Salon scheduling is a difficult task. Hairstylists, colorists, nail technicians, estheticians, waxing specialists, and even massage therapists depend on a packed schedule to make a career in salons and spas. Therefore, the flexibility to book clients’ services with the best salon software is critical to the profitability of any beauty and wellness firm.
A well-functioning salon appointment software might relieve you of some of your responsibilities. It can free you up to concentrate on the essential aspects of your business, such as your products and services.
So, if you haven’t considered improving your salon scheduling or want to learn how, this is a wonderful place to start. Here are the best strategies to improve your salon schedule to help your beauty business make the most of its bookings:
Plan Staff Shifts And Schedules Well
The results are staff shortages, unbalanced shifts, daily overtime hours, and dissatisfied employees and clients. Plan ahead of time for staff shifts and timetables to avoid such scenarios. But how can you properly plan your team’s schedule? Here are a few suggestions:
- Know your teammates thoroughly.
- Plan shifts according to client footfall and the season
- Have routine sync with your staff
- Give your staff the option to manage their schedule with salon management software.
Take Appointments Online
It is disappointing when you find out that a regular client scheduled their hairstyling session with a rival salon only because they contacted your salon a couple of times on a Sunday evening, and no one responded. That was a valuable customer you lost.
Did you know that women book 65% of all online appointments, with beauty salons and spas accounting for 88%? So, if you haven’t considered taking client bookings online yet, you should. Your clients and salon business will benefit from a well-functioning salon appointment software.
Consider The Walk-In Clients
Even if you should promote online reservations, walk-ins are a great way to get new customers. It could be a client who brings a friend to their appointment and decides to get their hair colored or a passer-by who chooses to stop for a quick hair trim.
However, just because you can accept walk-ins doesn’t mean you can’t take online appointments. It would help if you also had at least a couple of slots open in your schedule to accommodate these walk-in customers.
Walk-in clients may seem out of place in a well-planned strategy. Still, if handled strategically, they may benefit your organization. Switching to a suitable salon management software can also simplify scheduling client appointments.
Appointment Reminders
Imagine when a client forgets her appointment and asks you to help her at the last minute. Alternatively, a staff member forgets about a meeting and goes on a long lunch break, leaving the client waiting. Do you recognize any of these scenarios?
Because of one minor incident, your entire day’s itinerary is thrown off. A solution to this problem? Send out appointment reminders. This is the most crucial step to organizing time and avoiding such crises in any firm. Send clients and staff automatic reminders and alerts about their appointments and assignments.
When a client schedules an appointment at your salon, send them an email or message with the appointment details, including the date, time, and name of the person it’s for. Also, call them 3-4 hours ahead of time to notify them that the slot could go to others if they dont come. Pick the best salon software and increase customer turnover.
Have A Well-Scheduled Service Routine
Here are a few ideas to help you make the most of your work time and manage your salon appointments.
Be Perfect By Starting And Finishing On Time
Establishing a timetable and sticking to it as much as possible is the most helpful tool for your salon business.
Add Time For An Equipment Check-In And A Salon Clean-Up
Most salon managers fail to factor in time for equipment checks and salon clean-up, causing future appointments to be pushed back.
Prepare A Flexible Client Communication Strategy
In every service firm, staff-client bonding is crucial, but when brief client feedback turns into a full-fledged gossip session, it can harm your schedule. It can be a little daunting to want to have a perfectly optimized salon plan on day one. Use a feedback form or Google Forms to collect feedback. The idea is to make each day better than the one before.
Conclusion
Running a busy salon and balancing your employees’ demands with each customer’s schedules is difficult. Consider using salon booking software if your scheduling method feels like a house of cards that you must constantly balance and tweak.
Hair salon calendar software and a little planning may save up a lot of your and your team’s valuable time, in addition to the other tactics we’ve covered. After that, you can return to doing what you enjoy most.
