Maybe you’re opening a new salon in a few months. Maybe you’re a pen and paper spa, nail bar or blow dry bar. Or perhaps you already have a booking software, but something’s missing, and you’re not too sure what it is. I mean, with so many software providers out there, how do you even start making up your mind on one? The more, the better, but there are at least 9 crucial things you should expect from your point-of-sale software. Would you be able to list them?
Listen to the audio version of this blog, and subscribe to the Phorest Blog Podcast here:
Looking For A Point-Of-Sale Software? Consider These 9 Key Features…
1. Client And Appointment Management
It goes without saying: the days of flipping through pages of a physical pen and paper appointment book are long gone. If you want to stay competitive in your area, you need a software that’ll take the pain out of appointment management and recording client notes. The first thing you should expect from your booking salon software is the ability to make appointments just as quickly as it would to pour yourself a cup of coffee, save contact details, record colour and medical history, patch tests and general client notes.
Find out about Phorest’s scheduling solution.
2. Point-Of-Sale
Let’s talk about another crucial part of your business: sales. If you’re going to buy software, you need to make sure it can process:
- service offerings
- products prices
- gift cards
- vouchers
- email/print receipts
- accept major credit cards
Find out about Phorest’s POS solution.
3. Inventory And Stock Control Features
Next up, stock management. Think about your current stock takes: are they simple and easy or long and painful? Your point-of-sale software should be able to help you make painless stock takes, prompt you when you’re low on products, allow for transfers between branches, and facilitate re-orders.
Find out about Phorest’s Salon Inventory and Stock Control Software.
4. Staff Rostering And Management
Managing staff is hard enough as it is. A good point-of-sale and salon management software will allow you to put in place tiered commission structures, work payroll and rostering with a breeze and access staff performance reporting.
5. Reporting
Reporting helps you truly understand your business. In fact, without it, you can’t possibly make educated decisions about staff, rosters, stock, retail sales, anything! While it might often be overlooked, having a software with good reporting will help you get a crystal clear view of your business and ultimately make you grow.
6. Marketing & Social Media Features
While this wouldn’t have made the list just a decade ago, it’s a necessity today. Consumer behaviour has taken a massive turn with the rise of social media. If Facebook was initially used for finding your old high-school friends and Instagram a simple photo sharing app, both are now a marketer’s dream. You’ll also need the basics such as thank you emails, appointment reminders, email and SMS marketing, so considering a point-of-sale software that can provide these tools will save you money on getting multiple providers for each needed service.
Find out about Phorest’s marketing suite and social media features.
7. Support
Make sure that the software provider you decide to go with has excellent customer service. There’s nothing worse than having a problem and being left with it due to poor support. And we all know that no computer or software product is sheltered from having technical issues.
8. Cloud-Based Data Storage
In a digital world with digital client cards, you’re going to need a cloud salon software that stores data safely. This allows for the possibility of accessing your salon’s business information from wherever you are, on a laptop, desktop, mobile or tablet. It’s also the way of the future if you want to be GDPR compliant (and that’s no longer an option).
9. GDPR Compliancy (If You’re Based In The EU or If You Have Clients Based In The EU)
GDPR is a new data regulation coming into place in May 2018 across Europe and which aims to unify how consumers’ data is protected in EU member states. It also aims to create more transparency about how businesses are storing and using people’s personal data. This will affect your salon in many different ways as you collect so much personal data from contact details, through to medication records and allergies. Make sure that you make an informed salon software choice – GDPR is no joke!
Related |Â Expanding With A Second Location: Is Your Salon Truly Ready?
About Phorest Salon Software
Phorest Salon Software is not just a tool to manage your appointments. It’s a powerful system designed to assist with your salon’s day-to-day business, get new clients coming in, and keep your customers happy.
Want to see how our salon POS software works? Our friendly team is on hand to show you through the software or provide a quote for your business. Got feedback? Let us know either in the comments below or tweet us @ThePhorestWord! (Pssst! We’re on Instagram too!)
Thanks for reading! #LetsGrow
