Salon management is no easy feat, and running such a business requires you to sport many hats. You will find yourself tending to clients and dealing with the day-to-day business management tasks like admin & payroll, marketing, and taking care of everyday tasks, like making sure your salon is nice and clean!
It can all be a lot to keep up with, so making your salon digital by using appropriate salon management software is definitely recommended! Implementing the right software can gain you invaluable time back on tedious tasks, automate your inventory and send appointment reminder messages to your clients! Not to mention all the other benefits, so let’s look into them, shall we?
Increasing Client Engagement & Reducing the Phone Calls
The main feature of a salon going digital is the ability for the client to book their appointments online. They get access to your diary, are able to check your availability, can book appointments at your business in advance, and see your menu of services & prices—all at the touch of their fingertips! This alleviates any potential errors that can occur with the pen & paper method. Not to mention, the awkwardness when two clients turn up at the same time as you’ve accidentally double-booked yourself.
What’s more, it’s said that 46% of bookings happen outside of booking hours, so clients have better engagement with you by being able to book ‘round the clock. This actually means you get paid while you sleep! Clients appreciate feeling like they’ve got access to you at all times (or your booking diary, at least), and a seamless experience with your salon is what’s going to keep them coming back.
You’re always going to get clients who prefer to speak to someone at the other end of the phone, but an online booking system gives you time back in salon management as the phone will certainly be ringing a lot less! That leaves more time for you to do what you love.
Why Your Salon Should Go Digital: Efficient Features to Up Your Game
As well as an online calendar, there are plenty of other features that decent salon software should offer. Here are some of Vagaro’s features that are extremely helpful to our salon owners:
Customer Tracking – Take note of specific client details like allergies, hair types, or their preferred hair colour and easily save it to their client profile for later reference. This also offers a much more personalised & seamless experience for your clients, which is a great way to retain their custom.
Notifications – Take the pain out of manually reminding your clients about their appointments with customised, automated email, text & push reminders.
Forms – The Forms feature is a great way for you to collect client contact or pre-visit information before your clients' visits. This, in turn, streamlines your business's flow, as well as builds trust & solidifies those important relationships with existing ones. Use the custom builder to send out intake forms, waivers, questionnaires—anything your salon needs!
Why Your Should Salon Should Go Digital: Income Protection
Vagaro’s credit card processing comes with handy features to help manage your income. If paired with Vagaro's Online Shopping Cart, you'll be able to clearly state the terms of your cancellation policy, and even request part of your service fee at the time of booking as a deposit in order to secure your bottom line.
If you do not wish to secure bookings for your business with a deposit, you can take client card details instead. That way, if they do cancel, you can charge a cancellation fee. Cards are stored safely & securely within your account, so both yourself and your client are protected.
Professionalise, Revolutionise & Glamourise
Going digital with your salon gives your business that…va va Vagaro! You can carry out your business management in a much more professional & efficient way. Don’t be put off by the potential overwhelm you may feel of transitioning from pen & paper to software. Once our local Import Specialists get you set up, you’ll never look back!
You have reporting tools at your fingertips, where you can access real-time data on your payments, bookings, and where they’ve come from, plus so much more. This information can help inform some of your business decisions by helping to identify trends and patterns through client behaviour.
How to Choose the Right Booking Software
There are a few things you need to consider when you go digital as a salon. Here’s a quick overview of the details & features you want to keep an eye out for when
choosing which booking & business management software is right for your salon:
Price – There are lots of competitive prices on the market in the way of salon software. You’ve got to make sure you get the best value for money, so look for software that has a robust & comprehensive base plan.
Features – Think about everything you’re going to need for seamless business management. Will you need to send forms? Do you want to take payments? How about automated reminders? Make sure you book a demo, and make sure you get all your questions answered before making any decisions.
Marketplace – Some salon software will come with a marketplace designed to get you new customers. However, most of them tend to have a lot of hidden fees that you should look out for! With Vagaro, you keep 100% of any money you make from booking procured through the free Marketplace.
Integrations – Look for software that offers integrations for Instagram, Facebook, and even your own website. Vagaro has booking integrations for all of these, including Apple & Google Maps. These are key elements for helping you get found, booked and paid! What do Salon Owners Have to Say?
Salon LA has been an established business for 16 years, and salon owner, Lynzie, made the decision to go digital with her salon early on; here’s what she had to say about it!
I love that my clients can book an appointment 24/7. Early in the morning, late in the evening—it gives the clients the impression that I’m open 24/7 and they love that. With Vagaro, I use the Forms feature, which is great for getting reviews! My clients get instant confirmation emails when they book through Vagaro and then Vagaro reminds them again closer to their appointment time. It’s great—I’d definitely recommend it.
Still thinking about going digital with your salon? 174,000 professionals agree…you won’t look back! Joining Vagaro means 24/7 support, free onboarding, and a digital assistant that takes care of the backend humdrum whilst you do more of what you love. Book a demo today to experience all that Vagaro can do for your salon!
Sources: Hairdressers Journal
