Benefits of Online Booking for Salon Appointments

Running head: ONLINE BOOKING SALON APPOINTMENT
Online Booking Salon Appointment
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ONLINE BOOKING SALON APPOINTMENT
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Benefits of Online Booking:..................................................................................................3
Common Concerns and Drawbacks of Online Bookings......................................................5
Suggestions to improve business service...................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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ONLINE BOOKING SALON APPOINTMENT
Introduction
According to surveys, it has been reported that 35 per cent of clients prefer scheduling
appointments during non-business hours. Not only have that but 25 per cent of millennials
(those under 35) only booked appointments online. Having a salon or spa with an established
website, offering online booking could potentially boost appointments by 25% (Burgess,
2015). While there is no comprehensive study on the impact of introducing online booking,
the numbers seem to show that more and more people prefer to book online and during non-
business hours. Salon booking software is designed to send out text message reminders to
both the clients and beauty professionals. In a report by online scheduling firm Appointment
Plus, text messages were shown to reduce no shows for medical appointments by 50%. One
reason why text messages are extremely effective is that most check their text messages
several times per day. The chances of them not receiving the message are very slim. Older
ways of reminding clients that they have an appointment include phone calls and emails.
Unfortunately, the number of emails people receive, and the fact that many emails do not
make it into the inbox may reduce the effectiveness of this reminder method (Chiang, 2017).
While clients may not be overwhelmed with incoming phone calls, this reminder method is
very time consuming for salon staff to carry out, which often leads to reminder phone calls
not being made. Automatic text messages have advantages over both phone calls and emails
(Gottlieb, 2018).
The two leading booking platforms of online bookings are:
Best Online Booking Software for Multiple Stylists – Booker
For salons with more than one stylist, Booker is a great option. Booker’s marketing network
links a scheduling tool to Google, Yelp, Yellow Pages, MapQuest, SpaFinder, and more. The

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ONLINE BOOKING SALON APPOINTMENT
customers can get an “Online Booking” widget directly on your profile in search results. It is
a great way to combine marketing and online booking in one package.
Free Online Booking Software for Individuals – Square Appointments
This system is best for one-person operation or renting a chair at a salon. Square
Appointments lets the clients book online 24/7, and integrates with a cloud-based calendar so
that the owner do not have to spend time returning calls and emails or handling scheduling
conflicts. Square Appointments also integrates with Square POS, a free point-of-sale system
popular with salon professional.
Discussion
Benefits of Online Booking:
It is required to be aware of the benefits of online appointments at beauty salon. This
will help in positioning the salon above other beauty salons which only offers traditional
methods of appointment booking. Offering online appointments at beauty salon is a great
way of organizing and giving the clients the option of freely choosing their next appointment,
and the treatment they wish to undergo, via the internet. They may access the internet via
their computer, Smartphone, or via an app. It is important to have an online booking service
at the beauty salon (Jelfs & Thomson, 2016). This will help the business to run efficiently and
effectively, by providing several methods on how to improve the management and marketing
of the business.
 Appointment Book: This provides virtual appointment book which the owner and
the clients can access directly, from anywhere via mobiles. This organized and