It’s not long until your salon or spa will be busy again but have you updated your operating system and booking process so it’s post-lockdown ready? These software tools will help your business thrive when you reopen, writes Amanda Pauley

Getting your salon or spa back on track after coronavirus lockdown may seem like a big feat but now is the perfect time to assess your booking processes and make those much-needed changes before July 4, which is the UK Government’s estimated reopen date for beauty and spa businesses in England.

To help your salon survive during the pandemic, we’ve rounded up seven of the best software tools to help you manage your cash flow, nail your social media, execute the right email marketing and, most importantly, enable your staff to work in a safe environment that adheres to the Government’s social distancing measures.

1. System audit and streamline with Premier Software

Salon by Premier Software is offering owners free remote system audits and account-management meetings to help you spring clean your software so you can get it in tip-top shape for when you reopen. Premier trainer Becky Sims will cover topics such as marketing, financials and reporting, stock, system auditing, advanced reception features and software configuration, with these meetings lasting around two hours.

The aim is to highlight the areas that could be streamlined in your business. For example, a section on marketing will cover how salon owners can create email templates to send Covid-19 updates to clients, while a segment on web booking and online consultations will help your business to run with a process that meets the Government’s social distancing measures.

Special June offer: £39.50 deposit, with a freeze on the first two months’ support payments (T&Cs apply)

premiersoftware.co.uk

2. Operate while social distancing with Phorest

Software provider Phorest has a variety of options to help your business adapt, including its Online Storefeature, which helps salons shift stock during lockdown so you can generate revenue. The feature syncs with your stock and client history, while also generating store links to use on social media. It’s an ideal way to stay in touch with clients and keep them topped up with their favourite items.

When you reopen, the company’s app Phorest Go will enable your team to manage their daily columns on their mobiles – removing the need to gather at reception or share touchscreens so you can maintain the Government’s two-metre social distancing rule. The app also includes push notifications so your beauty therapist will be alerted when their client has arrived.

Price available upon request

phorest.com/gb

Phorest

3. Make more services digital with Timely

Spas and beauty salons can perform digital consultations via Timely’s Consult app, which sends forms to clients to fill in ahead of their visit and can be combined with video calls.

There’s also online contactless payments with TimelyPay, cutting down the issue of shared payment touch points. Timely has also launched automated contact tracing, and although it’s not clear if this is a requirement in the UK yet [at the time of writing], it’s a good safety net to have. “Around the world, businesses are being asked to collect and keep up-to-date client information of anyone coming into their premises post-lockdown,” explains Simon Christie, head of product.

“Our tool updates client contact details straight from their phone – you just add a link to your appointment reminder SMS – and all your records will be accurate and secure.”

Packages start from £20 per month per staff member and include 100 SMS messages gettimely.com

4. Manage money well with Float

If you’re worried about your finances, it’s worth investing in an app that will give you a real-time view of your cash flow. Float provides a visual graph of what’s happening with your money, based on real-time information so you can make cash flow-forecasting decisions confidently. It automatically syncs with your accounting software so you can see incoming cash, outgoing expenses, and which bills and invoices are overdue.

It allows you to run business decision scenarios based on your current cash flow, enabling you to see the financial impact if you lose a client, increase expenses or receive late payments – all factors that could impact your salon’s survival during the pandemic.

From £39 per month (if billed annually) floatapp.com

Salon by Premier Software

Salon Tracker

5. Swot up on email marketing with Udemy

Now is the perfect time for you and your team to upskill so that you have a better understanding of how to run your salon successfully when you reopen. Udemy is a global marketplace for learning, with more than 150,000 online courses you can undertake, covering finance, marketing, communication, sales, accounting and more – all the things you’ll need to be hot on in the coming months.

For example, learn how to nail your marketing with courses on how to write better emails, or get ready to boost retail sales by swotting up on how to sell like a pro. You can open an individual or a business account on the platform, giving your team access to these helpful resources.

Price on application

udemy.com

6. Deliver first-class social content with Shortcuts

If your social media game has fallen by the wayside in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, then take advantage of Shortcuts’ exclusive partnership with platform Social Sorted. Accounts of Shortcuts get free membership until the end of June, giving you access to Social Sorted’s collection of curated content – for example, cool images paired with inspirational quotes – which you can use to engage your Instagram and Facebook followers before reopening.

Shortcuts is also offering accounts free online training every Wednesday, covering issues such as adjusting service details and essential stock and reporting. Shortcuts Cloud Appointment Book software can be used on smartphones and tablets too so your team can manage their day from their own treatment room.

Packages start from £20 per month

shortcuts.co.uk/demo/

7. Up your safety protocols with Salon Tracker

Salon Tracker’s online booking system has a “breaks” tool that lets you block out a chunk of slots in any column to ensure you have adequate time to practise social distancing measures. This feature is ideal for adopting extra safety protocols as it allows you to only have a certain number of clients coming in, and therapists working in certain spaces, at any given time.

Within the company’s Enterprise package, the Siteview App is being updated too, so all users will be able to view their appointments as they are entered onto the software system or made online. This means therapists will be able to add, edit and remove appointments from within the app on their mobile, so employees won’t have to operate from the same salon computer.

Special offer: 50% off the first three months if you trial the software before July 4, otherwise £90pcm

salontracker.co.uk

DON’T MISS:

UPSKILL WITH PB’S FREE WEBINARS

Professional Beauty has enlisted the help of top beauty experts to provide free webinars to support salons and spas during this difficult time. Topics covered include 10 ways to double your cash post-Covid-19 and how to introduce a price increase in your salon. Watch past webinars on PB’s YouTube and see upcoming ones at professionalbeauty.co.uk/webinars