We actually developed the first online booking engine in 1999. I can tell you from experience that it has taken a long time for the majority of salon owners to accept the benefits and safety of this invaluable service. When we first introduced this product, many beauty pros had been on the Inteet for a matter of months, not years; it presented an unknown and somewhat scary proposition. Fast-forward to 2011, and online booking is no longer an option. Today, your clients are paying their bills and making small and even major purchases online. They also book the majority of their travel and hotel reservations through the Inteet. Many clients are no longer willing to always make appointments according to your salon's schedule. It's just not the way of the world these days. Harms answers some of the most common "what ifs" posed by conceed salon owners:
Q: What if a client makes multiple bookings for the same service?
A: Your online booking system shouldn't allow that to happen. If a client makes an appointment on Thursday, for instance, and then tries to make another appointment for the same service on Friday, the program needs to prompt the client to choose one appointment.
Q: I'm worried that pranksters will fill my books with baloney bookings. Is this really a problem?
A: You can circumvent bogus bookings by either not allowing clients to book online until they've been approved to do so, or by asking them to create an online profile that includes credit card and billing information. The online booking system you use should be able to detect whether it's a valid credit card number. Once a booking is made, an email booking alert should be sent to the appropriate staff members to ensure that everything is as it should be.
Q: How does the online booking engine know how long to book for an appointment?
A: Any online booking engine should have custom parameters set for different types of services. However, it should also use a client's booking history to more accurately make each appointment. If Mrs. Jones always takes an extra 15 minutes for her color service, for instance, then the program should recognize that and book her appointment accordingly. As mentioned before, to ensure that all online bookings are done correctly, an email should also be generated to alert the stylist and/or salon management of the appointment.
Q: What happens if an early appointment is booked online after a stylist has left for the day?
A: Sorry to be redundant, but an email should be automatically generated to alert the stylist and/or front desk of the appointment, eliminating the element of surprise. You can limit the amount of advanced notice that clients are allowed to book. And even though a stylist may be scheduled to start work at 9 a.m., the online booking system can be set to not accept new appointments until a later time of day.
Q: I may not want all of my employees to be booked online. How do I control this?
A: Each service provider must be approved before he or she can receive online bookings.
Q: How do I prevent online bookings from occurring on certain days?
A: Your online booking system should be able to limit the days and hours that you do not want to be booked online. If you only want your slowest days to be available for online bookings, you should be able to do that. If you only want your online booking feature to be available when your salon is closed, you should be able to do that too. This is true for individual service providers or your entire salon staff.
Kitomba, makers of salon and spa software for salons in Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., recently revealed the company’s online booking traffic.
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