How using Salon Tracker's Online Services can Benefit your Salon!

As summer fast approaches, here at  Salon Tracker we know that this means busy season is close for our customers. In this blog we are going to talk about how using the online services available in our enterprise package can help you and your salon business, especially in these upcoming months.

 

Open 24/7

One of the major benefits of offering online services such as online booking and online payments is that your customers aren’t limited to your salons opening hours when it comes to booking appointments and paying for services. When it comes to our customers who use our online booking feature, 36% of all of their online bookings are made out of their salons opening hours. This means that if they didn’t have this feature, they would lose out on 36% of their bookings. Our online payment feature also allows your customers to buy services out of your salons opening hours meaning your salon is bringing in a profit even when you’re shut.

Reduces Waiting time in the Salon

Another benefit of using our online services for your salon is that they can help reduce your customers' waiting time in the salon drastically. For example, if you’re a tanning salon or a nail salon who predominantly offer walk in appointments, offering your customers online booking will mean that they won’t need to just show up and wait for an appointment, they can choose a time which works for them and will know that they won’t need to wait once they get there.

Cloud Backup

One major benefit of using our Enterprise package is that all of your salon/customer data is backed up to the cloud. This means that every time your Salon Tracker syncs to the internet, this goes to the cloud. Due to this if your salon unfortunately gets into a situation where your PC breaks, gets damaged or even stolen, you won’t need to worry about losing any information on your software. All we will need to do is connect to your new PC and then redownload all of your Salon Tracker information onto there. Having all your data backed up to the cloud also means that you don’t have to back it up locally to your PC, saving space on your disk.

 

If you’re interested in getting booked in for a look at these services in a FREE demonstration of our system please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 0113 350 8230 or emailing us on info@salontracker.co.uk .

 

If you’re an existing customer and are wanting more information about potentially upgrading your Salon Tracker package to our Enterprise package, again please don’t hesitate to contact us by calling 0113 350 8230 or emailing us on info@salontracker.co.uk .

 

Salon Tracker x

Professional Beauty London 2023

 

We are back and better than ever!

Come and join us this March at Professional Beauty 2023 at Excel London. It has been a whole year since we've seen you all and we can't wait to tell you about what we have been working on this year. You can find us at stand Q32 on 5th-6th March and talk to one of our dedicated sales team and receive our exclusive show deal! We will be showcasing all of the new features from the past year and we can't wait to see what you have been working on too. 

What's new and improved?

We have spent the past year improving all of our existing features and we even have some new features that we think you'd love to hear about. Here is an introduction of what we can't wait to show you in March: 

Online Payment and deposits-

We have now made online booking easier and more effective for you by adding online payments and deposits. We have brought this feature out with you guys in mind. Did you know that 40% of bookings are made outside of Salon hours?  This is why we've partnered with the payment provider stripe so customers can now charge their clients a set deposit when booking appointments online therefore reducing no-shows and generating a more streamlined revenue. 

Editable Siteview-

This past year we have been improving our Siteview app so that you can edit appointments within the app. This is available both as a feature within the native app on IOS and Android devices but can also be used in the web browser on any PC/iPad that has internet access. Appointments can now be added, edited, updated and deleted within the app, in which this is all permission based within the software itself, meaning if there are certain elements within the app that you don’t want some employees having access to (for example reports), these can be restricted for certain logins. This is now available to anyone on our Enterprise software package.

Enhanced security-

We know how important it is to keep your reports, takings, customer data and much more safe and secure. This year we have been further developing your Salon security. With Salon Tracker's Professional and Enterprise packages you can create password protected staff logins, you can even add a staff fingerprint for extra security. We can change your staff members' permissions so that only you can access to features such as reports or stock levels. With our fingerprint reader you can ensure that your customers are only using their own minutes and keep their data safe. 

Hardware-

In addition to all of our existing hardware, we have been working on a new hardware feature to improve your salon's efficiency and security. We are now launching QR code scanners for all of our Enterprise customers. All you need to do is get your customers to log into their online account and click into their profile icon to pull up their unique customer QR code. They can then scan this in the Salon to pull up their customer details making the book in process quicker and easier. 

On top of all our great features we also offer free demonstrations of the software and free two-week trials so that you can try Salon Tracker out free of charge. 

So come and visit us at stand Q32 for your very own live demonstration with one of our sales team who are there to answer any of your questions! 

