Our Latest Features

As we approach Salon International, our developers have been working extra hard to make sure that we have plenty of new features ready to show you all! These are some of the main features we’ve been readily working on, but you will also notice there have been a lot of smaller tweaks and updates being made to the software recently.

Split Bookings Online

For any Hair Salons we can understand the need for the system to automatically put in a development time. This again is something we have been working on, and will be ready to demo on our stand T174 at Salon International. The feature is something we have already developed within the actual Salon Tracker software, and it is going to be a great addition online for any salons that have treatments needing a development time. Currently, the feature works by adding a wait time to the end of the treatment. For example, you might add in a balayage treatment that needs a 60 minutes development time, you can enter this in the management section. Then when you add the second part of the treatment, such as the cut and finish, it will automatically put the 60-minute development time between the two different services. This feature will work exactly the same online, meaning that other customers will still be able to book in with the same technician during the development time.

Unavailable Staff

You never know if/when a member of your team is going to get sick or is going need a day off work, and sometimes this can leave you having to call your customers and explain that you need to rearrange their appointment or move it to be with a different employ. There are three different options you can chose from when making a staff member unavailable:

1. Don’t move the appointments and manually rearrange them

2. Smart move appointments, meaning that the software will move the appointment to any available calendar slot matching the booking time.

3. Move the appointments to a specific technician of your choice

This makes it much easier if you’ve got tonnes of appointments, just to quickly and efficiently move them over into another technicians column.

Waiting list on timer view

Tanning Salons can often be very busy, especially during the summer months when everyone is trying to top up on their tan before they go on holiday. Our new waiting list feature works perfect tanning salons and helps to ensure that salons are kept organised with waiting customers. We do currently have a waiting list feature in place, which some of you may use already, however in order to make it easier to use and view we have introduced a newer version. You will now be able to have an individual waiting list for each bed, so not only is it easier to add people to the waiting list, it also includes an overall waiting time for the bed for anyone who is wanting to go on the bed once its free, so they know exactly how long they’ll be waiting.

We are exhibiting at Stand T174 this year at Salon International, so feel free to drop by and we can show you all of these great new features in person. You will also receive an exclusive offer by visiting our stand, so make sure you don’t miss out on that either! We look forward to seeing you there.

Salon Tracker x

How to cope from the salon going from busy to quiet in the working months

What to do during the quiet periods within the salon

Growing your business is still achievable during the months in which are quieter for the salon and there are many ways which this can be carried out in. During these months staff members are still able to achieve goals set by both the employer and themselves.

So, after a very busy summer, it is now September! This means that all students are returning to education again and many are back to work.This is the perfect opportunity for your business to begin thriving once again as you are able to discuss with the team what offers you can put in place to grab the attention of your customers. Quiet times within the salon create new opportunities for both staff members and clients as this is when incredible deals will be created to draw customers back in before they go to work and education.

How can you stay productive during the quiet periods? The answer is checklists you are then able to complete the list and carry out jobs that are effective for the daily running of the business. Staff members are able to put their expertise into practice to better benefit the salon this can include doing things such as completing checklists. Using the correct checklist can improve the outcome of your salon and improve staff morale. Having a reoccurring checklist ensures that all staff members provide a high standard of care and attention to each customer. These lists enable staff members to have reduced stress levels as they know what they must do and the date in which it must be completed by. An example of this can include a new staff member beginning to answer the phone and speak with current or new clients this can cause them to become anxious which means that they are more at risk of making errors. Having a list will remove this risk and allow the staff member to remain calm and collected whilst speaking to clients.

Whilst the salon is quiet employees and the employer are able to focus on the most essential part of running a successful business which is marketing. Marketing involves the name of the company, its logo, the prices of each service available, the way each staff member presents themselves this includes there clothing worn within the work environment and the way the phone is answered when speaking to clients or potential clients. Clients judge the salon on all of these different aspects as they have an impression in their mind from the things that they have seen and heard. Clients will notice the small things that are done so therefore showing that everything is a marketing technique for the business. A busy salon is the main reason why standards begin to slip this is when a business becomes vulnerable to incidents and bad reviews from clients as they believe that they have no time to pay all their attention to one client.

If you like it or not your clients will always judge you as they will always have an opinion, your staff members and salon because everything you do is marketing.

Even when the salon is quiet it is important that routines do not adjust as consistency is key to a successful business. Why is it important to be consistent? Because a business being consistent in its ways means that clients are able to predict reactions, this will therefore build a trusting relationship between the clients and staff members within the business. If the business is trustworthy then the client will recommend the business to people, they know this will build a larger client network for the company.

