Salon Tracker Software introduces; Salon Insights

**Coming Soon**

We are releasing a new feature; Salon Insights.  Powered by Microsoft; it will be a great way for salon owners to track KPI’s and salon activity.  The feature provides salons with the access to a range of dashboards using the Microsoft Power BI tool, allowing you to view extensive stats visually through different graphical displays, including charts and heat maps. 

Now, some of you reading this may already have our Site View feature, that gives you access to reports and KPI’s when absent from the salon.  Salon Insights brings to you a further in depth version of data, where aside from being able to view sales figures, it also concentrates on business peaks and falls, by having the ability to analyse large volumes of data dependent on different circumstances, such as geographical location or climate.

Salon performance can also be tracked against retail trends in peak periods, for example Christmas, school holidays and wedding season.  The heat maps generated through Power BI will highlight peak trade times so that you can target yourselves based on last year’s figures.

Dashboards will outline how a salon performs versus different weather conditions and where salons are based across the U.K.  You will be able to obtain data from your local area regarding temperature over the past few years and input this in to the software system alongside past sales reports, to determine how well your salon has performed seasonally.  And for all you multiple salon owners this is a great feature as you will be able to use this information that is generated by Power BI to compare and assess how salons have performed against each other dependent on these factors.

The Salon Insights feature is optimised for phones & tablets in the format of an app, which means that the dashboards can be accessed 24/7 anywhere, at any time.  Being another great benefit for multi-site salon owners as you can select to view stats and performance for the location of a salon that you are currently situated in, instead of having to be at a headquarters to view your activity in the different sites.  Which again is also really beneficial for those business owners that are constantly on the go, this even applying to the owners of sole salons. It provides you with the opportunity to access all business activity from an iPhone, iPad or a PC. A beneficial way to stay in control of the salon, especially if there should be a time when you cannot be present to physically manage staff and cash flow. 

Salon Insights will be extremely worthwhile for all salon owners, as by combining our software with Microsoft’s Power BI, it means that you can organise and evaluate large volumes of data, quickly and accurately. Power BI will process these results in to intelligent graphs that are simple to extract data from, meaning that business decisions can be made confidently. Excellent for future planning and for analysing, as it is much easier to see patterns via a graphic as a pose to evaluating a report!

So, we’re looking at November for a live version of Salon Insights, but hope this brief over of the information has helped you guys and given you time to have a think about it! This feature will be available as part of our enterprise package, in which you can now purchase on a monthly subscription basis. To all of our current customers, you always have the chance to upgrade if you like the sound of this new next-generation feature!

Should you want more information on Salon Tracker, or the upcoming Salon Insights feature, please feel free to call our office on 0113 3508230 and a member of our support team will be happy to assist you.

We hope to hear from you and help in improving the success of your salon business!

Salon Tracker x

MOVEMBER- Best beards ever!

Salon Tracker Software holds a skill for multiple trades. We always tend to focus on the benefits of our software for the hair, beauty, tanning and spa industries but rarely the barbering businesses.

Now this month is a great month to extend our hand to all you barbers out there in the light of the ever popular….MOVEMBER!

The Movember Foundation is a global charity that focuses on its main aim of helping men to live “happier, healthier, longer lives”. The charity has four main priorities which consist of a focus on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity to have an “everlasting impact on men's health”. (Movember.com, 2015)

So due to this wonderful cause, we are urging all of the barbers who use Salon Tracker, to create a tailored campaign in order to support Movember.  Salon Tracker offers a specialist solution for barbering whether your business is for walk-ins, appointment based or, both! So, if you haven’t yet invested in salon software then you have 11 days until D-day! Until then here’s some of our FAVE Movember beards..

Go to https://uk.movember.com/donate to donate!

A Mobile App: why it is a MUST have for your salon business

Now, according to Ofcom, "66% of the adult population in the UK owns a smart phone". Therefore that means that 2 thirds of the population are actually browsing their phones on a daily basis. With technology advancing day by day, it is good to move with the times and so now is the perfect time to think about getting your salon online and mobile. Research by Lockhart Meyer found that "last year over 40% of time spent online was via a mobile device". There are lots of other speedy ways of marketing, however if you think about it, your SMS and email marketing combined with a mobile app means that your salon is one step ahead of competitors by being accessible at all times.