Register for your free tickets at: Professional Beauty London 

See you soon, 

Salon Tracker x 

The Hidden Costs of 'Free' Salon Software

You may think you’re onto a winner when you sign up to a free Salon Software subscription but have you actually thought about the hidden costs and implications that come with it? You may end up paying overall just in the online bookings you take when the money from them bookings should be rightfully yours, wouldn’t you agree?

Here at Salon Tracker we have kept the same pricing model since 2014 – that’s nearly a decade of affordable software that is tailored to each of your Salon needs. Furthermore, we have 3 set subscriptions with no hidden costs… FREE training, FREE support and unlimited FREE online bookings. What more could you want?

The beauty industry is a competitive place, and it's important for salon owners to stay ahead of the game. However, when it comes to salon software, many salon owners mistakenly believe that free software is the best option for their business. While free salon software may seem like a great idea, there are hidden costs associated with using it that can add up over time. First, free salon software often comes with limited features and functionality. This means that salons may not be able to do all of the tasks necessary for running their business. For example, if a salon uses a free software to manage their appointments, they may not be able to customise the system to fit their business's needs. At Salon Tracker, all our development of features is done in house and we really care about the needs of our clients so everything that is requested is always taken on board. We really rely on our clients feedback to improve the software in every update we do – something a free software has not got the capacity to give you.

Additionally, free salon software may not offer online booking or other features that are necessary for a successful salon. Did you know that according to a study carried out by Zippia in Nov 2022 67% of clients prefer online booking and 40% of bookings are made outside of salon hours? That statistic alone is too significant to ignore as online bookings become more of a necessity than a luxury in order for your Salon to stay competitive. Although free software providers may offer the online booking functionality, there is a high chance they charge per booking made instead and in some cases they charge a high amount per new customer that registers. One free software actually charges a 20% finder’s fee for every new client booking so if they book a £60 treatment, £12 of your hard earned money goes to the software provider.

Secondly, free salon software often comes with outdated technology. This can lead to significant security issues. This could make your software vulnerable to malware and other malicious attacks, which can place customer information at risk. Thus putting you at risk of a GDPR breach leaving you with a hefty fine.  Additionally, outdated software can also be unreliable and unable to keep up with the demands of a busy salon which can lose you customers due to frustration and therefore reduce your profit, not what you need for your up and coming Salon. Free salon software has also proven to lack customer support. This means that if a salon owner runs into any issues with their software, they may be unable to get the help they need in an instance. Without proper support, salons may be unable to troubleshoot problems or update their system as needed. Whereas here at Salon Tracker, we are always on the other end of the phone to assist you with any help you may need instead of waiting days sometimes weeks with free salon software providers.

Finally, free salon software may not be compatible with other software programs and systems. At Salon Tracker, we link with payment provider ‘Payment sense’ and all of our POS hardware meaning that everything is all in one place. Additionally, salons may have difficulty transferring data from one program to another, leading to data loss or other costly issues. While free salon software may seem like a great way to save money, the hidden costs associated with it can add up quickly. Before you decide to go with a free salon software provider, you should carefully consider the features and functionality of the software and ensure that it meets the needs of your Salon. At Salon Tracker, we offer a FREE 2 week Trial and a virtual demonstration of the software with one of our friendly sales team, just give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or enquire through the link below to get started today!

Salon Tracker FREE trial!

Salon Tracker x

How to Build your Salon's Profits in Quieter Seasons!

We know that January can feel quiet after the Christmas rush. This doesn't mean that you can't build your profits. We think this would be a great time to look over prices, strategies and marketing tools. But where do you even start? No need to worry we are here to help. 

These quiet periods are great time to grab the attention of new customers, create your Marketing plans for the year, get up to date on your reports or even have a bit of a Salon Makeover.

SMS Marketing Campaigns 

SMS marketing is a great way to engage with existing customers by sending text campaigns out such as for customers who haven't visited in a while. You could even include a January discount. On Salon Trackers marketing suite we have already made a template for you so that you don't have to worry about what to say.  Alternatively an SMS campaign can win over new customers, we think it would be a great idea to send a refer a friend campaign out. This way you can reward your loyal customers whilst obtaining new ones. 

Keep on top of your reports

Keeping an eye on your reports can sometimes take up a large amount of your day. It can be easy to put this task to the bottom of your to do list. This January period would the best time to look over your reports. Whilst you are having a few less bookings you can look over last years reports, takings and products to create any strategies or improvements for the upcoming year.  Why not take this opportunity to get on top of your admin and look at building your profit before the bookings come flooding in. With Salon Tracker you have access to over 25 reports including action log, day end receipt, no show bookings, retail sales and much more. We try to make running a Salon as easy as possible by the reports acting as your very own accountant. 

