If outdated digital tools are holding your business back, it’s time to replace them with a powerful, all-in-one salon management software. Making the switch to salon management software is a big, game-changing step forward for your salon business. One of the biggest benefits of making this switch is the advantages that will come with your new online salon booking system. We use online booking for so many tasks in today’s digital era (restaurant reservations, travel reservations, healthcare appointments, and fitness classes just to name a few), and salons reap some of the biggest rewards for offering their customers this service. STX Software has an impressive salon booking software that is packed with features that make your job easier while giving your customers the convenience they’re looking for. Let’s take a look at how the STX Software booking system can help you increase bookings and sales, improve communications and operations, and manage your salon business more efficiently!
24/7 Salon Booking For Your Customers
Your customers are no different from you, they use their phones and other mobile devices for everything. If you don’t have an online salon booking system, your salon is at a real disadvantage. Your customers will eventually move to a salon that offers them the conveniences and features that come with online booking. And the biggest feature they’re looking for is the ability to book anytime, from anywhere.
Offering your customers the ability to book an appointment 24/7 opens the door for more bookings, keeping your revenue opportunities open even when your salon isn’t. With STX Software, you can add a booking widget to your salon website that will take the client directly to your booking page where they can book their next appointment from their phone, tablet, or computer. How does this increase bookings? Many people simply don’t have the flexibility in their jobs or daytime hours to make phone calls that may involve the time it takes to look over several different days or times on a calendar while your front desk staff looks at the service provider’s schedule to compare and find matching availability. Your staff might need to put the client on hold to accept another incoming call, further adding to the time it takes to make the appointment. These obstacles can lead your customers to put off appointments until they have the time to make one, let alone attend it. This means less frequent services for them, and less revenue for your salon. 24/7 appointment scheduling is a mutually beneficial feature for you and your customers!
Salon Software With Automated Appointment Reminders
You’re busy, your staff is busy, and your customers are busy. Keeping up with appointments can be challenging if you don’t have reminders. One of the best advantages of STX Software is the automated reminders that go hand-in-hand with the online appointment booking. When you set up your salon scheduling software, you want to make sure that your appointment confirmations and reminders have been set. When your client makes an appointment, the salon software will automatically send them a confirmation with the details of their service appointment. Then, as their appointment approaches, they will receive a reminder. You can determine when automated reminders and custom messages are sent when you set up the software.
Automating this task with email and SMS notifications will save your staff the significant amount of time that they used to spend on the phone calling clients with their reminders. It also helps to reduce cancellations and no-shows, protecting income for your stylists and your salon business. Receiving an appointment reminder can prompt your client to double check their schedule to confirm they haven’t created a conflict (and rebook if necessary). And it can help them remember to attend an appointment they may have made weeks, or even months, previous.
Salon Scheduling Software That Improves Efficiency
STX Software’s online salon booking system will do wonders for efficiency at your beauty salon. Along with appointment confirmations and reminders, there are many ways that the scheduling software will automate tasks that used to take up a lot of your time. For example, creating and sharing schedules for your service providers and staff is no longer a time-consuming task that you will dread. You can create their schedules once and then easily make adjustments within the software as needed for things like vacations, personal days, etc. You can block out recurring times on the salon schedule (for weekly meetings or monthly staff development), and the booking system will ensure that no appointments will be scheduled during that time.
You can also use the software to optimize appointments for the best revenue outcomes. STX Software allows you to maximize booking time with capabilities such as intentional double booking. So, your stylists can fit in a men’s haircut or a maintenance trim while another client’s color is processing. This means extra income for the stylist and more revenue for your business.
Salon business owners and managers will love the STX Message Board that allows you to send notifications to all team members at one time. This time-savings feature also ensures everybody in your employ gets information at the same time and is on the same page.
Process Payments Easily With The Booking System
Another great advantage of STX Software is the integrated payment processing and point of sale (POS) that comes with the booking system. The secure payment processing features allow you to keep a client credit card on file, making swift and contactless check-out even easier. Customers can change or update their payment info at any time, at their convenience. Your clients don’t have to wait at the desk to make their payments; you can check them out and charge their card as they’re walking out the door. Alternatively, the stylist can even check out their client from the mobile app for workers. These conveniences will help keep your welcome desk area from getting bogged down with staff members and customers waiting their turn at a single computer.
Keeping a card or payment method on file will also allow you to take deposits or pre-payments when customers book appointments online. In the case of a no-show or late cancellation, you can still charge the client the amount that your policy states. Every transaction is recorded by the POS system, so you always have an accurate digital record of money coming in. Another advantage of the integration of an all-in-one software is that the data from every transaction will be used in the reporting and financial features of STX Software – giving you a clear view of your business revenue. More on this in a minute.
With the POS system you can not only sell services, retail items, and gift cards through your booking system, you can also set up a loyalty rewards program and memberships to encourage additional services and sales.
Grow Your Salon Business With Built-In Tools
Once you get started with the STX booking system, you’ll find that it does so much more than simply help your customers book appointments at your hair salons. There are some impressive tools built into STX Software that you can use to grow your business. And the really great thing about them is that they work seamlessly with the booking system and the data that it collects to identify revenue opportunities, recover clients, and increase sales.
Let’s take a look at two of our favorites.
Marketing Tools
Marketing your salon can be a full-time job by itself, but with the help of STX Software’s automated marketing tools it’s going to be very, very easy and take way less time. Using the client data information in your booking system, you can:
- Easily use the drag-and-drop builder to create automated email campaigns for any occasion.
- Recover clients who haven’t been in for a while by running a report to identify them and invite them back with a discount for their next booking.
- Use the List Builder to target clients at the time they’re most likely to visit the salon or make a purchase.
Business Reporting
You can also use STX reporting features to identify when services are most frequently booked or the best selling services, retail items, or packages. You can take this actionable data to optimize your service scheduling to meet high demand for specific appointment times, create new salon packages, or adjust your inventory – all of which can lead to more revenue for your business.
Since STX offers you more than 50 advanced financial reports, you can really dig deep and gain helpful insights into where your salon business is thriving (or what might not be working) to help you make informed decisions. You can assign and visually track goals, then monitor their real-time progress on the Billboard where you’ll have up-to-the-minute data on your business efforts.
Choose STX Software For Your Salon Booking App
STX is a powerhouse salon, spa, and fitness management software. The online salon booking system with payment processing and business tools for growth management are just the beginning of what you’ll uncover with this award-winning software. You’ll also discover that it has excellent client management features, makes payroll a breeze, has a convenient worker app to streamline operations, and much more. With all of these advantages at hand, STX Software will give you the edge you need over the competition while making your job easier and giving you back valuable time in your day.
You can give us a call at (800) 766-4778 or visit our website to book a live demo with our team. Contact us today to learn more about STX!