Rikki Tronson, Chief Revenue Officer At Isalon Software
Christmas is right around the corner and many of us will be worrying about keeping things under control and running smoothly in the salon over the incredibly busy festive period. That’s where your salon software comes in. Using your software system can be of great benefit to salon owners and the team, not just at Christmas, but all year round. However, during the Christmas rush, when many of the team are trying to juggle a number of tasks at once, salon software can be your best friend. Below, I share a few reasons why:
- Marketing – in the lead up to Christmas many salons may have Christmas packages and also offers for Christmas retail gift sets and vouchers, and it’s important to get the news of these out there to your clients, ensuring they know what you have to offer and to encourage them to book a service or make a purchase. Your salon software can be used to help with your marketing, easily sending newsletters out to your client database to let them know what you have to offer.
- Text messages – the last thing you want over the festive period is no shows! Therefore, having a salon software system in place that sends your client text message appointment reminders is essential. Appointment reminders can dramatically reduce no-shows (by 60% on average) and should you get any cancellations on the back of the text message, you will have some time to fill the appointment gap given you have sent your text message reminder out with notice (e.g. 48 hours).
- Online bookings – if you don’t have a dedicated Front of House/Reception team, being able to answer the phone after every ring or be on hand to check social media messages can be a big challenge for your salon team. Online bookings provide your clients with the opportunity to check availability at the salon and quickly book their appointments in just a few clicks – saving you and the client valuable time!
- Appointment book – who needs a paper appointment book that can get disorganised and where the writing can be hard to read. By having a salon software system with an appointment book, you can easily and quickly see your appointments/column, check what service/treatment they are in for and if any deposit has been taken to allow you to be prepared for each and every client and have your day run more smoothly.
- Client records – the last thing you need over such a busy time is your client coming in for their hair colour service without having had their skin test. With client record features you can send out automated skin test reminders, resulting in fewer no-shows and clients being turned away dissapointed at the salon.
- Stock control – over the festive season many clients are not just coming into the salon for their hair and beauty appointments, but also to look for Christmas gifts for their loved ones who are interested in hair and beauty products. By having a salon software system that has a stock control feature, this allows you to identify best-selling products and ensure you always have them in stock in the salon that clients are particularly interested in. This will allow you to manage and minimise stock all from the system and without having to do any counting on the salon floor yourself. Instead, you can spend that time providing your clients with the very best in customer service and ensuring they leave the salon happy and looking forward to returning.