 

Salon Makeover 

You might even be thinking of giving your salon a bit of TLC. Are you wanting to mix up the colour scheme, get new equipment or even do a complete Salon rebrand. Now is the perfect time, you can get all the hard work done now so that when summer comes around you will have customers lining up to get booked in. 

We think you should take these quiet periods as a blessing in disguise. This is the time to get all the tasks done that you haven't had time to get to and to put plans in place now that will improve your profit in the future. We hope that these January tips have helped to keep you busy and will build your profits in the upcoming months. If this January you are looking to switch from paper cards or from a different software provider now is the time. If you would like to get booked in for a demonstration and two week free trial with one of our specialist sales team then give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or email at info@salontracker.co.uk. Or if you are already one of our amazing customers drop us a message on Instagram, @salontrackersoftware, to let us know how your Salon is getting on in the new year. 

Hello 2023!

Welcome back, and welcome to 2023! Happy New year everyone 😊

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break.

These last couple of weeks we have reflected on 2022, our first year for our industry to be fully open since 2019. What a year it’s been being able to support and help you all to boost your salon businesses this year! We know that the last quarter of the year hasn’t been without its struggles, with the current economic climate and rise in energy costs, however please be reassured that our prices will be staying the same and we will do everything that we can to help you throughout the next few months.

Dates for your diary this year with Salon Tracker! We are exhibiting at the Professional Beauty London show across the 5th and 6th of March at London Excel. We have lots of new features we hope to bring to you across at the event, keep posted here on our blog for release dates. And some exciting news, our company is expanding!! We are gaining another large office space in Wakefield so keep posted on our news page for a time lapse of the new office shortly!!

Last year, you might have noticed we also redesigned our whole website, introducing a brand new help videos section, to guide our customers through the software and assist with training. Should you wish to take a look at this page, head to: https://www.salontracker.co.uk/help

And, for anyone reading this who is currently new to us and are in the process of thinking about a trial, we currently offer a FREE fortnight try of our system, with no obligation, to allow you to see how Salon Tracker works for you operationally before you sign up to a package. To enquire about getting a free trial, please head to our website at www.salontracker.co.uk/freetrial.aspx to submit your details and interest, and a member of our sales team will be in contact as soon as possible to arrange a demonstration. All of our demos are also carried out via remote assistance so this means that, providing you have a Windows PC or laptop, you can have a look at the software from anywhere you are, any time! If you would however prefer to speak to a member of our team beforehand, we’re just a phone call away on 0113 350 8230, where we are always on hand to help you with any enquiries and questions you many have.

So now all that’s left to say is, 2023, let’s go! We’ve got a great feeling about this year and with our help, we hope to continue to ensure your salons are successful.

Best wishes!

Salon Tracker x

Merry Christmas from The Salon Tracker Team x

 

It’s that time of the year again! And what a year this one has been.

It’s been great to expand our Salon Tracker family this year and we’re so glad that you have all remained or joined us as customers, allowing us to help you with your businesses. We’ve also seen two new additions in our team, who have been a great help and I’m sure many of you have had the chance to speak to them by now.

We want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your consistent support and patience throughout the year. This year we introduced online payments which has been a huge development for our system. We have also been planning for next year and have some new exciting features which we are hoping to release in 2023.

And now, Christmas is only a few days away, we also want to thank all of you who entered our Xmas giveaway competition by leaving us some really wonderful reviews. They have been so lovely to read, our team have really enjoyed getting your feedback and it’s been great to have some Xmas fun & give away some fabulous prizes! We have revealed the winners over on our Instagram story, if you missed these please visit our highlights to see if you have been a lucky prize-winner! We will however also be in contact with you for you to be able to claim your prize.

We know that the rising energy prices and after effects of COVID have been difficult for many but we will always try and support our existing customers as much as possible in these times. Our subscription prices have remained the same for the last 10 years and as we go into 2023, they will continue to stay at this price. Also, we often have offers available for new customers signing up so keep your eyes peeled on our social media for those.

Christmas opening hours: We will be open until 5pm on 23^rd December, and then our offices will be closed throughout the Christmas period until Tuesday 3rd January.

If you do require any urgent licensing assistance during this time, please telephone our support line on 0113 350 8232 and someone will get back to you as soon as possible with your activation code.

On behalf of everyone here at Salon Tracker, we’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and a happy & healthy New Year, see you in 2023!

