Since the dawn of the salon, there have been blotter calendars at the front desk (with plenty of pencils!) but as with most other areas of life, tech is taking over. Salon owners managing their salon business by using paper calendars & files makes it tedious, time-consuming, and more than occasionally, frustrating. Imagine spending more time searching for information than actually using that information – does this sound like an efficient use of your time?
Running pen and paper is a time intensive undertaking which takes away from your ability to automate and focus on your clients. New technology advancements made it possible to reach out to customers using automated email marketing and text marketing campaigns keeping their clients in the know.
There are things that technology will never replace. For example, even if a robot could be trained to give the best haircut, many clients would still prefer the conversation and personal touch that comes from visiting their favorite stylist.
This does not mean that technology doesn’t have a place within every salon, in fact, modern clients are starting to demand apps, 24/7 schedule access, text reminders, and other tech perks. In an automated app-happy world, salon owners need to keep up with the times or get taken out by their competition. Here are a few real reasons why it might be time to take tech seriously:
Old School Stylist Appointment Books Just Aren’t Cutting it Anymore
There’s one truth when it comes to providing salon services – time is money. This means that every minute spent on anything other than your salon services is actually costing you in the long run. But ignoring “administration” (from payroll to client tracking to appointment reminders) can spell disaster for your business. So….
Either allocate part of your day to managing the business (hopefully not at the expense of servicing your clients!) or hire someone to manage the business, track your appointments, and file your taxes.
Regardless of how well you execute either approach, you’re pretty much-losing money either way. If your new assistant makes a mistake (doesn’t everyone?) or late hours and constant multitasking lets someone fall through the cracks, now in addition to losing money, you’re losing clientele as well!
Look, there are only 24 hours in a day, and even you can’t work all of them. Years ago, there simply weren’t other options, but times have changed and technology has infiltrated every aspect of modern life – including salon operations. Simple, affordable software can grow your business, save you money, and attract new clientele.
The Benefits of Salon Software For Salon Owners
Freeing yourself from blotter calendars (which are hard to read when you’re not in the salon) isn‘t the only advantage of digital business management solutions. Incorporating salon software into your operations can reduce scheduling mistakes, save money, and automate client communications. What’s more, it can help re-engage dormant clients, speed payroll processing or tax reporting, and simplify your inventory controls.
The fact is people feel busier than ever (spoiler alert: we’re not). Taking the time to schedule a haircut or a manicure may not make it onto the daily to-do list, especially if that requires a phone call.
Maybe you have clients with standing appointments on the same day and time every month. Those clients are great to have, and we all wish we had more of them. But what about new clients that are just visiting for their first or second time?
Are they really going to remember that follow-up appointment they booked? If you say you’re going to remind them, isn’t this more time that you have to spend outside of providing your services? Are they then going to take the time to call and rebook?
Fortunately, the right salon software program will handle this for you. From sending emails or text messages, reminding clients of upcoming appointments, and even updating your when they confirm. This simple reminder can dramatically reduce “no shows”, which in turn, means more revenue.
Salon Owners Know Data Don’t Lie
Staying ahead of the competition means offering new services to your clientele. But how do you go about this? Well, to start, you’ll need to know what your clients already love. This means knowing what your high-value services are – the ones that sell every month without fail.
There may be services on your menu that simply aren’t priced correctly, and costing you more than they are earning.
Being able to analyze margins to pivot and create better offers depends on having the data in front of you. Which traditionally is something small businesses just didn’t have.
Salon software means you can now tap into that business management capability. Now you can know in minutes which services to run a sale on (and how much you can afford) and which are the best sellers. You can even see the time of year when they’re most likely to sell.
A database of client activity (like you get with salon software) also means you can target your marketing. Send a promotional offer to everyone who bought a certain product. Offer a limited-time discount on their purchase with their next visit. Create new offers and send them to your best customers. You can even create these “campaigns” and they will run automatically! Create a campaign for clients you haven’t seen in 9 weeks (“we haven’t seen you in a while”). Send a campaign to everyone who received a color service with a polite reminder that, to maintain that look, they should return every 4 weeks.
Salon software is also a great place to store your client contact dat. Every phone number and email address, accessible from any internet-enabled device, anytime you want.
Take it From Them
Moving client data into a database makes it searchable, accessible and actionable. Data becomes mobile-friendly, which means faster response times. Your business data is also more easily “backed up” when digital, easily safeguarding your business records.
These salons have seen the light (and not looked back):
Leo Cicero owner of Salon Midori, CA said: “Staff were initially slow to adopt the new system, but have now become software evangelists, we don’t know what we would do without it now!”
Owner of Images Salon, Cynthia Kraft decided to switch to paper and paper recently. Her daughter recently joined the family business as a manager and recommended that they abandon their pen & paper ways. They haven’t looked back!
Jerry Carr and Brandi McCalman own Skye Salon and Spa, a busy salon with large staff located in Centennial, CO. Implementing technology has given them so many advantages; improving efficiency and increasing profits.
Salon Owners Finding the Right Salon Software
So are you ready to say goodbye to your old appointment books and index cards? Congrats! Now it’s time to find the right salon software to fit your business needs.
DaySmart Salon was created by salon owners for salon owners. We know all of the ways the right software can help you build your business which is why we’ve incorporated them into one platform.
Set up appointment reminders, manage payroll (including tiered commissions), offer online booking, and manage your online reputation (get better reviews by asking for them) from within one seamless experience. Whether you’re on your phone at home, on a tablet at your chair or at the front desk computer.
Connecting your business to your phone means you can manage your business from the palm of your hand. Your staff can check their schedules (without calling in) and automatically be notified of cancellations.
Want to learn more about how DaySmart Salon can help your business? Download a 14-day free trial today and see for yourself. Once you appreciate the impact of software on your small business, you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.
