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If not attended to, those holes in your salon’s schedule—whether they are slow periods or last-minute cancellations—become lost revenue that can never be replaced. According to data from REACH.ai, 40-60% of salon and spa bookings remain empty every day.

REACH.ai uses machine learning algorithms to make data-based decisions for salons. The platform scans the appointment book in real time, looking for any last-minute openings, cancellations or appointment gaps. When it finds an opening, it automatically sends a message to the guests who are due back into the salon but don’t have an appointment booked, because they are the most likely to take advantage of the opportunity. The guest can book right from the notification, and once the appointment is booked, it shows up in the schedule.

“The system works on data, and most owners have all this data in front of them, but they don’t know know how to it into action,” says Patrick Blickman, CEO of REACH.ai. “We automate some of that true machine learning. The computer does predictive analytics, it looks at the past behaviors of specific clients and speculates how they will behave in the future.”

For example, REACH,ai knows that the client Mary tends to come in on Tuesday afternoons, every four weeks. If her stylist has an opening this Tuesday and Mary is due but hasn’t booked, it will single her out for a text or email communication. “Now, communications are personal, relevant and timely,” says Blickman. “The system can actually decrease the amount of marketing material a salon sends to its clientele, because it’s less spray and pray and more one-on-one, targeted communication.”

REACH.ai currently integrates with many of the leading software programs, including Meevo 2, SalonBiz, Envision, Booker, Phorest, Mindbody and Square and it continually is adding more. With very little setup, the system can glean all the data it needs from a salon’s existing software, then it send communications based on the salon’s pre-set preferences.

“On average salons generate $2,000 to $4,000 more in sales per month, but some are seeing between $25,000 to $50,000,” says Blickman. “Most importantly, your Gen Z and Millennial clients expect this type of technology in every business they interact with.”

Every time a client goes through a buying cycle, the system continues to learns from her behavior, and it’s overall goal is to take that client who is low frequency and low spend and move her up the ladder until she become a high-value client with high frequency and high spend.

The system’s overall goal is to reach even further in the way it sells to a client. For example, if a client books a keratin treatment, it could notify her that she’ll need a sulfate-free shampoo and ask if she’d like to have one waiting after her appointment, or it might recognize when there’s an opening right after a high-value client is in and suggest she take that time to sample a service she’s never purchased before.

“REACH.ai is a neural network that mimics the brain, it all happens behind the scenes and automatically,” Blickman says. “Technicians have their own fears about suggesting sales to a client, so many times the clients are being shortchanged because they are missing out on an opportunity to try a new product and service,” he says. “Reach.ai help salons overcome that, and offers their clients the personalized, concierge service they want.”  

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