So what are the pro’s to having a mobile app?  The initial benefit is convenience. If you think of how much quicker it is for a customer to pop their details in to an app whilst on their commute to work or just at home, as a pose to filling out a form in the salon- it is much more time efficient.  Another advantage is the difference of a client not having to ring the salon and then perhaps needing to wait in a queue if the line is engaged.  With a mobile app, there is never a time where 2 people cannot book an appointment simultaneously.  The other positive to this being that salon technicians don’t actually have to take the bookings as they will automatically synchronise to the salon calendar through your booking management system.  ‘On-the-go’ booking is also brilliant for clients who have busy time schedules, as a mobile app doesn’t have an opening and closing time, unlike the salon.

However, some of you who are reading this probably already have online booking and so are wondering what are the differences between the benefits of having a website and a mobile app?

The biggest difference is the accessibility.  Your mobile app will be a simplified version of your salon website, that is easier to navigate around and only has essential information on it. Your website would contain so much more data and therefore would take a little more time to browse.

Another great use of a mobile app is the free marketing.  Many of you will already use SMS and email marketing, however with your mobile app you can add last minute deals and offers to the application, in which clients can easily view without having to read an email, or newsletter (and it also saves you having to type out the campaign!)  You can set up alerts from the mobile app through ‘push notifications’ that notify customers of offers and any last minute deals, promoting your salon 24 hours a day.

Improvement of brand awareness is another pro.  The application will be designed and tailored to match your salon, so that anyone who already has correspondence by you can easily recognise the app as being related to your business.  Great for advertising and also SEO!  Another benefit is that certain mobile apps can actually run offline and so some sections of the app will be accessible without a WiFi or 3G connection.  For example customers may be able to still see their upcoming appointments and your salon price lists whilst offline, as most information is stored within the app itself.

So, moving forward maybe this is something to think about.  Especially in peak sales periods and in the lead up to Christmas, imagine how beneficial a mobile app could be to the salon in terms of promotions and extra bookings!

If you want to find out any further information on our mobile app feature please contact a member of our team on 0113 350 8230!

Hope to hear from you!

Salon Tracker x

The importance of reviews and testimonials for the salon and beauty industry…

In today’s blog, we’re going to take a look at salon reviews and testimonials. Did you know that the hair and beauty sector is the area which has “grown the most significantly in the last 3 years” with regards to the amount of customers actively searching for reviews of a particular hair or beauty salon. “In 2012, this figure was 9% compared to a huge increase in 2014 of 31%.” (Bright Local, 2014) Currently there are no statistics from Bright Local with 2015’s figures however with a very apparent and rapid year-on-year increase we are (approximately) looking at just under 50%. That’s a whopping half of your entire market judging you on your business and talents before they even reach your front door. Nearing to 2016, this figure is very likely to keep on increasing which means salon reviews and testimonials are increasingly more important than ever. 

Facebook tends to be the most popular social channel in the hair, beauty and tanning industry, so the majority of this blog focuses on Facebook reviews. However we will note other methods to help grow your business and all of these skills are completely transferrable so please keep reading!

Facebook is a heavily saturated market with salon owners for multiple reasons. First of all, it is a social network, allowing the ability to connect and engage with your niche market. Secondly, Facebook is aesthetic. Not only do you have the ability to post pictures, videos and infographics, it is friendly and easy to use from the inside working out making it a great place to really establish a brand online with the additional support of customer reviews. 

How reviews can help you and how to get more of them!

• The great thing about having a reviews section on your Facebook or Website is that clients can access this at their convenience. It is also coming from a non-biased party which means the ‘reviewer’ has no loyalty to your salon which installs more trust with the potential buyer. 

• Speaking of loyalty, online reviews are not only great in acquiring a new customer but a great area for you to establish some loyalty with your current clients. The best way to win reviews is going out of your way to ensure a happy customer. This means being completely personable with all clients and ensuring an enthusiastic approach with all of your clients. 

• Rewarding reviewers is important. It doesn’t have to be 50% but a small gesture which shows your appreciation for their time and custom. 

• Don’t ask anyone and everyone to review you. Salon Tracker Software’s review service is great because you can send this to the (loyal) individuals you choose. You simply need to right click once you have confirmed an appointment and you can fire this off with a set delayed time. It’s important to be selective with reviewers because a true reflection is a client who is loyal to your services.

