7 reasons why you should use online appointment book in a hair&beauty salon

7 reasons why you should use online appointment book in a hair&beauty salon

Still hesitating about using online booking in your salon? Your competitors have it already. You probably keep asking yourself whether online booking is safe and will pay off and streamline your work. Here are some reasons that should help you make up your mind.

1. 24/7 availability

Chances are most of your busy clients will not be able to call you during opening hours to book an appointment. Often they would not even have time to think about it! Being able to sit back in the evening and book appointments at their convenience would make things so much easier for them. Just think how often customers decide to schedule their visits overnight. How many of them would be able to book their appointments online when your hair or beauty salon is closed and your staff can’t answer the phone? By offering online booking in your salon, you would be able to sell services 24/7. Also while you rest or enjoy your free time with friends or family.

2. Virtual receptionist

Think about online booking as an additional staff member who answers customer enquiries for you and lets you focus on attending your clients. No interruptions, no time wasted on never-ending phone calls, no hassle. You just do your job while your planner fills with appointments. Needless to say, your virtual receptionist thoroughly knows your offer, the duration of services and staff shifts. But the greatest advantage of this extraordinary team member is the round-the-clock availability. Salary? An equivalent of less than a coffee a day.

3. Bookings through Facebook or Instagram

You invest lots of time and energy to run your Facebook or Instagram page. You do your best to engage your fans and gather positive reviews and likes. Why not use it even more effectively? You can link online booking with your Facebook and Instagram pages. Now everyone who sees a haircut they like or learns about your new beauty treatment will be able to react instantly - click a button and book an appointment at your hair & beauty salon.

4. Reliable feedback

Satisfied customers are the best recommendation and referral source for any business. Make sure your clients write reviews of your salon, staff and services. Less enthusiastic feedback will tell you what weaknesses you should focus on and eliminate to improve your service. Choose beauty salon software that streamlines the review process. Once you’ve enabled online appointment booking in your salon, Booksy will allow you to send out automatic review requests after each visit, and the reviews will show in your booking profile. Large numbers of reviews will demonstrate how popular and renown your salon is. Also, the more reviews you get and the better the average rate, the higher your business is to be listed in the Booksy marketplace.

5. Free website

Advanced salon software such as Booksy will provide you with a free online profile of your hair & beauty salon. Booksy’s booking panel is simple, elegant and easy to use. It allows you to customise it with the logo of your business, add a cover picture, workplace gallery and portfolio, show your staff with their short descriptions, your pricing list and customer reviews. Everything a customer wants to know before booking an appointment.

6. Showing that you use the latest technology

You invest in the state-of-the-art equipment, follow the latest trends and showcase the brand-new treatments your salon offers. Utilising leading-edge technology is one of the most important elements of promoting your salon as modern, competitive and driven by the ever-changing customer needs. Think especially about your younger clients, who spend more and more time using their computers, tablets and smartphones. They are far more willing to book their appointments over the Internet, and by offering online booking in your salon you demonstrate that your business uses state-of-the-art technology.

7. Appointment reminders

Struggling with no-shows and identifying the customers who keep missing their appointments? Once again, online appointment booking comes in handy. When scheduling visits, customers need to provide contact details such as their phone numbers and email addresses. Before each appointment, the online salon booking system will send them automatic email, push message or text reminders, helping you to cut no-shows by up to 70%. If some of your clients still miss their appointments, you will be able to easily block them from further using your online booking system.

Choose the right salon software

Now that you know its benefits, the only thing to do is to choose the right salon software and enable online booking in your salon. Check out Booksy - easy to use and powerful salon and spa software used by thousands of professionals in the hair & beauty industry. Apart from online booking, it will give you a neat appointment book, detailed customer records, online client forms, effective marketing tools, and a vast range of reports and statistics.