For the world of hair and beauty, 2020 will be a very memorable time for years to come, and for all of the wrong reasons. COVID-19 hit our industry exceptionally hard - businesses were forced to go under lockdown, many of which never successfully reopened, and health and safety regulations made working long hours exceptionally gruelling. In the span of less than a year, the entire hair and beauty industry was flipped on its head.
As a result of these foundational changes to our industry, the Booksy team has gone into overdrive, creating content to help hair and beauty specialists get through the epidemic, which includes topics on staying up to date with the latest government regulations and what can be done to continue making a profit and prevent customer loss.
But more importantly, our system offers some essential features for hair and beauty business owners to help them get through this chaotic year. So, exactly what features does it have to offer and how are they benefiting hair and beauty specialists? Here’s what made Booksy one of the best salon systems of 2020!
Tip: Before you jump in, follow along on your Booksy trial - it’s here and it’s free!
Gift vouchers are definitely not a new concept - chances are you’ve been selling and gifting them for ages now. But the thing is, they’ve become a real lifesaver for hair and beauty businesses throughout 2020. Each voucher you sell is a promise that the recipient will visit your business in order to redeem it. So, how exactly does this differ from simply selling vouchers by hand? If your salon is under lockdown or simply closed, selling them in your business obviously isn’t possible. To make things more convenient for both you and your clients, your vouchers can be ordered via your online booking page. That means your customers can buy them whenever they want, and they’re generated and monitored in Booksy, which allows both you and the voucher owner to track how much money is left on it.
However, those aren’t the only benefits of this feature. You can sweeten the deal by giving customers who have purchased a voucher priority booking, an additional free service or product, and even a value increase added to the voucher, in order to encourage clients to make a purchase. You not only make an instant profit from selling these vouchers, as well as a steady supply of bookings, but you’re able to sell and monitor each of them with ease.
Hair and beauty businesses in Ireland and in the UK are required by law to issue health screening surveys to clients prior to being treated in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Based on the survey results, you assess whether or not your clients pose any health risks. Now, what sense does it make when your customer needs to arrive at your business in order to actually fill out this form? Thankfully, Booksy resolves this issue with its COVID-19 Disclaimer Form - an essential option that many hair and beauty business owners simply can’t work without. Instead of filling out the form at your place of business, Booksy sends it directly to your customer's booking app. This is a great benefit for many hair and beauty specialists, as it reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 even more. Upon completing the questionnaire, you receive each client's survey that gets stored in their individual records. This way, you can make sure they do not pose a health risk to your salon team or other customers.
It’s time to face the music - your hair or beauty business is going to struggle if you’re not managing your prep times accordingly. Cleaning workstations and tools, as well as disposing of single-use supplies is a given in a post-COVID-19 reality. But your clients aren’t always aware that you need prep time between bookings, which can definitely irritate those who might be in a rush. Additionally, you have to add these gaps before and after each appointment, which can hog up much of your time. And it is exactly for this reason that we’ve introduced the padding time feature. Whether you need to add time to decontaminate your station, or to simply clean up after a messy treatment, this feature does so automatically. When a client books their service, before and after padding times are added to their visit automatically, but are separate from the treatment time itself.
They’re the perfect tool to ensure a steady supply of bookings, even during your slowest seasons - taking in as many recurring appointments as possible should be on your to-do list. Scheduling a series of visits means your customer is going to continue visiting your business in order to achieve the desired look or to maintain one, and they’re well aware that skipping out on a session isn’t going to benefit them. To get to the point, recurring appointments mean more customer loyalty, staying busy during slow periods and making an additional profit.
However, managing and remembering each series of appointments can get out of hand very quickly. Imagine having to book a series of 10 root touch-up sessions upfront for a client, occurring every other Friday at 10:45am. Do you have time throughout the day to mark these days in your calendar? To make your life easier, Booksy’s recurring appointments option allows you to add up to 30 appointment sessions with just a click. Imagine getting a handful of recurring appointment bookings in one day - it’s wonderful for business, but without the right tools, managing them would be an inconvenience.
As our industry continues to constantly shift back and forth from lockdowns to new safety procedures, more and more hair and beauty specialists are switching to more reliable means of running and managing their businesses. Simply put, pen and paper solutions just can’t keep up. See why Booksy is the best beauty and hair salon software for getting through 2021 - test these and many other features during your free trial. No credit card required, free assistance for life!
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