The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
by Stacey Soble
4 Tips to Improve Your Barbershop's Guest Experience
As with any beauty salon, guests’ expectations of the barbershop experience are evolving – as is the type of guest looking for an appointment. Once considered a relatively conventional, male‐focused business, barbershops are now visited by all genders, with a growing demand for an easier, more convenient experience.
by Staff
June 1, 2022
4 min to read
*This article was repurposed with permission from Zenoti.
As with any beauty salon, guests’ expectations of the barbershop experience are evolving – as is the type of guest looking for an appointment. Once considered a relatively conventional, male‐focused business, barbershops are now visited by all genders, with a growing demand for an easier, more convenient experience.
To help you meet – and even exceed – these expectations can make your barbershop the brand of choice time after time, we’ve assembled tips from salon and barbershop owners using the Zenoti platform at their businesses.
Remove the wait times
In the traditional barbershop model, the guest arrives, checks in at a front desk, takes a seat, and waits until a barber is available. For most people, the wait time is a waste of time, especially with busy lives and families at home. You can eliminate this step, and see more guests immediately upon arrival, using a variety of tools: online booking with appointment times, live wait times on your website, and a mobile app that alerts you when the guest has arrived.
Guests at the barbershop brand, Ruffians, can book an appointment online in advance and select the day and time most convenient for them. CEO, Andrew Cannon, recognized that guests don’t want to wait for their service and identifies a “simple booking process that isn’t clunky” as a key starting point increating an elevated, end‐to‐end experience.
Create a welcoming environment
Relationships are at the core of the barbershop experience. Guests want to feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. Take the time to understand your target audience and let them know your barbershop is for them.
Creating an inclusive environment is important to achieving this for Jonny.levi studio, whose motto for guests is “Come as you are, and we will welcome you.” Similarly, at Jed’s Barber Shop, the core belief is that everyone is welcome. To honor this, Jed’s doesn’t categorize services as “men’s” or “women’s”. Instead, they list services by hair or beard and offer long or standard cuts. With this approach, Jed's focuses on the experience for every guest, rather than just males. “This has helped us create a more welcoming space and really build a community of people who love visiting us,” explains Dan, Jed’s General Manager.
Offer and encourage digital payment options
Digital payments are now a part of everyday life. Research shows that half of consumers will not choose a brand if it doesn’t offer contactless options.
“Guests want auto‐pay and mobile payments because that’s the new normal for them,” says Cannon. Inviting guests to pay for services via a mobile app is part of an elevated guest experience, with convenience every step of the way. For optimal efficiency, look for a software solution that connects payments with everything else you need to run your business.
Guests at Birds Barbershop have self‐serve convenience at every touchpoint, from booking to payments, all from a single technology solution. The benefit to Birds’ staff and guests has been huge. “We’ve improved the guest experience by eliminating front desk lines,” says owner, Jayson Rapaport. “Our team can focus 100% on taking care of guests in the chair.”
Add a personal touch
When investing in a technology solution, it’s important not to lose sight of the personal nature of hairdressing and barbershops. Remember that the actual haircut is only one reason guests return. Jed’s GM, Dan, sums it up by asking, “If you go to a barbershop and there's no personalization, why would you go back?”
For Jessi Pooni, Franchise Owner of three Tommy Gun’s Original Barbershop locations, establishing a personal connection as soon as the guest arrives is critical. “I think not having a receptionist to welcome guests is a huge miss,” he says. This starts the whole experience, helping to build long‐lasting, loyal relationships.”
Technology can help by taking care of administrative needs and freeing up staff to focus on creating a wonderful experience and greeting each guest as a friend. You can go a step further by storing preferences and insights from guests’ previous visits in their profiles. A quick check of this information helps your barbers and stylists provide an added touch of personalization that truly makes your brand stand out.
To create an unforgettable guest experience at your salon or barbershop, get in touch with Zenoti today.
Contact Us – We’re Here for You (zenoti.com)
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
The Most Wonderful Time in Salons and Spas
Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.
by Stacey Soble
Leading with Empathy, Humility and a Mastery of Systems
When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
Pagoda Brings AI-Powered Operations to Skinovatio Medical Spa Locations
Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
by Staff
How Women are Rewriting the Rules of Grey Hair
At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.
by Stacey Soble
Warm Leadership and Analytical Precision
At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.
by Stacey Soble
Trotting the Globe, Forging Connections, Fostering Artistic Creativity
In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.
by Stacey Soble
Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Success Grown from Within
Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff
The Micro-Salon Blueprint: How Kat Scott Quadrupled Income by Maximizing Her Suite
Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.
by Staff