Do Salons Customers Really Book Via Your Website?

If you are still on the fence about getting a website with online booking for your hair and beauty salon, you need to stop for a moment and consider the amazing benefits it offers. It’s not just you and your staff whose lives will suddenly become easier; your existing clients will also benefit from it, and you will see more new customers flock to you, because your website will make your business easier to find, easier to read about, and easier to arrange an appointment with.

Let's look at the many benefits of having a website that enables clients to book online provides, and how to start using it:

• Firstly, having a website for your salon means you are open 24/7 - One of the most obvious of all of the benefits of an online booking option is that your salon becomes an ‘always open’ business. While you are not technically open around the clock, your clients no longer need to make sure to call during your regular business hours. They can get most of their questions answered, see galleries of styles, shop package deals, and make that all-important appointment, whenever, and wherever, they want.
  
  
• Most of the work is done for you - Among the chief benefits of an online booking option is the fact that a lot of your client admin and management is done for you. For instance, most communication is entirely automated and customised to your needs. Your website can be designed so that when a client books their visit, they get an automatic text message or email (or both) to confirm. You can also set it up so that clients are automatically reminded of the appointment 24 hours in advance.
  
  
• Your instantly bookable website becomes a major hub for communication - In addition to handling bookings, reminders and messaging, your website can include easily edited templates for newsletters, emails, promotional offers, announcements, reviews, and more, so you can keep the lines of communication open, informing your existing clients of special offers, and attracting new clients who are searching online for the right salon for them.
  
  
• Complete customer management – Your website can become more than just your digitalised appointment book. It actually serves as the warehouse for your complete collection of customer information. You can manually enter client histories – from past appointments to before and after photographs to contact information, so you can completely personalise their experience, and entice them to make a return visit (and bring their friends!)
  
  
• Decreases lost revenue - With the ability to look at the calendar by the day, week or month, your bookable website can help you to see where large gaps translate to decreased earnings. With this information at hand, you can build a promo offer for the emptiest periods, and boost earnings.
  
  
• You can integrate it with your social media – A website is so much better than simply having a Facebook business page, but you can use social media platforms to your advantage by integrating it with your website to promote and boost your message and online presence. Facebook messages to your followers and clients that include a ‘Book Now’ function can drive online customers to your website’s booking page at the click of a button, so they can make the appointment they want without having to search.  
  
  
• It frees up staff time - Not only do you enjoy more time because you don't have a lot of client admin and other office tasks to do, but with your website’s online booking facility, your staff won’t have to spend so much time on the phone. Yes, there will still be those customers who prefer to phone it in and speak to the receptionist, but these calls will decrease over time as more and more people find it so much easier to use. That means you and your staff can focus on providing top notch customer services to the people who are physically in the building at all times.
  
  
• As the majority of people now do their online research on a mobile phone, any website worth its salt should be optimised for mobile, and an expert industry professional service such as The Digital Salon Group will ensure this element of your online presence is just as easy and effective.
  
  

Most importantly, having an effective and efficient website that enables people to instantly book an appointment at your salon makes you stand out from the crowd. With so much competition out there, it is important for your salon to be found online. Those salons that don’t have a website, don’t have a future, because they simply can’t attract new customers. Those salons that do have a website, however, can not only use their website to flag that they are open for business, but can also enable potential clients to make a booking at the click of a button.  

Many salon owners see building a website as a major hurdle, because they feel they don’t have the time or money to invest in one. However, a website doesn’t have to be expensive. At The Digital Salon Group, we can quickly build and maintain your website, including your booking facilities, for you, making all the updates you need, when you need them. We can help you develop a site with the latest innovations and help you become part of a truly successful community of beauty influencers and leaders, and all at an affordable price.

Find out how we can get your website up and running and help you bring in new clients to your salon by booking a call with us.