and nobody is sent anything. Phorest's files are new to On Hand: if anything doesn't come in, send the file to hello@onhandsolution.com and we'll bring it in for you.

Phorest has no single export of every guest with every detail, so this takes two files.

Doesn't come over: Notes and formulas aren't in these files (step 5 gets them). Phorest's “New Clients” report has names and phone numbers only, so a guest who never had a visit comes in without her email. That's Phorest's report, not our block. Saved cards and points stay with Phorest.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest? · How can I export sales transaction information to CSV? · New Clients report overview

5. Formulas & notes (20 min to try a week, then a few minutes per 10 cards)

In Phorest:

1. Phorest keeps color formulas in appointment notes.
2. “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Staff” → “Staff Appointments” → set From and To, leave Staff blank, and tick “Show service and colour Notes” (on screen it reads “Show service and color notes”). It lists each start time, guest, service and the notes.
3. Look for a “CSV” button at the bottom of the screen to save it. If it only prints or saves a PDF, snap your formula cards instead. Phorest's current help center doesn't say how this report downloads.
4. One guest's whole record: “Clients” → her “Client Card” → “Client actions” → “Export” gives a zip, with her notes in its client_details and appointments files.
5. Consultation forms: “Clients” → the guest → “Forms” → “View” → “Print” → Destination “Save as PDF”.
6. Used Vish? Its color notes are on the Phorest appointments too.

In On Hand: Drop one week of the report at Formulas & notes. On Hand shows how it read each column before anything is saved; if it reads right, run it for all your dates. Or snap your formula cards, 10 at a time. If anything doesn't come in, send the file to hello@onhandsolution.com and we'll bring it in for you.

Doesn't come over: Consultation form PDFs. On Hand doesn't read PDFs yet, so keep them for your records.

Sources: What is the difference between client and appointment notes? · Staff Appointments report overview · How do I export or delete a specific client's data? · How do I export or print a client's consultation form? · Vish Color Bar Management

6. Your service menu (2 to 3 min a service)

In Phorest:

1. “Manager” → “Services” → “Export all services”. It has each service's category, duration, development (gap) time, price and per-staff price levels, for the location you're in.
2. A stylist's own prices and times: “Manager” → “Staff Members” → the stylist → “Services” → “Export (CSV)”.

In On Hand: Add each service with its time and price on Price Coach. Price levels (New Talent to Master) go in Menu levels.

Doesn't come over: The files themselves. On Hand doesn't read menu files yet, so the menu is typed in once. That one's on us.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest?

7. Your past visits (10 min)

In Phorest:

1. Every paid visit is already in the “Transactions” file from step 4. Phorest says it holds "your clients' product and service history".
2. Unpaid bookings and no-shows aren't in it. For those, look in the “Staff Appointments” report from step 5, or “Manager” → “Reports” → “Future Appointments” (Phorest says it "can be used to look at past dates") → the three dots → “Download”. Phorest doesn't list the formats that download comes in.

In On Hand: Drop the “Transactions” file at Your past visits, if you didn't drop it at Your guests. Each visit lands on the stylist's book and the guest's history, and nothing doubles. A name that isn't on your team gets listed: add that person on Team and drop the file again. If anything doesn't come in, send the file to hello@onhandsolution.com and we'll bring it in for you.

If Phorest's file doesn't say how long each visit took, On Hand uses your menu's times, or an hour.

Doesn't come over: What each guest paid stays in Phorest's reports: On Hand doesn't bring the amounts in. That one's on us.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest? · How can I export sales transaction information to CSV? · Staff Appointments report overview · What is the Insights dashboard and how do I use it?

8. Your upcoming book

In Phorest:

1. Look for a calendar link in Phorest; its help center doesn't list one. We searched Phorest's help center on October 30, 2026 for a Google, iCal or Outlook feed and found none. If you find one, tell us.
2. Phorest's own guide runs the “Staff Appointments” report for the coming weeks to see who's booked.

In On Hand: With no link, Today won't show Phorest's book. Keep Phorest open for who's booked, and start each guest in the Color Bar when she sits down.

Doesn't come over: A live calendar link. Phorest's help center doesn't list one, so that's on Phorest's side, not ours.