• Google + is a gold mine! Probably the greatest review you can receive since it helps to optimise your search engine ranking. The only downfall is you need a Gmail account so customers can shy away from this somewhat. However, if they have an account, see if they would be willing to review with a simple step by step guide send out. 

• If a client is particularly grateful or enjoys a service, they tend to email. Simply ask if they would mind transferring this to Facebook or Google and make sure you add a link on how to! 

• Respond to bad reviews as positively as you can with a professional manner and apology for their services. May be even offer to welcome them back for a chance to rectify. If they are serious complaints with ill manners then they should be reported immediately.

SMS Marketing for salons tips!

Ok, so we know we’ve done a few SMS marketing blogs, but what we haven’t done is a blog on how to reinvent your salons SMS marketing.The reason why we have chosen now to discuss this topic is because it's absolutely imperative to have a business plan for the winter months over Christmas and New Year. For the salon industry, we tend to have a spike over the celebratory period and then a huge drop into the New Year. Your marketing plan should ensure you are prepared for the quiet spell but also encourage a more stable and positive movement into January.

Even though we do offer a competitive rate in comparison to most salon software providers, we can be in agreement that if SMS marketing has no real aim then it can be extremely expensive and slightly annoying from a customer’s point of view. So below we have listed some ways of how SMS marketing can help you and instances it should be used in. We hope you enjoy the read.

Filtering is the most important part of your marketing campaign. The reason for this is because you can measure your spend much more effectively, which is essentially what you need to calculate your return on investment (ROI). Sending texts of offers out to bulk clients is an absolute no-no and is in most cases, a waste of money. You need to ensure your customer has expressed interest first of all and secondly, deserves the discount you are offering.

Another valid point to make is that you are invading your customers space by marketing to their device. Text marketing is not used by everyone which means you need to make it personal, compelling, relevant and to the point or unfortunately, your number will most likely be blocked.

Reminder SMS- Reminding your customer that they have an appointment is a great way to reduce no shows. You can use the usual time of 48 hours in advance but sometimes it’s best to offer a few more days’ notice.

Birthday Offers- Who doesn’t want to look glam for their birthday?  Sending birthday offers for the birth month of your client is a great way to personalise your service to the client as an individual. It makes them feel special and shows your salon is up to date with their information, making them more inclined to visit you.

Salon Events or Offers- Have a big offer you would like to market to special individuals?  Use your filter system to filter out any responsive clients who you think really deserve the offer and you’re on to a winner. The key with this is to ensure texts are kept as to the point as possible but still professional and also, timing. Offers should be sent with the appearance of limited availability.

Fill last minute cancelled slots with a text message. Even if you have to discount the treatment by 50% you are making more than you would have done by accepting defeat on the cancelled appointment.

It’s a great way to ensure some personality to your brand. You can communicate with your customers and show them what you can offer them that their competitors can’t. Baring this in mind, you need to be sure that you are putting across the right brand impression.

What’s great about Salon Tracker’s marketing suite is that all of your pre designed campaigns are all personalised with your salon details, so, name, details of the offer and a call to action (usually the salon number or online booking link). It seems like such a simple thing but you need to include brand awareness on your text.

London Fashion Week SS16 hair pick-ups!

You may have seen our post on the beauty spies at London Fashion Week, so we thought we’d do another little review for all the hairstylists out there, looking at the best hair picks from the catwalks!

Similarly to the make-up, there were a range of different hair designs, some wacky & wonderful, where others were simpler in style.

The models’ hairstyles differed from designer to designer, with some opting for up-do’s, some a crisp straightened look, whereas others went for a really effortless, wavy style.

Simple ponytails were a classic hit for many, where it seems that the minimalism trend from the 90’s of the ‘low ponytail’ is making a comeback! The designers adopting these trends were Rochas and Anthony Vaccarello.  Christopher Kane also went for a loose pony, however had relaxed strands to shape the faces of the models and added thin hairbands to create a statement.

Prada also went for the ponytail, but as ever, their look was far from ‘simple’, something that Prada do the opposite of!  Uneven fringes were apparent on the models, reminiscent of strands of baby hair, all of irregular lengths! 

