Recommended Salon Management Software Providers
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Salon-specific software can help run your business and give you the edge over your competitors. The top software products offer services covering reservations, payment processing, marketing, scheduling, and more.
The best software allows salon owners to put their efforts into building their business by taking care of the boring admin. Technology can make the balancing act of running a salon that bit more manageable.
There’s a booming market for salon management systems, so choosing a new software product can feel overwhelming. We’ve compared some of the most popular options to help you make an informed decision.
Comparing the Best Salon Management Software Products
We’ve highlighted the key features and included a product-by-product analysis of the top eight salon management software tools. These are Phorest, You’reOnTime, Vagaro, Zenoti, Fresha, Acuity Scheduling and DaySmart.
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You'reOnTimeEmployee
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VagaroWorkforce
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ZenotiEmployee
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FreshaEmployee
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AcuityWorkforce
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DaySmartEmployee
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Phorest
Phorest is a salon management software targeted toward hair, beauty, and spa businesses. It’s built with salon owners in mind and offers fantastic features to grow your business. With its user-friendly interface and multi-site capabilities, Phorest is a top contender amongst salon management systems.
Key Selling Points
Let’s look at two of Phorest’s greatest strengths:
1. User Support
Phorest offers unrivalled user support, including access to a dedicated business advisor, a local support team, informative blogs and podcasts. These features are available from the Phorest Academy, an educational platform designed to improve your business skills.
2. Video Consultations
Remotely offer professional consultations to expand your customer reach. Save time by connecting with clients before in-person appointments and preparing the services they require.
key Features
Phorest is packed with great features. Here are six of the best:
- Booking Platform.
Take bookings across multiple channels 24/7 and secure them with a credit card to reduce no-shows. - Employee Scheduling.
The Phorest Go app allows staff to self-schedule and be in charge of their appointments. - Online Store.
Create an online store that syncs directly with your sales, client and inventory data. - Advanced Reporting.
Access reports covering your finances, marketing efforts and employee performance. - Inventory Management.
Scan items using your mobile phone to take stock and receive alerts when running low. - Loyalty Programs.
The Treatcard loyalty program provides customer incentives and drives repeat business.
You’reOnTime
You’reOnTime is an all-in-one business management software that covers booking, staffing and marketing. It offers an easy-to-use system for hair salons, spas, gyms and tattoo studios. This complete POS system works with you and your business to drive sales and streamline daily operations.
Key Selling Points
Here are two of You’reOnTime’s biggest perks:
1. Client Management
Provide a more personalised experience with comprehensive client profiles. Upload photos, labels, notes and consent forms for unified profiles that provide insight into customer preferences.
2. Appointment Book
Tailor your appointment book by setting opening hours, assigning employees, and colour-coding events. Access client notes and visit history without leaving the page for streamlined appointment management.
key Features
You’reOnTime’s most significant features are::
- Booking Platform. Add You’reOnTime’s booking widget to your website so customers can easily access your services.
- Employee Scheduling. Flexible rostering gives you control and visibility over your staff’s schedules.
- Advanced Reporting. Receive in-depth performance reports covering financial and employee KPIs.
- Inventory Management. Set minimum product levels and record inventory levels to stay on top of your stock requirements.
- Electronic Forms. Fully customizable consent and waiver forms to help your business go paperless.
- Loyalty Programs. Customers can collect loyalty points as an incentive to boost repeat business.
Vagaro
Vagaro is an all-in-one salon software platform perfect for the beauty and fitness industry. It caters for businesses of all sizes and remains straightforward to navigate, whilst boasting a host of advanced software features.
Key Selling Points
Vagaro performs strongly in these areas:
1. POS Hardware
Vagaro offers a dual-screen monitor, handheld scanner and card reader. This POS hardware comes fully integrated with Vagaro software and guarantees your customers a secure and seamless payment experience.
2. Design Tools
Create a beautiful website and mobile app without paying a hefty web developer fee. Vagaro’s design team can build you a personalised platform complete with a custom logo. Build your online presence and drive revenue with Vagaro.
key Features
Let’s look at six of Vagaro’s most notable features:
- Booking Platform.
Accept online bookings 24/7 through multiple guest engagement channels, including social networking sites. - Online Store.
Create an effective eCommerce platform, process payments and ship products commission-free with Vagaro. - Advanced Reporting.
View retention, sales, payroll, and guest engagement. - Inventory Management.
- Monitor inventory down to the item and set low quantity alerts to stay on top of inventory management.
- Automated Marketing.
Connect with customers by email or text, respond to reviews, and advertise daily deals. - Vagaro Marketplace.
Showcase your business portfolio on Vagaro’s marketplace to expand your customer reach.
Zenoti
Zenoti automates and elevates your customer experience. It handles every aspect of your salon business, taking care of your customer and workforce management needs. Zenoti is a cloud-based software product and an ideal solution for growing businesses.
Key Selling Points
These are two of Zenoti’s key selling points:
1. Mobile Apps
Zenoti offers specialised mobile apps for staff, managers and guests. Employees have all the information they need at their fingertips to deliver truly exceptional customer service. Clients can access Zenoti’s consumer app to book, pay, complete forms and provide feedback.
2. Automated Marketing
Execute targeted marketing campaigns that drive profit and build fruitful customer relationships. Smart analytics track customer behaviour to suggest relevant recommendations and incentives for loyal customers.
key Features
Zenoti has a variety of excellent features. Here are six of the most noteworthy.
- Booking Platform.
Customers can make a booking in minutes and be directed to another of your stores if a location is at full capacity. - Employee Scheduling.