Clients should not be able to notice a difference when being attended to by a different member of staff therefore during quieter times at the salon it is important that each staff member receives the same training that is suitable for their role. The employer may provide one to one session to ensure that all members of staff carry out tasks in the same manner so that customers are satisfied with the service.

During quieter times the employer is able to focus on the interior design and layout of their salon so that they are able to make the most of the space that they have. If there is excess space then the salon may be able to introduce new services such as waxing this will reach out to a wider range of clients. If the salon is well kept then clients will feeler safer within the environment for example if the facilities are clean then clients are more likely to return however if they aren’t then they may be put off from returning.

I hope that this blog has given you an overview on how to maintain a business within the quiet months and what can be done to better benefit your business, clients and staff members. During September you can set up an offer such as 10% off all services until the end of September to keep customers enthralled in your salon and the services you offer. I hope that we have helped to set you up for the rest of September and remember if you wish to trial our software head to   https://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx and fill in your details. A member of our team will be in touch with you as soon as possible!

Salon Tracker. X

My First Year!

I can’t believe its been a year already! I’m sure many of you have seen me at trade shows or spoken to me on the phone but if not… I’m Leah. I am a part of the Sales and Marketing Team here at Salon Tracker and also a degree apprentice student!

I started around about a year ago after getting my A level results. This tends to be one of our busiest times of the year so I was thrown straight into the deep end which meant I had to try and pick up everything as quick as possible. When I first started answering calls, I had to double check almost everything with my manager Nicki and the other members of the team Christie and Naomi but as my first month drew to a close, I found I was able to tackle a lot more independently.

My main jobs roles are: using social media to attract customers, answering the phones, completing demo and trial and writing blogs (just like this one).  Though these are my main roles, I also do things such as hiring and attending trade shows. This year I have attended Professional Beauty Trade shows in both London and Manchester. I will also be attending Salon International next month, come visit us on stand T174.

 ( get your tickets here https://www2.theticketfactory.com/salon/online/?SessionSecurity::referrer=WWW&SessionSecurity::referrer=WWW)

I enjoy attending these trade shows and talking to both new potential customers and also existing customers that I had previously only spoke to on the phone.

Just after I had got to grips with the job, I started my degree apprenticeship at Sheffield Hallam University. I am currently completing a Chartered Management Degree. Whilst this is the equivalent of a normal degree, instead of being there full time, I attend lectures for four days every two months and between these blocks I complete different assignments for grades which go towards my end degree. At first, taking in all the information for a full module in just 4 days then having to complete a full assignment on it was difficult to fit it in with my work, but as my first year comes to a close, I am finding it a little easier every time. Though sometimes balancing work life and studying can be a little stressful but I know It will be worth it in the end when it comes to graduation in 2021.

Overall, I have learnt a lot in the past year and I’m enjoying all the work I do here at Salon Tracker. Though I have already learnt so much I am constantly expanding my knowledge further and I look forward to continuing this for years to come. There is a lot of exciting things in the future for Salon Tracker and I look forward to getting the chance to speak to more of you!

Leah x

Freshers week marketing!

Yes you read it right! Freshers week is just around the corner and the cities are going to

be full of new students... And you know what moving to a new city means... they'll need a new salon to go to on a regular which is where you come in!

You might of had the busiest Summer ever with people preparing for their Summer getaways and bank holidays or you may have had a quieter summer due to all these wild heatwaves we've been having. Either way, some new clients are just what you need and here's how you can try your best to get them...

• Remembering students are on a budget.

As you may well know, Students try their best to limit their spending as much as possible, especially on Salon luxuries. To entice them, offer permanent student discount with a competitive deal such as 20% off all treatments. To persuade them at the beginning, why not offer 50% off first treatments and a welcome night with Prosecco -  because we all know students love a free drink!

• If the students are on a budget, you can be too!

Your marketing doesn’t have to break the budget. Students aren't interested in flashy marketing and social media adverts, as after all, most of these students may never have heard of your salon and so won’t be a follower of your social networking platforms just yet. To attract this particular market, a simple, good-sized appealing banner in your salon window, decals up and around the University and even leaflet flyer-ing at Freshers’ fair would be enough to bring them into the Salon.

• Freshers Fayre!

 I think businesses can often underestimate how effective attending the freshers fayre will be for their business. The fayres are full of new and excited students looking for the best offers they can get. If you perhaps had a stand there, displaying your student discount offers and welcome evening, they'd be keen to come check it out. Your stand doesn't need to be expensive either. Simply a foldable table, table cloth and flyers and posters would make the cut but if you wanted to go all out, why not hand out a few freebies? Every student loves a freebie! 