For designers such as Marc-Jacobs, he opted for a ‘worn’ look for his clients, where hair looked a little wild, with styles being both of up-do’s and long untamed curls.  Natural locks were absorbed by designers such as Versace and Emilio Pucci, with long beach waves and tousled twists.  Equally Burberry adopted a really heritage look of long relaxed curly hair, with models mostly being auburn or brunette in hair colour.

Other brands included a hint of past eras, where 80’s inspired waves were adopted by Roberto Cavalli and Diane Von Furstenberg.  Designers such as Mary Katrantzou however looked at contemporary hairstyles, using twisted plaits and braids, creating excellent styles for SS16 that are perfectly ‘beach-ready’.  Equally, the models for Marni rocked clean, twisted pigtails that were intricately matching and hair had a blunt cut on the ends.

Etro opted for an effortless look but this was slightly different to the ponytail, with these consisting of pinned up-do’s and straightforward top knots, with loose tresses shaping the faces of the models.  Dries Van Noten took on a completely different path and went for the historic 40’s style rolls that quiffed at the forehead of the models.

The quirkiest style has to be from Thakoon.  Hair looked damp and very set to the models heads…a similar look to hair post rain or a shower! There were also different designs emerging for Altuzarra, with the modern half-up, half-down trend being the key style on the catwalk. Whilst DKNY opted for a much exaggerated, far over side parting and sleek hair, with Jonathan Saunders also going for that severe, clean ironed-straight look.

Jil Sander was the queen of accessories, where big hats were the statement. Very summery in design and giving a holiday feel, something that will be fantastic for SS16!  Speaking of accessories, Dolce & Gabbana and Jason Wu both introduced a range of bandanas and also ballerina style top knots, standing them out from the crowds!

So which styles do you think you’ll be going for? Check out the images we’ve pulled together below for some hair inspo' for next spring/summer!

Salon Tracker x

Will your salon support breast cancer awareness day?

If you didn’t already know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. ‘Every year nearly 55,000 people are diagnosed with Breast Cancer in the UK’ alone which is the ‘equivalent of one person every 10 minutes’ (Breast Cancer Care, 2015). Although we cannot bring back our loved ones, the survival rate is improving year on year with the likes of Cancer Research. Your generous monetary, material or timely donations help towards the development of research centres, analysis of cancerous cells, funding clinical trials and helping to find a cure of breast cancer. 

A hard hitting fact is that ‘1 in 8 women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime’ and ‘being a woman is the biggest risk factor’ for developing breast cancer. So, as women, it’s important to stand together and make a difference if we can…

October the 16th marks ‘The Big Pink Day’ of October Awareness month. We are urging all of our salon owners to get involved with the event by offering special promotions, raffles, donations all coupled with a tickled pink theme to really set the scene. The aim of this event is to create awareness and encourage all clients to donate and support to their best ability all in the name of breast cancer.

Together we have combined some fantastic ideas for you to run in your salon to make the most of Think Pink October! If you’re up for the challenge then keep reading!

• First of all make sure you sign up for a Big Pink Starter Kit with lots of goodies to help you host your breast cancer awareness day.

• With Great British Bake Off taking over everyone’s televisions on a Wednesday eve, almost everyone is up for the task of channeling their inner baker! Think pink cupcakes, tasty cakes and buns. Charge for every bun and all proceeds go to charity.

• Ensure you have a charity collection box for ad hoc donations to the charity. 

• Offer a menu of pink treatments for the week to ensure you are really pushing the awareness in the salon. Try donating 20% of any pink treatment from your pink menu if this is financially affordable.

• Ask staff or customers to donate any old belongings they might not want any more and hold a minute charity sale for old bags, scarves and jewelry. Sell this on for as much as possible reminding customers that ALL proceeds go to breast cancer care. 

• Raffle tickets are a great way of acquiring a pound here and there. Spend £200 on prizes and make it an aim to cover your costs back for this. From here onward, every other raffle ticket can be a profit to give to the charity. 

• Bidding wars! Have a bidding war for certain treatments and all proceeds can go to charity. This could be for a makeover or haircut and style or even a massage. 

• Can you financial afford to offer 20% off ALL DAY to drive awareness and footfall?

• Marketing is an absolute necessity. You must ensure customers are aware of the event in the lead up.  You could even run the Big Pink Day on the Saturday 17th to drive more footfall.