One of the most essential features of great salon software are customer records. Synchronised with an appointment book, they pretty much make up the core of salon software. They may seem like a pretty basic feature - nothing too impressive, just a place to store notes, you can take care of that using pen and paper - but the reality may surprise you. Electronic customer records can truly be a lifesaver for your salon. Why is it so important to have a reliable system that provides this feature? Let’s go on a journey through the possible scenarios where digital customer records are truly irreplaceable. Imagine that…
You keep all your information on clients on sticky notes you usually stick to the pages of your notebook. Every so often (okay let's be honest - it happens all the time) one of them goes missing, and you have to come up with the formula for a root touch-up on the spot. Or, in the worst case, you lose your sticky note with client information pertaining to their PPD allergy and you're about to apply their colour. After each of these close calls, you swore to be more careful with your notes. Finally, the day came - you’ve lost your notebook, and therefore - all the formulas, all the names, all the phone numbers. Restoration will take months… and until then, you are left with vestigial knowledge of your own clientele. And believe me - they will notice!
Digital customer records are very reliable because you cannot simply lose the data. Once submitted to your system, it will stay there until you decide to delete it. Booksy is cloud-based and therefore secures your data perfectly - even if something bad happens to your electronic device, your records will remain unbothered as the software keeps all the data in the cloud.
Let’s say you didn’t lose your notebook with customer records - it is on the reception desk, where you always leave it. One of the stylists is planning to leave your business and start working on their own - unfortunately, instead of parting ways on good terms, they want to play dirty. While you are busy ordering stock and other employees are focused on their clients, the dishonest one simply opens the notebook and copies customers’ names and phone numbers (and even a few colour formulas). You just fell victim to data theft and are not only likely to lose some customers, but you may face legal problems - salons in the EU must be compliant with GDPR and those in the UK - with UK-GDPR, which both obligate you to ensure data security.
Booksy allows you to assign employees different user roles - you can restrict staff from adding, editing, deleting and even viewing client data and statistics. All of the information is kept in one place, but at the same time - you can manage the visibility for different staff members.
A “long time no see” client arrives with a very intense request - she wants a perm. You quickly go through your notebook (When was the last time that customer has visited you? Are the notes on her even there? Maybe they are in the previous notebook you have already archived, or…), then you give up and simply ask the client about their hair history. You are pretty sure you have seen her rocking a blonde balayage at some point, but she swears she hasn't lightened her hair in years. So you start perming and when it’s time to reveal the curl, instead of bouncy locks you see a sad gummy mess. The client wasn’t honest with you - she had years of intense changes hidden under an all-over colour and the hair was definitely chemically processed recently. You are fuming, the client is crying, her hair is melting.
This wouldn't have happened if the client's records were stored in a digital customer list. The most important bits of information are always at hand, secured in the system. Whenever your client has a chemical treatment done, you can make a note of that (and even add photos for future reference). Some customers lie about the state of their hair because they want to have it done as soon as possible and know you would be against the idea, are too embarrassed about their DIYs or are unaware that some information is very important. So remember to always run a strand test, inform how crucial it is to be honest… and write down everything they tell you in your digital records!
Another client with a complicated hair history visits you and wants a full head of intense highlights. Taught by the previous experience, you are very persistent during the consultation, so the customer tries their best to explain the knotty meanders of their hair journey. During the next fifteen minutes, you learn that they used to wear pink space buns twenty years ago, blonde perm seventeen years ago, a straight copper mane twelve years ago, got married ten years ago, rocked a shagged mullet seven years ago, got divorced six years ago (Was mullet the reason?!)... You waste a lot of time trying to get all the details on things that may affect the service - and end up rushing the service itself as the next appointment is dangerously closing in with every minute.
Storing all the information you get from your client allows you to have a solid knowledge base every time they visit you. Of course, the initial consultation is necessary every single time, but it will be much easier and quicker to do if you already know plenty about the clients’ hair. One quick glance into your Booksy and you already know how much their hair has been processed, when their last harsh chemical treatment was and which products to avoid as they irritate the customer’s scalp.
After all that fuss with explaining their hair history at the last visit, the client decides that they want to get their hair done by your co-worker this time. It’s perfectly fine - your colleague is a fashion colours master and the customer wants to go half-pink, half-turquoise until the co-worker asks you to quickly give them information on the customer’s hair history. Then you are mortified.
Even if you have a brilliant memory and can keep in mind every single detail on your customers, all it takes is to have someone else from the team provide the service and the lengthy process of describing hair history starts all over again. With a digital solution, every employee can have access to customer records and update them whenever the client gets something new done. No time wasted on trying to onboard your colleague - they can get all the facts, formulas and warnings straight from the device.
Digital customer records may seem like something you can skip and just keep writing information on your clients on a piece of paper… but that’s a huge misconception. In reality, they are an absolute necessity to keep your salon in check. A complete history of appointments and purchases, before and after photos, different access levels for different employees and advanced data security - those are the elements you should look for in your salon software. Booksy has it all, as well as plenty other functionalities, created with the needs of salon owners in mind. Try it for free… and we guarantee you will want to stay with us for good!
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