• Loyalty cards

It's all well and good attracting the students to your Salon for the first few weeks, but how about keeping them as a customer? Once your competition get a sniff of the offers you're doing, there's no doubt they'll do the same which will only result in the students going from Salon to Salon trying to find the best offer. If you introduce a loyalty card where for example after 5 stamps they get a treatment free, it will encourage them to come back again and again for the duration they are at university for and it will also get them chatting to their friends about your amazing salon, perfect! 

I hope this has helped you get prepared for Freshers week, if you have any other questions just let us know via our Instagram page 'SalonTrackerSoftware' -  https://www.instagram.com/salontrackersoftware/ and we'll be happy to help out!

Salon Tracker x 

Feature of the Month – User Permissions

This month’s feature of the month is user levels and permissions! This is a feature available with both our professional and enterprise packages.  This helps with salon security and also means you as a salon owner can control what you want your staff to be able to see and also stop them seeing certain things you don’t want them to have access to!

User Accounts

On our professional package and up, you have the option to create all your staff members user accounts. This will help you see who’s logged in at any time and also allow you to view on reports how much each individual staff member is taking and what products they are up selling. You can also assign your staff different user levels, for example managers may have access to more of the Salon Tracker than other staff members.

User Permissions

As well as the staff member group and the manager group, you can also personalise what permissions you would like to give staff members. For example, if you have one set staff member that does the cashing up every night, you are able to make it so only they (as well as yourself) have access to this report. This helps ensure that you have full control over your business and can also keep an eye on what all your staff members

If you’re interested in setting this feature up or if you would like to get any training on how to use this please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

We are exhibiting at Salon International on the 5^th- 7^th of October at Excel London, follow this link to get your tickets now:

https://www2.theticketfactory.com/salon/online/?SessionSecurity::referrer=WWW&SessionSecurity::referrer=WWW

We hope to see you there!

Salon Tracker x

Get your Salon Back-2-School ready!

So, after a record-breaking sizzling Summer, hotter than most Mediterranean holiday destinations! It’s almost September (countdown to Xmas soon to be in full-swing) and so once you have the August Bank Hol out of the way, it means it’s that time again, ‘Back to School’.

How can you utilise this time at the salon to increase footfall for before the kids go back? First off, you need to start your marketing now, as lots of parents like to sort their back-to-school shopping out early on, and so you want to make sure you’re ahead of your competition when reminding your followers to get their child in for a back to school haircut!

So how do you catch the attention of this opportunity market?
You’ve got 2 types of generation within this segment. You have parents of children at say Primary school up to their mid-teens, and then you also have the college & uni students too. You ideally need to attract each group separately, as the message will be slightly different for each of those customer types.

For those parents of younger children, they are looking for a back-to-school deal where they can come and get their kids new dos sorted, and most likely on a bit of a budget if there are new uniforms, school shoes and lunch bags to buy too. But, while price may not be necessarily a big deal for everyone, we can’t deny that most people love a bit of a bargain (we know we’re all guilty of checking the 241 apps and voucher code deals for mid-week teas). But who says the offer needs to be mega cheap? Think of alternative ways that you can come up with an attractive offer that will catch the eye of back-to-school parents.

How about a family treatment deal? So, say for those parents who have multiple children, why not do a family booking for ‘Mums and Minis’ or ‘Dad’s & Daughters’ or ‘Dad’s and their Lads’ (few little silly ideas – but you get the drift). It could be something as simple as;

‘Get £3 each child’s cut and 10% off your next treatment, if you book your Daughter/Son’s back-2-school trim throughout August!’

‘Youngest child goes ½ price if you make a group Back-2-School booking for your kids, plus receive a mini treat for yourself too if you book in for an appointment before 31st August!’

You get the idea, but they are just a couple of things to get you started – where you could publish these ideas either through an SMS marketing campaign, post on your social media pages or even traditionally advertise using decals in your shop window! You could even post flyers through the doors of local estates to get your brand name out there.

Students, they similarly are looking for a discount! However, this time the initial cost of their treatment is going to be much higher due to the age difference. Where a child under 16 isn’t likely going to be having highlights, college and uni students will definitely be on this bandwagon so you can most likely afford to run some student discount events throughout the ‘back-2-college/back-2-uni’ season!

For any teen/young adult that has a valid NUS card, you could offer say 10% off all treatments, or even categorise this to be only off treatments over say £50? Just to make this a more profitable campaign for yourselves. If your salon is within a location where you have a college or Uni close by, then it could even be an idea to keep this campaign running indefinitely, as once you have the attraction of a new student client, hopefully you can retain them by including some form of student/college loyalty incentive. A little something to think about.

