Groomers are artists; superb artists. However operating a grooming enterprise takes a lot greater than being simply an artist. As a small, medium or massive enterprise proprietor, how a lot time do you and your workers spend on every part however your craft? How a lot time do you spend reserving, confirming and following up on appointments, taking telephone calls, amassing buyer funds and all the opposite important however not enjoyable administrative duties?
Ask your self this: In the event you might spend subsequent to zero time on these duties, would your enterprise be extra worthwhile?
In as we speak’s surroundings, there are such a lot of instruments that salon homeowners and their groomers can make the most of to work extra effectively…but many don’t. This article will clarify how one can develop your enterprise with 4 easy expertise options to get you out of the day-to-day enterprise monotony, make you extra money and refocus your power on the duties you care about.
Are you utilizing an off-the-shelf reserving, shopper administration or bank card system not particular to the grooming {industry}? Or perhaps even pen and paper? In that case, we get it. You’re operating your enterprise one of the simplest ways you know the way.
However think about this thought: Would you employ an previous pair of kitchen scissors to form a topknot? Certain, the kitchen scissors may go; however are they going to provide the identical outcomes that utilizing a pair of freshly sharpened curved shears would offer you? Undoubtedly unlikely!
To be truthful and provide a sensible analogy, the identical goes for utilizing any form of software program system that’s not designed particularly for the grooming {industry}. It might work, however not in a means that can get the job finished quicker, higher and smarter.
So, when you don’t use kitchen scissors, why would you use a non-specialty software program product? You most likely wouldn’t when you knew the true advantages that industry-specific software program has to supply, identical to the distinction between kitchen scissors and that pair of shears you splurged on at Groom Expo. The precise industry-specific software program with options like on-line reservations, automated appointment reminders/confirmations and text-to-pay may help you’re employed smarter, not more durable.
1. On-line Reservations. I do know what a few of you might be considering; “Clients scheduling their very own appointments is one thing I’ve had precise nightmares about, NO THANKS!” However on-line reserving expertise has grown a lot up to now few years, and with all of the totally different customizations and safeguard choices accessible, there is no such thing as a cause you can’t have the schedule you need with out the trouble of doing the scheduling your self.
Arrange your software program to require your approval earlier than an appointment is added to your schedule. This manner you continue to get the ultimate say, however spend simply 5 minutes a day approving your purchasers’ reserving requests vs spending hours doing all of it manually. Wouldn’t you like to chop down on time spent flipping by way of the calendar, searching for open appointments when you would be grooming?
In the event you might improve your retail/add-on service gross sales by as much as 80%, would that cash assist your enterprise? When a buyer calls in to make an appointment, you most likely don’t have time to clarify all of the totally different further providers and upsells your salon provides; or, in lots of instances, your entrance desk employees could merely not be comfy making an attempt to promote different providers or objects. With on-line reservations, most software program does this for you. Ten-dollar enamel brushing? Twenty-dollar luxurious spa package deal? 5-dollar nail grinding? These numbers add up quick!
Are you aware what else provides up quick? The quantity of money and time misplaced on no-shows. On-line reservations provide the choice to cost a deposit on the time of reserving, which has been confirmed to drastically scale back the speed of no-shows and hold your clients accountable. Most on-line reserving programs additionally include a customer-facing portal, dashing up the brand new buyer consumption course of and permitting current clients to see their appointment historical past, add vaccination data and extra.
2. Automated textual content messages. Grasp up the telephone and say goodbye to reminder calls. Through the use of software program with built-in textual content messaging, you may ship out automated appointment reminders with out lifting a finger. Textual content messaging provides extra flexibility than a standard telephone name as a result of it permits clients to reply rapidly and in conditions the place they could not be capable to speak on the telephone. In most software program, clients can conveniently reply “YES” to computerized reminder texts and their appointment might be marked as confirmed in your software program system.
With automated textual content messages and on-line reservations, you may simply scale back your administrative work by hours every day. All of us love the comfort of getting these texts from our docs, dentists and hairdressers, so why not provide this identical nice expertise to your purchasers, whereas additionally saving you time?
3. Built-in bank card processing. Built-in bank card processing means that you can hold observe of your funds and funds in a single place, making it straightforward to remain organized. Through the use of built-in funds, it can save you a median of 60 minutes of employees time per day (30 appointments x 2 minutes = 60 minutes SAVED!). Moreover, you’ll be capable to enhance the shopper expertise, forestall the prospect of handbook entry errors and cease losing time evaluating invoices along with your batch experiences, making an attempt to trace down that lacking 5 {dollars}.
4. Textual content-to-pay. With text-to-pay, it’s straightforward to streamline your checkout course of. Not solely will you save employees time, however you’ll get your purchasers out and in of your facility a lot quicker. One of many many advantages of utilizing text-to-pay is that it’s a safe solution to ship invoices and obtain funds through textual content message. All transactions are encrypted so you may make certain that your clients’ data is protected and sound. And since it’s so handy, text-to-pay is ideal for busy pet groomers who’re at all times on the go.
Think about having the ability to go into your software program, examine a field that exhibits your groom is completed, and a textual content goes out to your shopper letting them know the pet is prepared for pick-up with a hyperlink to pay their bill and the choice so as to add a tip. The shopper can then merely stroll into your facility, seize their pet with zero paperwork or funds to finish, and you may each get again to your days.
Many grooming software program suppliers additionally permit you to securely retailer buyer bank card data within the type of encrypted tokens. Retaining buyer fee data not solely hastens the check-out course of, but in addition protects your enterprise by guaranteeing you might be compensated for no-shows and last-minute cancellations (that is particularly useful through the vacation season).
The underside line is that this: All of us need to work onerous and earn money, however most of us acquired began within the pet care {industry} for the pets, not for the bookkeeping and administrative chores. However with as we speak’s progressive software program and expertise, you may automate so lots of the duties that interrupt your workflow and eat the dear time you would spend doing what you love.
Know-how is consistently bettering, so store round, ask for demos and ensure no matter system you might be utilizing to handle your enterprise is the correct match to your distinctive wants.
Keep in mind, working smarter, not more durable will prevent money and time. Leverage what’s on the market as we speak and get again to doing what you like! ✂️
www.hello-groom.com
Erin McCarthy
Erin McCarthy is Kennel Connection’s Advertising and marketing Supervisor/Software program Design Guide, {and professional} pet groomer for practically a decade. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Good day-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The group is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program based mostly on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from folks such as you. Good day-Groom provides best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone programs, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support group.
Jeff Brodsly
Jeff Brodsly, proprietor/CEO of Kennel Connection and 100GROUP, provides 15 years of expertise listening to purchasers’ ache factors and offering them with expertise options to enhance their companies. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Good day-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The group is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program based mostly on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from folks such as you. Good day-Groom provides best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone programs, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support group.