Salon Tracker x

Christmas Marketing Tips

It's that time of year again and we know how busy you must be in the festive season. Have you been so busy getting ready for Christmas that you haven't had time to think about your Christmas marketing techniques? No need to stress, we have you covered. We have come up with some great marketing tips and tricks for your Salon this Christmas. 

Christmas competition

Do you want to increase your social media interactions this Christmas? We have a great idea for you, how’s about running a Christmas giveaway. This idea is always fun and easy to do. You could give away prizes such as 20 free minutes on a sunbed for the festive season or a cut and blow dry ready for the annual work party. All you need to do is create a social media post with your chosen prize and get your customers to comment or share on their stories to enter the competition. This Christmas trick is a great way to engage with your customers over Instagram or Facebook whilst still promoting your Salon at Christmas.

Christmas opening hours

We know that Christmas is a busy time of year, and you will be up to your ears in bookings. If your Salon has decided to have extended Christmas opening hours, make sure people know about it. A great way to make people aware of your extended hours is to do a social media post displaying your new Christmas hours. This will ensure that all of your customers are aware of your extended Christmas hours and will help to boost your bookings.  

    Window Display

    A great way to engage your customers and increase the sales of retails products is to create your very own festive window display. A window display is the perfect way to grab your customers attention and create a desire to buy your products for themselves or as presents for others. At Salon Tracker we think the best way to create an engaging Christmas window display is to have a theme. For example, Winter Wonderland or Santa’s workshop. Having a theme will make sure that your display is not overcrowded and keeps your products at the focus of attention.

    Gift vouchers

    Another marketing tip for this Christmas is to use Christmas gift vouchers. If you are wanting to have an offer on this Christmas how’s about using a gift voucher. Creating a gift voucher with festive images on is a great way to entice customers into your salon and make use of your offers. You can post on your social media accounts to make everyone aware of your gift vouchers and get them lining up to book in with you. 

    Christmas countdown loyalty card

    We have a great marketing trick to increase your bookings in the lead up to Christmas. This year how's about creating a loyalty card for the Christmas countdown. This will urge customers to come into your salon repeatedly to claim their free festive reward. We think it would be a great idea to do a 12 days of Christmas loyalty card. For example, the customer would use a sunbed 12 times and get their last session free. This Christmas trick would help to bring up your bookings and will give your customer a Christmas reward for their loyalty. 

    We hope that these Marketing tips will help you in the lead up to this Christmas season. We would love to see your Christmas decorations and displays, just dm us a picture @salontrackersoftware. Here at Salon Tracker, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

   Salon Tracker X

Meet the Team!

 

It has been over two years since our last ‘Meet the Team’ blog and a lot has changed since then. Whilst some people who you were introduced to in that blog have moved on to other parts of the company, with Joe who was previously a member of our support team becoming one of the main developers working on improving the software, we also have some new faces in the team. We thought that because of all these changes we would give you an update on the team I’m sure many of you have spoken to about the software.

 

Nicki

Hi, I’m Nicki, and I’m Head of Operations at Salon Tracker and have worked at the company for almost 8 years! I started out here in 2015 as a Sales and Marketing assistant, before becoming Sales & Marketing manager in 2016 and recently I moved into Operations. I have seen the product rebrand from our legacy software Studio Tracker to Salon Tracker and watched the business grow extensively throughout my time here. My current role includes formulating strategy, overseeing company marketing, sales, accounts and analytical evaluations. I really enjoy working as part of the team here, it’s a very friendly company to work for!

Naomi

My name is Naomi, and I am a Senior Support Executive here at Salon Tracker. I started working here over 5 years ago now and I have had the opportunity to speak to many of you over the phone in that time. My day-to-day role consists of speaking to our lovely customers and helping out with any technical issues they may have, both with the software and also any hardware they may use within the
salon. I also work closely with the development team and have weekly meetings with them to discuss how we can i
mprove the software further. I am also starting to learn C# coding language so hopefully in the future I will be able to contribute to adding in new features that our customers have requested into the software.

Christie

Hi I’m Christie. I’ve been here for just over 5 years now and have taken on the role of ‘Senior Sales Executive’ following my CMDA degree at Sheffield Hallam University. During my time here, I have worked in different roles such as support and as a result of this I now know the software like the back of my hand which allows me to excel in my Sales role as best as possible. I work closely with the newest member sales and marketing team, Elyse, and have been guiding her in her day-to-day duties. I am also Elyse’s university mentor, and it is really nice to be her point of contact whilst she goes through her journey at Sheffield Hallam.