Then you have your retail products that you can use to generate ‘Back-2-uni’ pamper nights, to also upsell your salon products during this time (especially if you’re going to be offering a few discounted packages throughout August, this then helps you to still remain profitable). Or with events such as these, you could even tie it in with when student loans come in and do it as a ‘freshers’ night’? As this is when the students will have most disposable income and will be looking for the best freshers-week deals.

For the younger kids, you could perhaps do a family event night, where there’s complimentary refreshments; like cupcakes etc, just to bring an element of fun to the salon and to keep the children entertained while they’re waiting for their trim. Or, if you’re a beauty salon, how about running a ‘pamper party’ for children in their early teens – where you could give mini manicures and facials? Call it ‘Schools-out’ or something like that?! A few mini marketing ideas for you to bear in mind anyway! But have a think what will best suit your salon, dependent on the services you offer and also age-range suitability.

So, hopefully this has given you a little something to think about in Prep for September! Where for anyone who makes an appointment with you throughout August for ‘back-2-uni/back-2 School’, you could then run a mini discount incentive for anyone who then makes a re-booking with you for later in the year. As after all, once Back to School is over, it’s the countdown to Christmas so you want to get as many bookings in as you can early on so people don’t miss out on their Xmas treatments! Hope we’ve helped to set you up for September and remember if you want to trial our software just head to https://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx and fill your details out – then a member of our team will get in touch!

Salon Tracker x

Best kept Salon secrets!

So our blog this week is one we know you'll all love... why? Because we've done some extensive research to find out what it really is that makes a salon so successful, from the smallest of tips to the biggest of changes; you're in for a treat!

You're probably wondering what these secrets are... and why you don't know them already. The thing is, although Salons are very similar in what they do, they can be very different in how they do things and what works well for some may not work as well for others etc etc. So we've spoken to a number of Salons and gathered together just what it is that they think keeps their Salon so busy regardless of how small or big a thing it is...

Let's start with the most popular answer:

• Marketing on social media (ALL SOCIAL MEDIA).

The most common answer we received is making use of all social media outlets there are available (Instagram, Facebook + sometimes even Twitter) as in this day and age... without a running, regularly posted on social media account; most people won't even bother thinking twice about your Salon. People rely on reviews, photos of work the Salon has done before and can relate to content on social media making them 10x more likely to book an appointment with you rather than a place that that doesn't have anything accessible apart from a pesky telephone number. Not only that, but Facebook and Instagram have the utility to be able to place a 'book now' button on there where you can allow your clients to book via Salon Tracker's online booking system saving you heaps of time and heaps of messages you don't have to go through in your spare time!

The times are moving fast and with social media gaining 280 million users since January 2018 to February 2019 with a total of 3.484 billion active social media users around the world (https://www.avocadosocial.com/latest-social-media-statistics-and-demographics-for-the-uk-in-2019/) that is too much of a market to miss out on! 

• Treat being a stylist/ therapist/ beautician as your hobby and not your job!

When your job is all about making someone look good and feel good about themselves you begin to reap the rewards and your 'job' actually turns into your hobby and something to look forward too every day rather than a job you can't stand and dread going too. Having that passion for your job will not only make you a better stylist, but it will also show to your clients and make them want to come back sooner!

• Accepting the ups and the down's as a learning curve rather than a set-back

Learning to deal with the downs a salon goes through as a learning curve instead of a set-back will be the best decision you could make for your Salon. For example, if you have an unusually quiet period in Summer... why could that be? Did you do enough marketing? Did you remind clients to re-book after 6 weeks? If not, instead of dwelling on it, why not make use of the quiet time? Send out a marketing campaign from your Salon Tracker marketing suite offering 20% off treatments if they come in this week, or why not focus on your social pages and put some offers on there? Business will soon be booming again all because you'd been proactive rather than just using the quiet time as a set-back. Time is money!

Finally...

• Salon Software i.e Salon Tracker!

If you're still running your Salon out of a messy diary with pages ripped out and words that have been tried to be erased whilst sending your appointment reminders manually from your own phone... then it's time to move on. Our users said that using the software has saved them from working in their personal time and gives them so many more hours in the day where they can use that time to invest in the Salon.

Salon Tracker hosts many different features and is constantly developing the software based on the feedback and requirements from our current users. These features include, SMS appointment reminders, SMS marketing suite, extensive business reports and charts, re-book reminders and many more.

To get your FREE demo and trial go to https://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx to have your Salon turned around!

If you think you have any more best kept salon secrets then please get in touch via our Instagram page @Salontrackersoftware  https://www.instagram.com/salontrackersoftware/, we'd love to hear them!

Salon Tracker x