How to find a tool to increase bookings, reduce stress, and create a better client experience

You probably got into the salon business because you like helping clients look their best — not because you love spending hours managing schedules. Yet setting up and optimizing a steady stream of appointments, including sending out reminders and rescheduling where necessary, is essential to keep your salon busy and growing.

Fortunately, the best salon booking software makes managing those details easy, letting you focus on the bigger picture. The right software relieves stress by integrating easily with your site, optimizing staff schedules, and even handling payment processing. That means settling up at the end of an appointment feels as seamless as booking one.

Before we outline how to find the tool that will make the biggest impact on your business, let’s clarify what we mean when we talk about “salon booking software.”

What is salon booking software?

Salon booking software is an application or suite of solutions built specifically to help salons take and manage client appointments.

While it may be possible to handle your salon’s booking needs with an assortment of general-purpose tools, such as online calendars and spreadsheets, salon booking software is designed for that purpose. This means it can include all the features you need to make the booking process as quick and intuitive as possible for both your staff and your clients.

Here are a few ways salon booking software can incorporate the rest of your salon’s tech stack:

• Autopopulating client profiles for easy reference during appointments

• Managing payment for membership packages

• Integrating with your e-commerce platform to help track inventory across in-store and online sales of retail products

Lastly, and just as importantly, salon booking software focuses on the features you need to make your processes easier and more effective. Then, it gets out of the way to let you focus on your clients. There’s no need to spend hours fiddling with features and options you never use.

7 essential salon booking software features

Now that we’ve covered what makes salon booking software tick, let’s talk about the features that elevate the best above the rest. Keep an eye out for these seven points and you’ll be more likely to find a great fit for your business.

1. Self-booking support

Gen Z hates phone calls. If you want your business to reach younger clients, you need to let them book where they already like spending their time — right in a browser window or on social media. That’s a big part of why extensive self-booking support is one of the defining features of good salon booking software.

Your software shouldn’t just handle the initial booking, either. It should also let clients reschedule appointments in advance and double-check their details, all without needing to call in. Booking options should be customizable to match the aesthetic of your website. Clients should also be able to set up appointments straight from common discoverability platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Google Search.

2. Automated scheduling

Building a better schedule for your business starts with better booking. That can be easier said than done when you’re handling appointments manually. Individual staff schedules, transition times, and other fine details can add up to a lot of complexity. Fortunately, that’s the exact kind of complexity that high-end salon booking software is built to simplify.

By factoring in details such as week-to-week availability, transition times, and availability of equipment, your salon booking software can automatically suggest optimal time slots for each appointment. Integrate that with your self-booking features to ensure clients always see the most convenient times first, and a better schedule will soon follow.

3. Integrated payment processing

Whether you want to encourage clients to sign up for memberships, prepare to enforce no-show fees, or simply make the checkout process as seamless as possible, your salon booking software should also include payment processing.

With their payment information safely stored ahead of time, clients will be more likely to remember the great experience they just had rather than the time it took to settle up. All the better if your payment options interface with elegant and reliable point-of-sale hardware.

4. In-depth client management

Ever heard of zero-party data? It’s the kind of information that users intentionally share with brands, such as the details included in their intake forms. For many businesses, it’s also an untapped resource. If your salon booking software has the right client management tools, you can use that data — and everything your staff gathers in their ongoing work with your clients — to create a better, more personalized experience for each appointment.

But your relationship with clients shouldn’t go on “pause” after they leave your doors. Messaging tools make it easy to send automated reminders for upcoming bookings or to circle back with clients you haven’t seen for a while. Then, your salon booking software should make it easy to jump into each conversation that needs a personal touch.

5. Loyalty and special offers

How do you keep clients booking appointment after appointment? We know you already have the “deliver great service” part of the equation covered. You can ensure your salon booking software is ready to do its part with attractive loyalty programs and special offers.

No need to make clients remember special codes or call in to get the benefits they deserve. Your booking system should remember them by their profile and help them redeem all the benefits they’ve earned.

6. Powerful reporting

Bookings are a fundamental measure of your business’ success. But if you’re just tallying total visits, you’re missing out on valuable data that could help you build even greater things. Your salon booking software should include reporting tools that automatically pull in all the relevant details from your appointments.

You shouldn’t have to be a scientist to pull valuable insights from all that data. Customizable templates, granular drill-downs, and comprehensive export options should make it easy to see your most popular services, slots, and locations, then compare them to the parts of your salon experience that could use some fine-tuning.

7. World-class customer support

Your salon booking software plays a fundamental role in your business. If you have any questions about how to use it, you shouldn’t need to wait for hours to get an answer. You also need to know that the answer will come from someone who actually understands how your business operates, not an anonymous agent going down a checklist.

That’s why customer support is the final feature to prioritize for salon booking software. Having a dedicated support team to help you transition to a new tool and back you up every step of the way makes a big difference. So does having extensive educational resources to ensure your business gets the most value possible from its program of choice.

After all, bookings are fundamental. Your team — and your clients — deserve software that will make the job easier. That way, you can focus on your clients in the salon rather than figure out how to get them through the door.