You may also recognise Stanley in the photo from our Instagram account, he is often featured on there so be sure to give us a follow for more Stanley updates. (@salontrackersoftware)

 Leah

My name is Leah and I’m a Senior Accounts Executive here at Salon Tracker. I have worked here for just over 4 years now and in this time, I have worked in Sales, Marketing and support. My day-to-day job role now is to manage customer accounts which means I speak to a lot of existing customers and answer any questions they have and offer them support for the software. I have also just graduated from Sheffield Hallam with a degree in Professional Practice in management which I studied for alongside working at Salon Tracker meaning I have learnt many transferable skills which I use at work. 

Ellis

My name is Ellis and I’m a Senior Accounts Executive here at Salon Tracker. I have worked here for just over a year now and in this time, I have worked in Sales, Marketing and Support. My day-to-day jobs include managing current customers' accounts and dealing with any support that they may need. Alongside this, I have also been doing some work re-designing our website, transferring some skills that I gained during my time at university prior to starting at Salon Tracker.

Mia

My name is Mia, I am currently working with the support team which I have been in for 6 months. My role is to solve any technical issues that a customer may have. I am also in my first year of my Business Management degree apprenticeship at Sheffield Hallam University, which I am enjoying as I have the opportunity to learn more about the business, and how it works also how I can grow within it. I am really loving my time at Salon Tracker and working in within a team who support each other in every way they can.

Elyse

My name is Elyse, I am the newest member of the Salon Tracker team, I have been here for nearly 3 months. I am currently learning the ropes in the Support and Sales teams to see which role suits me best. I have taken on the project of running our social media campaigns to ensure that we are always engaging with our customers. I am in my first year of my Business Management degree apprenticeship with Salon tracker. This helps me to learn different business strategies and apply them directly to my work.

As well as all of us customer facing members of the Salon Tracker Team, there is also a group of developers who are constantly working on improving and updating the system. 

If you would like to get booked in with one of us to have a look at the software or would like any more information at all, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker x 

How to do Black Friday in the most Cost-Effective Way!

 

Black Friday is fast approaching so normally around this time of year we would be giving our best advice on how you could take full advantage of this event. However, we know that this year because of some external factors such as the cost-of-living crisis, some salons may be struggling to decide whether or not they can afford to do something this year. This is why we decided that in this weeks’ blog we are going to give you some ideas on how you can do Black Friday in the most cost-effective way.

 

Tombola

One thing that you could do in the salon is a tombola. You could charge whatever is reasonable for the prizes that you are giving out. You could include both retail products and either full services or discounted services as prizes. One great thing about doing something like this is that it gives you a way to get rid of some of the stock of the retail products that you have in your salon. By offering services or discounted prices on services, this also gives the customers who win them the opportunity to try new things that they may not have tried before. If they enjoy the service, they may then continue to get booked in for this service which would be beneficial for the salon in the future.

 

Refer a Friend

Another way you can continue to reward your customers is to offer a ‘refer a friend’ deal. This would benefit both you and your customers. It’s great for customers because by just bringing a friend in they could gain a reward such as a free small retail product, a free sunbed session or money off their booking. This would also be great for the salon as by your customers referring a friend, you’re in turn getting a new, hopefully loyal customer.

 

Utilise our Offer!

Running from the 8^th of November to the 8^th of December we have our very own black Friday offer on our software, hardware and SMS packages.

If you’re currently thinking about making the move over to a software management system from a paper based one or are thinking about swapping providers, if you sign up with us before the 8^th of December, we are offering 50% off your first month’s payment on all of our feature packages.

We are also offering up to 15% off all of our hardware. Whether this be because you’re wanting to start fresh with all new hardware, including PC’s, POS hardware, fingerprint readers and signature pads or if you’re just wanting to upgrade some of the equipment you already have, drop us an email detailing what you require, and we can send you over a personal quote.

Finally, the last offer we have on for new and existing customers alike is 15% off all SMS text bundles. These SMS credits can be used for a number of things including: Booking reminders, marketing texts, online booking PIN reset texts and finally our newest feature, payment texts. This means that if a customer is getting booked in in the salon or over the phone and a deposit is required, you can send them an SMS text with Stripe payment link for them to pay their deposit.

If you would like to take advantage of any of these deals or would like any more advice on what you could offer in your salon call us on 0113 350 8230 or email us on info@salontracker.co.uk

 

Salon Tracker x

Our New Support System

We want to make getting help from us as easy as possible, which is why we have introduced a new help section on our website for you and your staff (Help - Salon Tracker). Here you will find plenty of help videos and guides on loads of different sections of the software. Perfect for staff training or if you ever get stuck and just need a quick guide on what to do.