Sources: How can I export my data from Phorest? · Staff Appointments report overview

9. Your retail (30 min, plus a shelf count)

In Phorest:

1. “Manager” → “Inventory/Stock” → “Print/Export” (bottom of the screen). Active products only.
2. With counts: “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Products” → “Stock List/Inventory List” → “Generate Now”. It lists each product's brand, category, volume, cost, sale price, how many are in stock, min, max and on order.

In On Hand: Pick your brands: whole lines come loaded with sizes and barcodes, liters included. Tick what you carry, then count with the camera or snap a distributor invoice. Keep Phorest's stock list next to you while you tick.

Doesn't come over: Phorest's stock file and its counts don't come in: you count the shelf once in On Hand. That one's on us. Archived products aren't in Phorest's lists.

Sources: How do I print a list of my products? · Stock/Inventory List report overview

10. Rewards (10 min)

In Phorest:

1. Any loyalty points you run in Phorest stay with Phorest.

In On Hand: Set up your punch card: every paid visit punches. Add punches by hand for a regular, up to 10 at a tap.

Doesn't come over: Phorest points don't carry over: On Hand doesn't bring points in. That one's on us. Your punch card starts fresh.

11. Gift cards, courses & memberships (20 to 30 min)

In Phorest:

1. Gift cards: “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Gift Cards/Vouchers” → “Vouchers/Gift Cards Outstanding”. One card's history: “Manager” → “Gift Cards/Vouchers” → search → “History”.
2. Money on guests' accounts: “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Clients” → “Client Credit Account Details”, with “Client” left blank.
3. Courses/Series (Phorest's packages): “Manager” → “Reports” → “Additional Reports” → “Clients” → “Client Courses/Series Outstanding”. As a file: “Manager” → “Business” → “CSV Export” → “+ New Export” → type “Client Courses”.
4. Memberships: “Manager” → “Memberships” → “Client Memberships”. They bill the card in the guest's “Wallet” until stopped, so as each guest moves, tick hers → “Cancel Membership” (or set its status to “Frozen”).

In On Hand: Set up the same packages and memberships in On Hand (Rewards → Packages & memberships). Then on each guest's page: Packages & memberships → Already paid for one → what's left. Nothing is charged. Gift cards and account credit: keep Phorest's lists and honor each one by hand.

Doesn't come over: The balances themselves. That money sits with PhorestPay, so nothing moves on its own: each card, course and membership is honored by hand. These files are for your records, so keep them out of the guest box.

Sources: Vouchers/Gift Cards Outstanding report overview · How do I check the usage history of a specific Gift Card/Voucher? · Client Credit Account Details report overview · Client Courses/Series Outstanding report overview · How do I view a client's Membership information? · How do I refund a Membership fee or cancel/freeze a Membership?

12. Turn off Phorest's booking (10 min)

In Phorest:

1. “Manager” → “Settings” → “Online” tab → set “Allow Online Bookings” to “No” → “Save”.
2. Look for “Google Reserve” under “Settings” → “Online”, and turn it off too. Phorest says it needs online booking on, so it may already be off.
3. Point your booking link, the Book Now widget and your social links at your On Hand booking page. Phorest's link is at “Manager” → “Settings” → “Online” → “Copy Link”.
4. Have Phorest's Branded App? Check that it stops taking bookings too. Phorest doesn't say whether the switch covers it.

In On Hand: When On Hand booking opens for you, guests book on your own On Hand page. Turn Phorest's booking off that same day.

Keep Phorest booking until On Hand booking opens for you. It's opening to salons a few at a time.

Sources: How do I enable or disable Online Booking? · How do I add a Book Online button to my Google Business profile? · Where can I get my Online Booking link?

13. When to cancel Phorest (10 min, plus the call)

Have this done first:

• Every file above, plus your PhorestPay payout files.
• Every membership cancelled, and gift cards and courses settled or written down.
• On Hand booking open for you, with Phorest's booking off.

In Phorest:

1. Then open Phorest's "How can I cancel my Phorest subscription?" article → “North America” → fill in the short form → book the call.
2. Ask on the call about notice and anything left on your contract. Phorest doesn't publish its notice periods; it uses the call to "clarify any outstanding contract terms".

In On Hand: Mark it done on your checklist. That's the whole move.

Once the account's gone, an export Phorest does for you may cost money, so do them all first.

Sources: How can I cancel my Phorest subscription? · How can I export my data from Phorest?