All the Ways Online Booking Saves You Time, Money and Headaches

When Amanda Barror opened Aqua Salon and Spa in 2008 in Salem, MA, booking appointments was all about the phone, the book and a pencil. A year and a half ago, Amanda opened her second location in Beverly, Massachusetts, and jumped at the opportunity to shift both salons to Rosy Salon Software’s online booking system. Now she wonders how she ever lived without it!

Giving Back the Gift of Time

Time is probably the biggest factor when it comes to online booking. There’s the time saved answering the plethora of communications coming in from clients these days—Facebook, Instagram, direct messages, texts, emails. “Now I can just direct all my clients online when they reach out to book appointments,” says Barror.

And there’s the time saved by the front desk team. Not only are they fielding fewer calls (Barror estimates half her clients now book online), they’re also freed from doing confirmation calls and emails, because with Rosy, confirmations are automated. “We have the option of text confirmations, which is huge,” says Barror. “Clients get a text two days prior to the appointment, and another one the same day. It really reduces no-shows.” 

The program also reduces checkout time—checkouts can be done with the click of a button. So even if front desk members are tied up, a stylist can easily check her client out and send her on her way. All this efficiency means front desk personnel can devote themselves to real-time customer care and service.

Busy clients also benefit. They no longer must find time to call for appointments—the system is up and running 24/7. So a client can book an appointment after she gets the kids to bed when the salon is closed; that moment at 6 a.m. when her regrowth suddenly appears out of nowhere or on Sunday night when she’s organizing her week.

Easy to Implement, Easy to Use

Onboarding with Rosy is easy, according to Barror. “I sit with every new stylist for about an hour—going over the scheduling, check-in, record-keeping and check-out features, and they get it,” she says. “It’s a very easy, intuitive system to learn with lots of prompts. All our stylists have the app on their phones. When a client books, they get a text so they can immediately check to see if the appointment was booked correctly. They also get a text when the client checks into the salon.”

The ease of use extends to the client as well. “A lot of clients have commented on how easy it is,” says Barror. “And because of that, we’ve seen a definite increase in new clients, plus regular clients are coming back more often because it’s so convenient. I have a client in her late 70s and she’s using it!”

Another real plus for Barror is the ability to connect both salon locations as well as every team member on the system. “We have a lot of booth renters,” she says. “We want them involved, but separate. So now we’re all on the same system. They can maintain their own bookings, but I can see everyone on one screen.”

For the back end, the Rosy system also offers many important features. Clients can see their own records, so they know what they’ve booked before and what they’ve purchased in terms of retail. It’s easy for stylists to input notes and formulas after appointments. The system knows how much time each stylist needs for each service and books accordingly. All of which makes Rosy a must-have for Salon Aqua!  “I’m not sure if and when I’ll open my third salon,” laughs Barror. “But when I do, our online booking will make it so much easier!”