Help Videos (Support Videos - Salon Tracker)

Our help videos have been stored within in the software for quite a while now, so we thought it would be helpful to have these accessible at any time, even when you’re not actually in the salon. The help videos follow the menu within Salon Tracker to make them as easy to follow as possible, starting with bookings all the way through to help. On our help home page there is also a search feature that brings up any videos or guides that match your search, so if you are unsure of which section the video will fall under you can use the search instead.

Each video is around 1-3 minutes and shows a walk-through of how to complete different tasks on the software. 

User Guides

Similar to the videos we also have lots of different help guides (Help Guides - Salon Tracker) to help with issues you may come across when using the system, for example how to reconnect your receipt printer. These can be downloaded to your phone and include simple steps in order to resolve any issues you may be having with the system.

Support Chat

We also now have our support chat live, here you can message a member of our team to ask any questions you may have and they will be able to point you in the right direction. You can also email yourself any chat transcript to refer back to for future help or we can email this direct to you!

 

With all the help guides now being accessible straight from your phones, it makes it 10x easier to get support and to train your staff. Of course, we will be on hand if you do need further assistance with the software, so don’t hesitate to call us on 0113 350 8230 or drop us an email to info@salontracker.co.uk and we will be happy to help!

 

Salon Tracker x

Frequently Asked Questions

At Salon Tracker, we get asked a lot of questions, some more frequently than others. Below are some of the most reoccurring questions we are asked:

Why should I choose Salon Tracker?

Salon Tracker is suitable for salons of all different sizes. Whether you are a single employee business, or a multi-site salon, we have different packages and features available that are tailored to suit your needs.

Which is your most popular package?

Our most popular package is our Enterprise package. This package contains both our in-salon features as well as our online features, such as online booking and siteview.

Can I use my own hardware?

Our hardware is entirely optional. If you already have your own hardware, we will always try to get this working for you, however there are some minimum recommendations that we recommend, as well as some brands which are not fully compatible.

Do you integrate with Tmax and Sigma?

Yes, we fully integrate with both Tmax and Sigma. Once your timer manager is connected up to the PC, you will be able to set off the sunbeds directly from Salon Tracker. You are able to set your own dress down and cooldown times which will then also send through to the beds.

Different staff members are able to do different treatments, can this be shown on the system?

We can help you setup groups so that each individual technician/beautician has their own set treatments and no other treatments will show up. This is so that when customers are booking online, they can’t book a treatment with a technician who can’t actually do it.

How does it work if I have multiple salons?

If you have multiple salons, you are able to decide if you want to share your customers and products across all sites or if you want to keep them completely separate. We offer the ability to view all your sites from home using a HQ, so you are able to check how each site is doing on a daily basis. We also offer discounts depending on how many sites you have with us.

What makes Salon Tracker unique?

At Salon Tracker, we are always striving to be the best, and in order to meet this, we are constantly updating our software and introducing new features to meet your needs. Our team are always on hand to help with any questions you and your salon may have.

I use another system, can I transfer my data over to Salon Tracker?

Yes you can! We can usually import customers, services (including existing minutes) and products. Give us a call on 0113 350 8230 and speak to a member of our team who will be able to advise you further on what can be brought across.

Why should I start using Salon Tracker over my trusted pen & paper?

Salon Tracker allows you to have everything in one place, increasing the salon’s efficiency. Track customers’ history and bookings electronically to ensure that you have the most accurate and secure calendar.

If you have any further questions at all, please feel free to e-mail us at info@salontracker.co.uk, check out our Chat system on our website or give us a call on 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker x

5 ways to increase your Salon Bookings this Autumn

With the busiest season of the year for Salon Owners coming to an end, you may be wondering what you can do to try and keep your calendar as full as possible... luckily we're here to help!

We've come up with 5 ideas that are bound to push your bookings this Autumn giving you a full calendar that you have worked so hard to achieve 

Hype yourself up

Believe it or not but you are your own biggest supporter and social media is exactly the place to show yourself off! You can use your Instagram as a portfolio to upload all your best work and your potential future customers can see just how good you are. A key tip is to tag the client you have done the treatment on so they can interact with the post and even better - comment on it telling you just how much they love it! 

I would also encourage your clients to write reviews on all your social media platforms to organically build your reputation and on Instagram make use of your highlights! Create a story with a 'questions' function on and ask for reviews on here. You can then repost every review you get and add it to your highlights so people browsing on your profile can easily access truthful reviews that people have given you and even more so will encourage them to book. Did you know that 94% of people say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business?

