If you’re in the beauty salon business, you want to make clients look their best. If you have to spend hours managing schedules, it can be quite a headache. Taking the appointment over the phone, noting it down and reconfirming it is quite a difficult job for the person at the front desk. Fortunately, the online booking system for salons makes managing those details easy. It increases bookings, reduces stress and helps you provide a better client experience. You as a salon owner or manager get to focus on the bigger picture and let the app manage the boring, administrative tasks.
With so many different salon software in the market, how do you know which one is the best? Well, the best one should be feature-rich like Salon360App. From appointment booking to following up, the software should aim at making your business more efficient.
6 Essential Features every Online Salon Booking App in India should have
Self-booking ability
Gone are the days when clients would pick up the phone to schedule a beauty salon visit. Today, it is all done from a booking app. Just like you would book a table at a restaurant using an app, you can schedule an appointment at your favourite beauty salon. A good salon appointment scheduling software should offer self-booking ability. Clients should be able to book, reschedule or cancel appointments from anywhere and at any time. The real-time availability of their favourite stylists or technicians should be shown to them along with the date and time slots. The client can then schedule an appointment as per their preference.
When you offer ease in your appointment scheduling process, clients are more likely to come back.
Easy integration
Most clients prefer booking an appointment via their mobile. Thus, check if the app is smartphone compatible. The interface should be intuitive and user-friendly. The best way to actually get clients to book with you is by putting the appointment booking link or widget in places where your customers are spending most of their time. For instance, provide a direct booking link on your website, social media pages and Google My Business (GMB) profile. For instance, when clients perform a geographical search on Google Maps with the keyword ‘salons near me’, your salon will not just pop-up but will also give them a chance to book in real-time. This is a fool-proof way to attract new clients to your beauty business.
Automated appointment reminders
The online booking system for salons should send out automated appointment confirmations or reminders. Clients should receive a text or email once the appointment is confirmed and on the day of the appointment. This considerably reduces no-shows and cancellations, and saves important salon resources such as time and money. Front desk staff do not have to spend hours on the phone contacting clients. The entire process is automated. When everything is automated with salon software, your staff too can make better use of their time as they can all view their individual calendars in advance and in real-time.
Client management
Hassle-free check-in and check-out are something every salon client desires. Make sure the salon booking software has all the client management tools. It should be able to store contact information, service history, preferences, allergy information and any past personalised requests. When a client schedules their appointment online, they should be able to access all their past information. By doing so, you can offer a more personalised experience for each client. This personal touch is what differentiates your salon from your competitors.
Integrated payment processing
The best way to avoid no-shows and prevent double-booking is by getting clients to schedule an appointment themselves and prepaying for it. Most online salon booking apps in India are integrated with POS systems. By offering multiple payment modes, clients can pay for their appointment without the involvement of any third-party. Their payment information is also encrypted and safely stored for future visits. To encourage more clients to prepay, you can offer reward points. Another advantage of getting clients to pay first and use later is suggestive selling. Relevant service and product recommendations at check-out will result in more sales and increased ROI. An integrated POS enhances cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
Robust Reporting
The best way to measure the success of your beauty business is by analysing the number of bookings received in a month. Manually calculating all the bookings can be quite a task. The salon appointment system you choose should have powerful and robust reporting features that automatically generate reports on all your appointments. You should be able to pull out valuable insights from all the data at the click of a button. The reports give you access to important data such as total revenue, popular services, client retention, peak times, busiest days, and employee productivity. Tracking these key booking metrics can help you make changes to your salon as well as enhance your bottom line in the future.
Get a Free Salon360App Demo
Looking for a salon appointment software that has all the above-mentioned features? Salon360 is at your service. The all-in-one solution can help you streamline appointment booking, and manage operations. Request a demo!
