Booking Your Next Beauty Appointment is Going to get a Whole Lot Easier!
Have you ever wondered why you can’t book a blow dry or wax on your computer or phone, despite being able to book basically anything else you want that way? Have you ever really really needed a hair appointment, but time and time again you’re just so busy during business hours that you forget to call up and book one, and only remember when they’re shut and no-one is answering the phone? Only for the same exact thing to happen again the very next day? Happens to me all the time.
Or you do remember but it is their rush hour and the phone goes unanswered, or you get put on hold for ages. It’s just not a convenient way to book.
It has seemed strange for a while now, that the beauty service industry seems to be taking so much longer to embrace digital than other service industries. Especially when you consider just how rapidly women have taken to smart phones, we’ve really embraced the convenience and time savings they offer, and even more. One study even found that 63% of all American women would give up sex for their smart mobile phone! So in an industry primarily used by women, being able to book via your smart phone just seems like a match made in heaven, and not being able to, is a real downer.
Luckily, we’re going to be saved by tech!
Apps and mobile friendly website are popping up all across the globe, allowing you to book and pay for your next beauty appointment at any time of day from anywhere you can get internet access on your phone. Treatwell is the big one in the UK, BeautyBooked is doing great in the states and for all our lovely Australian readers, Bookwell has just opened up shop and already has hundreds of salons ready for you to book. What does this mean? You get home at 9pm after a huge day at work, pour that glass of wine you have been pining for since 5:30 and then all of a sudden remember you forgot to book your hair appointment, and you’ve got a party that weekend. But now, that is no problem, you pull out your phone and book your favourite salon, at the time you want, in minutes. All from your couch!
And they are not just useful for time starved professionals, when I was travelling one thing that was really hard was being able to book a salon in whichever city I would be in next, because I wasn’t going to be there long, and I had no idea which salons were good. But these new booking platforms also let users leave reviews! All you have to do is take a look at the desired city, and pick whichever salon has the best reviews. Travel beauty sorted!
It is surprising it has taken this long though. Consumers often use Twitter or Facebook to communicate with businesses, rather than by using the dedicated help/support channels provided. So it can be very crippling to a business that does not provide these channels or use them effectively.
An example of this is the ability to see how much down time the salon has in a day/week and attempt to fill that time up with special offers to existing customers. Downtime is lost time, and those lost profits can have serious ramifications for small businesses. Decrease down time and your business immediately becomes more robust.
It is no wonder these platforms are proving popular with formerly tech phobic salon owners, as the partnerships truly do represent a win-win situation for all involved. Business owners get reliable access to new clients and more convenient time management, customers get the convenience of online booking, and the platforms themselves increase in success as the venues do.