There are many reasons salons and spas don’t take advantage of in-app or online booking, despite its many proven benefits. Let’s discuss some of the most common concerns and how ProSolutions’ online store and smartphone app help alleviate these concerns, organically grow your bookings, and increase your bottom line.
“Online booking doesn’t give me enough advanced notice of my appointments for proper staffing and scheduling”
We know having sufficient lead time between when an appointment is booked and when the service is rendered is an important part of running your business. The prospect of having an appointment booked online 10 minutes before the service can create quite a hectic work environment!
ProSolutions’ online and in-app booking feature allows you to set any amount of lead time you require, the maximum amount of days out someone can book an appointment (i.e. 30 days in the future), and at what time increment an appointment can be booked (i.e. only at the top of the hour, any 5 minute increment, etc.) You can also choose which services and/or staff members are allowed to be booked online.
“Some of my services are too complicated or specialized to be booked online, they need to be explained over the phone.”
According to research, online and in-app users are more likely to book popular and simple services rather than sophisticated treatments that might require an in-depth conversation. Indeed, sophisticated services are more likely to be booked by repeat clients that already have a relationship with your salon or spa. Still, ProSolutions gives you the power to accommodate complicated or specialized services online.
With ProSolutions, you can choose to exclude certain services from being booked online or require that a consultation appointment is booked first for new or inexperienced clients. You can also include a long form service description so that your clients understand the treatment before making their appointment!
“Our front desk staff is a feature of our salon or spa that provide our guests with a full-service experience”
You’ve heard it before: Millennials and Generation Z are more comfortable making reservations without human interaction and actively seek online booking, with older generations quickly adapting to these trends as well. Insisting on telephone or in-person bookings only means you’re missing out on a revenue stream that will only continue to grow.
If you love the personal touch your live-person experience gives your clientele, we suggest you have both! By providing you with badges on all appointments that have been booked online and an email notification with the appointment details, your staff can follow up with a personal touch phone call in addition to our automated email and text message confirmation system.
“I want to avoid fake, anonymous, or flakey bookings from spamming my calendar”
We get it, staffing and projecting numbers based upon an uncertain appointment book can be maddening. You don’t want to lose control over your business and subject your salon or spa to the whims of anonymous internet users.
To prevent fake and anonymous bookings, our online and in-app platform requires clients to create a profile with a verified email account before being able to book an appointment. After booking, our automated confirmation system sends email and/or text confirmations to the client, and their confirmations are displayed through a badge on the appointment book. In addition to profile creation and confirmations, ProSolutions also allows you to set your own cancellation policy and even require a client’s credit card information at the time of booking.
“I don’t have time to setup and manage an online booking website or smartphone app.”
ProSolutions’ online store and smartphone app are included with every subscription, free of charge. These platforms are seamlessly integrated with our software and are automatically populated and managed based on the information you input through the software. Simply upload your custom imagery and set your preferences, and our online and in-app booking pages take care of the rest!
Contact our sales team to get started with your online store and smartphone app today! Current clients can also sign up for one of our training classes to learn more!
