Different Ways that our Salon Software Offers Online Booking:

Living in a world where everyone is constantly on the go, running their daily lives from their mobile phones and even tap and paying for things with their devices, if your salon doesn’t already offer online booking, are you missing out on a big market opportunity?

Accessible to clients 24/7, online booking can help you to enjoy your days off, weekends and holidays, knowing that your salon is consistently making money even when business doors are closed. The service is a great way for those in unsociable hours to contact you without having to phone the salon to find it is after opening hours and there is no one to answer the other end of the line...which could be a missed sales opportunity for you, and a profit for your competitor down the road.

We understand there may be some daunting factors initially to getting going with online booking, especially if you’re still running with the paper appointment book. And some of you may ask if clients can see all of your spare appointments on days that you aren’t as busy, or perhaps you’ve got a new therapist on board and you therefore don’t want to ‘throw-them in at the deep end’ and showcase their services online just yet!

You needn’t worry- these are all things that can be altered within the Salon Tracker system, meaning that you don’t have to showcase all of your spare appointments, so a client doesn’t realise if you are going through a quieter period and also you can select exactly which services you want to be available to be booked online, and which you’d rather not.


So, what methods of online booking do we offer?

Below I’ve listed our 3 main online booking channels, explaining how each one benefits the client and how they can book with ease using these different methods.


Website 

It’s important that your salon caters for all individuals in your target audience, and your salon website is the most predominant channel in which to appeal to the vast majority of age ranges, as it can be accessed on a PC, tablet or smart-phone (if you have it optimised for mobile). Online booking through your website also offers a chance for new clients to register with your salon and begin booking right way, as we have recently introduced a sign-up feature that can be accessed through your website, which saves clients having to come and fill out their details in the salon. We would add an online booking widget to your website that links up with the Salon Tracker calendar, so that the new client registrations and appointment bookings synchronise straight to the salon. As mentioned above, you can alter the time slots and bookings in which you want to be visible to the client when they are making an online booking, however it may sometimes be beneficial for clients to be able to see your availability without having to call the salon, then they can book a time most suitable to them and your calendar gaps are being filled in the process.


Facebook

For those salons who already hold an established following on Facebook, this is a great way in which to get customers making bookings through the social network. Similarly to your website booking facility, we would add an online booking widget to your Facebook page, however this time clients would have an exclusive login as they will be already logged in to their own FB account, in which your salon database will recognise and that client can then also access their personal services with your salon. So for example this could be how many tanning minutes they have remaining, or when their next booking is with you, and so on. A great benefit of having the Facebook booking feature is that our Salon Software also links up with Facebook reviews, so you can prompt clients via our automated SMS marketing service to leave you some feedback following their treatment. The more positive reviews you have on your Facebook channel, the higher the chance of gaining new custom and receiving further online bookings as a result!


Salon-branded mobile app

New to our Enterprise package this year, we have created a Salon Branded mobile app which is fantastic for providing your clients with the freedom to contact you at their own convenience whilst on the go, again widening your salon opening hours. Clients will have their own exclusive login, which allows them to be able to book and update their services at the click of a button, and any appointments made will synchronise straight to your Salon Tracker calendar. Another benefit of the mobile app is you can advertise your last-minute salon deals, which clients can then book instantly from the app, filling your unwanted calendar gaps and increasing business sales. Your customers can see their remaining services with you, meaning that if they have any treatments in a bulk package that are near to expiry, they can easily identify this and make a booking before they run out of time.


…Now you may ask, how will you know if an appointment has been made online?

The great thing about our Software and Online Booking feature is that we sync the two calendars instantly. This means that there will be no issues with double bookings because your salon system will book out within a matter of seconds as your client has booked in online. The system will then notify you through symbols in the appointment box whether the booking was made via your Website, Facebook page or mobile app, which is great in terms of being able to track which online booking channel is working best for you and then you can advertise this to clients accordingly.


For your FREE salon software trial call up a member of our team on 0113 350 8230, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and help to grow your online client-base today.

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