When you need to go to the doctor, do you pick up the phone and call for an appointment? Or do you go to your doctor’s patient portal to schedule online? 

If you’re like most people, you head to the internet. And so do your salon clients. 

Online booking for salons is becoming a must-have tool if you want to keep up with your competition. Your clients want and expect the option to book online. Not only that, but your salon staff benefits from online bookings too. 

Let’s take a closer look at how salon software with an online salon booking tool can make your job easier and your guests happier! 

Make Scheduling Convenient for Guests 

For most people, scheduling appointments online is much easier. They can book at their convenience and compare openings to their calendar more easily. Plus, they get to avoid the phone anxiety that plagues many of us. 

Customers’ preference for online bookings is not just an assumption we made. Research shows that 70% of customers prefer to book online. Only 22% would rather book by phone. 

When you offer online booking at your salon, you give your guests the convenience and flexibility they want. It also makes it easier for them to do things like 

• Book more than one service at a time 

• Rebook the same services from their history 
• Book with the same stylists 
• Explore new services they may be intimidated to ask about in person 

Keep Your Stylists’ Books Full 

Scheduling clients manually can take up a lot of your team members’ time. Stylists may not know offhand when they can next fit in a full color and cut when they pick up the phone.  

With an online booking tool in your salon software, that time and headache disappear. 

An online booking platform with a smart auto-search function will scan through your stylists’ books for them. Then, when a guest is booking, it can quickly identify the soonest available openings that can accommodate their desired services without gapping their books. 

These quick automated online bookings also free up the time of your whole staff. For example, with SalonBiz online booking, our customers have seen their call volume reduced by 17%.  

That leaves your stylists and front desk team with more time to focus on what matters most—your guests in your chairs. 

Make More Money 

Did you know that almost half of all salon bookings happen outside operating hours? 

According to research, 28% of bookings happen after you close for the day. 18% happen before you open. And of the salon appointments that are scheduled during operating hours, 54% are booked on the go. 

So, if your salon business isn’t offering an online booking option, you’re missing out on a lot of potential revenue. 

Online bookings also makes your salon more profitable by making it easier to upsell retail products. A client can quickly see what conditioner their stylist used last time and pick it up when they come in for their next touchup. Or they can easily add a gift card for a family member to their cart when making an appointment.  

In fact, SalonBiz customers who offer online gift cards open, on average, a $30,000 additional revenue stream. 

Reduce Cancelations 

Nothing is more annoying than when a client calls to cancel their appointment—an hour before it’s scheduled. That’s money lost for your salon and time wasted for your stylist. 

A robust online salon scheduling software will give you more control over payments and cancelations. With SalonBiz, for instance, you can create payment exceptions and require a card on file when clients book online.  

Essentially, this means that salon owners can create a targeted cancelation policy and require a deposit for specific services.  

For example, you may not want to penalize a client for canceling a hair trim. But if they booked an appointment for a more complex service, like hair extensions, you can require a deposit and impose a cancelation fee.  

Cancelation fees and nonrefundable deposits will make guests think twice before canceling last minute.

Provide a More Cohesive Guest Experience 

A good salon online booking tool will integrate seamlessly with your brand. This helps keep your guest experience consistent from booking until checkout. 

Non-integrated salon scheduling software often takes customers off your website to complete the booking. Heading to an unfamiliar third-party website can be a red flag and deter some people, especially if a card on file is required.  

An integrated tool will keep clients on your website as they book. 

Higher-tier online booking tools will also let you customize your booking-related communications. With our salon management software, for example, you can completely brand your online booking emails. This includes confirmation messages, reminder emails, and similar comms.  

Branded emails tell clients right away that a message is coming directly from you. No confusion, no uncertainties. 

Boost Your Online Bookings with Our Salon Management Software 

There’s no reason to stop at reading about the benefits of online booking for a salon business when you can experience them yourself. Book a demo with our team to get started with SalonBiz online booking! 

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