Another tip: Add your Salon Tracker booking link to your highlights too. You can call the highlight 'book now' then use the 'add link' function to put the link on. This can also be in your Instagram bio giving clients easy access to booking an appointment as a study found 90% of people prefer to book online rather than in person or on the phone.

Automatic follow ups

The most common mistake made in Salons is using follow-up texts incorrectly. Texting a client 2-3 days after their appointment has proven to be less successful than if you were to text your client 4-6 weeks after their appointment saying something along the lines of:

" Hi Client, it's been 6 weeks since your last hair cut, please use our online booking platform online.salontracker.co.uk/thesalon to book your next appointment! "

To make this even easier for you, Salon Tracker's effective marketing suite can do this all for you. If you create your own custom marketing campaign, you can use the filters to select 'appointment booked' and change the dates back to 6 weeks ago which will then filter out all the customers who had an appointment 6 weeks ago - convenient eh? This will then prompt the client to book an appointment again instead of remembering a few weeks after.

Use an effective referral scheme

If your clients love what you do, then why not encourage them to talk to their friends & family about your Salon and introduce a referral scheme? Lots of clients will be more encouraged to sing your praises if there is an incentive involved so why not try some of the following schemes:

- If your friend uses your Unique reference when booking their appointment both you and your friend will get 10% off your next appointment.

- Mate date! Bring your friend along for this treatment to get £5 off each.

- For every 5 friends you refer to our Salon you will get a 1 free appointment for any treatment up to £50.

Utilise google Ads

Google Ads are one of the hidden gems that aren't spoke about enough. If you utilise them properly, the function of google reviews plays an important part as well as as the functionality to book through a google ad. 

If someone is new to the area, and they google 'salons near me', it's important your Salon remains near the top as realistically, nobody is going to sit scrolling to find the Salon that is right for them. They're going to pick one from the top that has the best reviews and provides convenience such as an online booking functionality.

Salon Tracker is your Personal Assistant

Above all, Salon Tracker can act as your very own personal assistant and can do the majority of the work, without you even realising it. 

We provide free training and support to help you get the most out of the software as well as lots of help videos that are always accessible.

Our enterprise package is our most popular package and it costs just £90 per month which is less than one Full Head of Highlights per month! With this package you have Unlimited online bookings at no extra charge, the ability to take online deposits and payments with a small % fee plus much more.

If you'd like to trial our software for 2 weeks free, please leave your information by clicking this link and a member of our friendly sales team will be in touch!

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Salon Tracker Hardware

 

As many of you know, as well as providing many salons across the UK and Ireland our booking software system, we also provide many different types of hardware for salons to use alongside their software. This blog will detail what hardware we sell and also how these pieces of hardware can help the day to day running of your salon that little bit smoother.

PC

In order for you to run Salon Tracker to the best of its ability, we recommend using a PC which is Windows 10 or above and one with quite a high memory. This is because the better your PC is, the smoother Salon Tracker will run meaning you will be able to run your salon in the easiest way possible. The All-In-One PC’s we sell come directly from DELL and come with a wireless mouse and keyboard to give your salon that modern look.

Cash Draw

We can also link your Salon Tracker up to the cash draw we sell; this can be either through our receipt printer or what we call a ‘cash draw trigger’. Having your cash draw linked up to salon tracker means two things, every time you put through a payment your cash draw will automatically fly open so you can put any cash or receipts in there. Having your cash draw linked up also means that the system will register in the system every time its opened, be that through the PC or manually with the key in the action log.

Receipt Printer

Salon Tracker also gives you the option to connect it up to a receipt printer. This means you can print customer receipts off whenever they buy either a service or retail product. In Salon Trackers report section, there are a handful of reports which have receipt in brackets, for example ‘Cashing Up (Receipt). This means that these reports are formatted to fit the receipt printer size so you can print them off here. One thing this is useful for is to help you do a stock check. You can print a stock report off the receipt printer and take this with you to do the stock check.

Barcode Scanner

One way to make you customers’ buying process that little bit smoother and quicker is to use a barcode scanner for your retail products. If you have a lot of different retail products which you sell, scrolling through them all to find the right one can take time. Using the integrated barcode scanner means that you can just grab the product that the customer wants to purchase, scan the barcode and it will go straight into the purchase box. You can also associate barcodes to customers and staff members to make finding them in the system a much quicker process.

