Managing Your Business During a Shutdown

During this time, salons, barbershops, and wellness centers have closed their doors to make sure people are staying safe. But even though your shop may be closed, you’re still in business.  

In fact, whether you’re managing a staff of ten or renting your own chair—now’s the time to encourage customers to book future appointments and schedule services for when you’re open. People want to support small and local businesses during this time, and your clients are no exception. All you need to do is communicate with your clients about how they can support your business. 

Here’s a few ways to help you encourage customers to fill your calendar so that you can keep generating income, even though your salon or shop may be closed for a short period. Business during a shutdown doesn't have to impossible.

Update Your Calendar Settings 

One of the benefits of Booksy is that your customers can schedule appointments up to 24 months in advance depending on your account settings.  Take these steps to adjust the time frame for future bookings:  

1. Open your Booksy app profile and select  “Settings” and then click “Booking Settings.” 
2. Select “Booking for Future.”
3. Select how far in advance clients are able to schedule an appointment. We recommend you allow bookings to be made at least 3-6 months in advance during this time. 

Use Prepayments to Earn Cash Upfront

One of the biggest worries in business during a shutdown is cash flow. Booksy has features to help with this. Use the Booksy to offer prepayments. This tool lets you charge for appointments upfront, which lets you generate some revenue even while your shop is closed. Let your clients know they can support you by booking and paying for an appointment in advance. Take the following three steps to set up a prepayment in the Booksy app: 

1. Log into the Booksy Biz app.
2. Select “Settings,” which is listed on the main menu (on the left side of the screen).
3. Then select “Cancellation Fee & Prepayments.”
4. Select “Strict policy – Prepayment.”
5. Select the % of the service that you would like to charge as an upfront payment (you can choose to apply it to all services).

If you’re not currently using Mobile Payments, you can set them up yourself in under 5 minutes by opening your Booksy Biz app and heading to Mobile Payments. After set up, you’ll be automatically promoted to turn on Prepayments.

Advertise a Package

Let customers buy a package of services or sessions upfront. Selling packages is another way to generate upfront revenue even if your business is closed. Clients can purchase a package now and then redeem the services at a later date when your shop reopens. To create a package, follow these few steps: 

1. Log-into your profile at https://booksy.com/biz/en-us/. 
2. Select “Business Profile” listed on the main menu, and then click “Packages,” to sell a bundle of services for a specific price. 
3. To sell a Package, a template for the Package must be created. When creating a new Package Template, you must specify the Name, Description, Validity (length of time it will be valid) and Price (the price your customer will pay). 
4. Your Package Templates are available for purchase in the Sales section of Booksy.

Start Selling eGift Cards

People love supporting their local shops and neighborhood businesses. Let them show their support and appreciation for your hard work and excellent craftsmanship through eGift Cards. Remember that customers will pay for the e-Gift Card upfront, which is another great way to bring in some extra cash. Simply follow these quick steps to set up eGift Cards today: 

1. Head to https://booksy.com/biz/en-us/ and enter your email and password to log-in. 
2. Select “Business Profile” listed on the main menu (on the left side of your screen), and then click “e-Gift Cards,” which lets you set up an e-Gift Card template. 
3. To sell an e-Gift Card, a template must be created. Specify the Name, Description, Validity (length of time it will be valid), Price (the price your customer will pay), and Value (the amount the e-Gift Card is worth). 
4. Head to the Sales section (also located on the left side of your computer screen) to sell an e-Gift Card. Click “e-Gift Cards” and then select the e-Gift Card template you created. 

Keep in mind that clients won’t be able to purchase the eGift Cards on their own. Instead, ask clients to contact you directly if they are interested in purchasing an eGift Card. You can complete the eGift Card purchase in the Sales section of Booksy. 

Keep Your Clients Up To Date

Take away the trouble of getting back into the swing of things by staying in touch with your clients. Make sure you have up-to-date emails and phone numbers for all of your clients. Organize and store your client contact details in Booksy so it is easy for you to keep up with. Storing contact details in Booksy will also make it easy for you to send updates out to your entire client base. 

This small step will help your business return to its normal operations more quickly once you reopen. And that could minimize the number of empty slots that you have the first week or two after you start working with clients again.  

And do keep in mind that developments are being made all the time. A quick email or text blast will help comfort and reassure your clients. It's no question business during a shutdown is a scary thing, but Booksy is here to help you through it.