Zenoti is partnered with Smart Shift to take care of your rostering needs. - Advanced Reporting.
Receive in-depth sales and marketing reports straight to your mobile device and be alerted to missed KPIs. - Inventory Management.
Take audits with barcode scanning, review inventory levels across multiple locations and automate orders. - Payment Processing.
Process online and in-store payments and enable subscriptions for a convenient checkout experience. - Automatic Check-In.
Zenoti automatically checks customers in and alerts the front desk of their arrival, thanks to geolocation technology.
Fresha
Fresha is a subscription-free salon management software and is one of the most popular platforms available. It doesn’t require any technical know-how to navigate its many features and boost your salon’s visibility.
Key Selling Points
Here are Fresha’s two best qualities:
1. Appointment Calendar
Organise your appointment calendar with simple drag-and-drop functionality. Hover over appointments to access client details and always be prepared to provide great customer service.
2. Fresha Card Terminals
Use a Fresha card terminal to process card payments quickly and securely. Fresha offers low processing fees and reduces no-shows by charging for late cancellations. Fresha terminals are wireless, support contactless payments and have a built-in printer.
key Features
Fresha’s most impressive features include:
- Booking Platform.
Apply ‘Book Now’ buttons to social media platforms and link to an external booking page from your website. - Advanced Reporting.
Refer to the live dashboard for daily financial reports. - Inventory Management.
Access inventory management tools from Fresha’s intuitive platform. - Client Marketplace.
Get your salon featured in the Fresha Marketplace to boost your online presence. - Automated Marketing.
Reward top spenders with discounts and target lapsed clients to regain their business. - Customer Communication.
Send personalised confirmation, reminder and thank you messages to clients via SMS, email or app notification.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling is a Squarespace company with an end-to-end suite of business management tools. Its user-friendly interface and extensive third-party integrations cover a great deal of salon management needs.
Key Selling Points
These are the most significant selling points of Acuity:
1. User Support
The help center is an essential point of contact between you and Acuity’s team of experts. From here, contact Acuity directly and access advice from their webinars and blog posts.
2. Video Conferencing
Acuity integrates with video conferencing software so you can conduct business remotely. Its time zone conversion feature makes scheduling virtual appointments more streamlined for customers and employees alike.
key Features
Acuity Schedule is bursting with fantastic features. Here are six of the most relevant:
- Booking Platform.
Clients can view availability and self-schedule their appointments using a customized appointment page. - Advanced Reporting.
Receive reports detailing appointments, no-shows, and overall performance. - Customer Communications.
Stay in contact with customers via email and take bookings, even when your salon is closed. - Payment Processing.
Process payments with Stripe, Square or Paypal and offer payment plans, subscriptions and gift certificates. - Software Integrations.
Acuity integrates with over 500 apps, including marketing, accounting, scheduling, CRM and calendar software. - Data Compliance.
Adhere to compliance regulations with secure payment processing and client data storage.
DaySmart
DaySmart simplifies salon management with its innovative technology solutions. It allows users to spend more time on what they love and less time buried under paperwork in the back office.
Key Selling Points
These are the major selling points that set DaySmart apart from the competition:
1. POS Hardware
DaySmart sells POS hardware that is directly integrated with their salon management software. Alternatively, salon owners can set up self-service kiosks to save time and give clients the freedom to manage their own appointments.
2. Client Management
Deliver personalized services built around client history and specific preferences. Offer incentive programs to attract new customers and further cement existing customer loyalty.
key Features
Read below for DaySmart’s top features:
- Booking Platform.
Create a custom online appointment scheduling website with photos, videos and graphics. - Employee Scheduling.
Enable staff to view and manage their calendars and take advantage of DaySmart’s integrated payroll solution. - Advanced Reporting.
Visually monitor productivity with graphs and charts reflecting sales, products, marketing and employee performance. - Digitized Forms.
Build forms using DaySmart’s drag-and-drop tool to remain compliant and streamline data collection. - Video Conferencing.
Conduct pre-visit consultations over video calls, where clients can upload comments and images. - Marketing Campaigns.
Schedule email campaigns and monitor their open rate visibility to maximise customer engagement.
How to Choose Which Salon Management Software is Best for Your Business
There are plenty of options out there for salon management software. The leading systems all offer impressive features, making it difficult to distinguish the best one. We have listed the key factors to consider when exploring your options:
- Budget. Subscription fees for salon management software vary with some providers even offering their services for free. Consider what factors you require and set a realistic budget before you begin your search.
- Scale. Look for software that can handle expansion and grow your business. Consider whether the software is powerful enough to function at full capacity over multiple locations.
- User experience. Often, more advanced software products are complex to operate. Make sure you find a solution that you and your employees can realistically implement and use.
- Integrations. If products don’t already offer an all-in-one integrated solution, ensure they are compatible with other software to bolster their functionality.
Once you’ve established your priorities, read reviews, watch videos and try out demos to learn more about your available options.
What are the Benefits of Salon Management Software?
Salon Management software automates the laborious tasks that come with running a business. It covers all aspects of business management, such as reservations, scheduling, reporting and inventory management. Having an all-encompassing software solution does away with the need for multiple providers and apps.
What are Some of the Best Salon Management Software Products?
Fresha is fantastic for those on a budget and offers a good level of functionality subscription-free. However, we would recommend Vagaro and Phorest as the most versatile and advanced solutions for small or large businesses.
Which Salon Management Software Product is Best for My Business?
When investing in salon management software, consider these key factors: budget, scale, user experience and integrations.: The software should be within budget and able to handle expansion. It should also be accessible and compatible with your existing business software.
