Streamlined and sustainable

Salon and spa software is evolving to meet the needs of modern businesses. We take a look at some of the industry’s biggest software brands’ AI and sustainability features

Salon and spa management software has come a long way from its early days – initially designed to streamline appointment scheduling and maintain customer records, modern software now offers a full suite of sophisticated features. These range from online booking to customer relationship management (CRM), point-of-sale (POS) systems and advanced stock management capabilities.

Recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are enabling salon owners, spa managers and selfemployed beauty therapists to manage their businesses more efficiently than ever before, while software’s paperless and cloud-based capabilities mean that businesses can hit their sustainability targets with ease.

Spotlight: Timely

Booking software helps put you in control of the client experience, and Timely’s customisable calendar lets you manage your beauty business from anywhere, while clients can book appointments online at any time.

Customisable features mean salon and spa owners stay in control of their brand. TimelyPay terminals enable fast and secure in-salon payments and sync directly with Timely so users are always up to date. With TimelyPay, you can protect revenue by taking deposits and cancellation fees online.

Other features include:

Client retention: Use automated messages for appointment reminders, aftercare tips and rebooking prompts. Timely’s loyalty schemes and VIP promotions help clients feel appreciated in order to boost loyalty.

Digital consultations: Save time and offer a smoother client experience with customisable digital forms that clients can fill out online.

Transparent pricing: With no hidden fees, salons have predictable monthly costs without new client fees or terminal rental fees. hello@gettimely.com 020 3808 0465 gettimely.com

Spotlight: Zenoti

Zenoti is a cloud-based software solution for the beauty, wellness and fitness industries, used by over 30,000 businesses in 50 countries. With its AI-first all-in-one platform, Zenoti helps to deliver business growth.

The brand has recently announced the launch of a suite of AI-powered features, including an AI-powered phone system, and “Zeenie”, an AI assistant focused on navigation, marketing, and analytics.

The AI-powered phone system helps salons, spas, med-spas and gyms provide a superior customer experience with new features like real-time guest information, automatic call transcription and analysis, as well as missed-call handling, and the myZen mobile app.

The AI assistant, Zeenie, provides intuitive help and navigation thereby enhancing Zenoti’s ease of use. Zeenie also has advanced AI marketing tools that deliver personalised campaigns to boost customer engagement and retention. AI-powered analytics also provide deep business insights that help salon and spa owners make data-driven decisions for growth and success. sales@zenoti.com 0161 513 5339 zenoti.com

Phorest

Phorest software uses AI to take stock and inventory reports. Through the use of AI, the software can feed your reports into a generative AI chatbot, identify products that are selling well vs those selling less well, identify potential reasons why certain products are performing as they are and brainstorm ways of increasing sales, moving stock or changing prices.

Fresha

Fresha offers a number of sustainability features, including product inventory to help salons manage their stock and avoid waste or unnecessary shipping, and automated marketing to help target client groups with filtering tools – helping users reach their top spenders, most loyal, lapsed clients and more, without the need for physical letters or leaflets.

Treatwell

Treatwell’s features include a digital calendar, meaning that users can say goodbye to pen and paper. Meanwhile, its marketing, promotions and communications functions help salon owners to connect with clients more easily. Treatwell Pro also offers stock management software so businesses know exactly which products they are using and how much, minimising waste.

Vagaro

Vagaro enhances sustainability in the beauty industry by reducing reliance on paper-based systems. Its automated inventory features also help businesses cut down on lost, damaged, or expired beauty products. Additionally, Vagaro’s AI capabilities help to craft polished communications for enticing service and policy descriptions, revenue-generating marketing campaigns and more.

Trybe

Trybe is powered by Amazon Web Services, a sustainable cloud provider that’s aiming to be powered by renewable energy by 2025. Receipts can be emailed directly to guests, intake forms can be completed online, itineraries can be shared ahead of arrival via a secure link and sent digitally, and stocktakes can be completed online instead of through a physical sheet.

Salon Manager

Salon Manager’s Appointment Management system includes features such as AI booking optimisation and real-time updates. Salon Manager also provides its salon users with Advanced Marketing features, whereby instead of using traditional marketing methods such as flyers, the salons can deliver immediate marketing messages through email newsletters and text messages.

Slick

With Slick, everything can be accessed from an iPad or phone. The software also has an advanced booking system. Human receptionists know to book people in and avoid annoying gaps, but many online systems struggle with this. Slick has built a system that only shows appointments that fit back-to-back within a salon or spa’s diary.

iSalon

AI data analysis helps to identify which treatments are bringing profit to a salon and which aren’t, as well as identifying loyal and lapsed clients. The iSalon stock control feature allows users to improve their cash-flow by managing and minimising stock wastage, identifying bestselling products and treatments automatically generating purchase orders based on sales.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts provides e-gift cards and loyalty programmes that not only help reduce the use of physical materials and costs, but also promote an eco-friendly approach to customer rewards and transactions. The software also has the capability to customise digital record cards, providing a paperless solution that helps salons to boost efficiency.

Salon IQ

SalonIQ’s intelligent booking system helps salon owners to optimise their appointments in order to maximise their team utilisation. Meanwhile, the software’s stock-management features and integrations can help to minimise waste by tracking product usage and forecasting demand. Plus, digitalised client record cards and reports help salons to reduce their carbon footprint.

Pocket PA

Pocket PA promotes sustainability with its digital booking system and cloud-based receipt storage. This tool systemises income and expense tracking and includes a handy tax estimator to keep beauty businesses on track with HMRC. For mobile business owners, it gives directions to appointments and helps reclaim business mileage expenses.