Fingerprint Reader

For an extra layer of security in your salon, the fingerprint reader is great. You can associate your customers fingerprints to their customer card so when they come into the salon, they can put their finger on the reader and it will bring up their customer card. This means that there is no chance of you or your staff accidentally putting minutes or bookings through on the wrong customer. You can also use the fingerprint reader for your staff to log into the system and clock in for their shift!

Signature Pad

Another form of integrate able hardware which is available on our professional package and above is the signature pad. This allows you to add your salon disclaimer to the system and when you have a new customer sign up, they can sign this disclaimer on the signature pad and then a copy of the disclaimed along with the customers electronic signature will be stored on their client card.

 

If you would like anymore information on any of the hardware well sell or would like a quote at all please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0113 350 8230 or email us on info@salontracker.co.uk

 

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Why Building a Brand for your Salon is Important and how to do this!

 The salon industry is one that is continually growing and one important thing all salons should be doing in this day and age is establishing their salons brand. This blog is going to discuss the importance of building a brand for your salon, whether you have one or multiple salons, and will also give you some tips and tricks on how to do this.

Why it’s Important

Standing out from the Crowd

One of the main reasons why all salons should establish their brand is to help their salons stand out from the crowd in what is a highly condensed market. Creating a strong brand identity and putting this out towards potential your audience will help your salon stand out from the crowd and then hopefully drive more customers to choose your salon rather than another in your area.

Helps you connect with your Customers

As well as helping your salon stand out from the crowd and therefore encourage more customers to choose you, building a good brand for your salon also helps  you connect with the customers. Creating a recognisable brand for your salon will help you establish a connection with your customers and help drive things including communication with your customers and help drive brand loyalty from them.

Increase Profit

Your salon having a consistent and recognisable brand will also help drive sales and increase profit. This is because customers will know exactly what to expect when getting a service at  your salon and this consistency will drive them to continuously come back and also recommend your salon to their friends and family.

How to Build a Brand

One of the easiest ways to build your salon brand is to utilise social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to do this. Here are some of the key things that will help you build your brand on these sites.

Consistency

One thing that will help when you’re trying to build your brand using social media is consistency with what you’re doing.  Whether that be consistently posting to your feed or making sure you’re always communicating with your followers. If you’re consistently doing something this will make it easier for your target audience to notice this and will therefore help you start to build your desired brand.

Uniqueness

Another thing that will help you build your brand is to try and base this of something unique about your business. For example, if you’re a family ran salon, base your brand around this. You could do posts about how you decided to open your salon, the process of doing this as a family and also share other family run business related content. This will help set you apart from other salons and therefore mean that more customers will likely choose you over your competitors.

 

If you would like any more information on anything discussed in this blog or if you would like to get booked in for a free demonstration and two week trial of the system please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 0113 350 8230 or email us at info@salontracker.co.uk.

 

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Our different packages

 Our different packages 

At Salon Tracker we aim to make a day in your salon as stress free as possible with our packages. Our standard, professional and enterprise packages all help manage your salon in the best way possible with all the features included.

Here are some of the features we are offering in our professional package:

SMS Booking reminders and No-show booking alerts

Sending reminders to customers is proven to reduce no shows and who doesn’t want that? Having the reminders sent out is a way to have proof of the booking, but also an agreement. A clear message of the time and date reduces miscommunication between salon and customer and the chance of the booking to be forgotten. The No show booking alerts help manage bookings and see which customers have the most no shows, so the salon has the opportunity to send extra alerts to those customers.

Stock Management

Managing stock is very important in a salon, knowing what stock you have and what you have sold is part of managing a business. Through stock management you can also input the trade and retail price of a product, making it much easier to track profit and your best-selling items. This helps you understand what your customers want to buy so you can provide the desired products, and in turn sell more and make more profit.

Here are some of the features in our enterprise package:

Online bookings

Getting all the bookings available for your salons is very important to us, and the online booking feature will do just that. This feature means you can take bookings whenever and wherever, this is important as many people can’t get into salons to book, but if booking online is available people will be more likely to book because of the convince of it. Also, online bookings increase the number of new customers, the easier it is to book, the more likely people are to book.

Custom business reports

This feature makes analysing your data so much easier with our custom business reports which are located under reports. These reports show all sales, discounts, and refunds within the selected time period that have been made by a staff member, as well as more custom reports for example when you’re busiest and quietest months are using the annual booking chart. Through this you can make sale predictions and also track the growth of your business.

 

These features make managing a business a lot easier, our professional and enterprise packages are ideal for growing and successful businesses.

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