Groomers are artists; superb artists. However operating a grooming enterprise takes a lot greater than being simply an artist. As a small, medium or giant enterprise proprietor, how a lot time do you and your staff 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: When you may spend subsequent to zero time on these duties, would your small business be extra worthwhile?
In as we speak’s setting, there are such a lot of instruments that salon house owners 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 small business with 4 easy expertise options to get you out of the day-to-day enterprise monotony, make you more cash and refocus your vitality on the duties you care about.
Are you utilizing an off-the-shelf reserving, consumer administration or bank card system not particular to the grooming {industry}? Or possibly even pen and paper? In that case, we get it. You’re operating your small business one of the best ways you understand how.
However think about this thought: Would you employ an outdated pair of kitchen scissors to form a topknot? Positive, the kitchen scissors may fit; however are they going to provide the identical outcomes that utilizing a pair of freshly sharpened curved shears would offer you? Undoubtedly not going!
To be honest and supply a sensible analogy, the identical goes for utilizing any kind of software program system that’s not designed particularly for the grooming {industry}. It could work, however not in a method that can get the job executed quicker, higher and smarter.
So, if you happen to don’t use kitchen scissors, why would you use a non-specialty software program product? You in all probability wouldn’t if you happen to 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 proper 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 pondering; “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 prior to now few years, and with all of the totally different customizations and safeguard choices obtainable, there isn’t a motive you can not have the schedule you need with out the effort of doing the scheduling your self.
Arrange your software program to require your approval earlier than an appointment is added to your schedule. This fashion you continue to get the ultimate say, however spend simply 5 minutes a day approving your shoppers’ reserving requests vs spending hours doing all of it manually. Wouldn’t you like to chop down on time spent flipping by the calendar, searching for open appointments when you might be grooming?
When you may improve your retail/add-on service gross sales by as much as 80%, would that cash assist your small business? When a buyer calls in to make an appointment, you in all probability don’t have time to clarify all of the totally different further companies and upsells your salon presents; or, in lots of circumstances, your entrance desk workers might merely not be comfy making an attempt to promote different companies or gadgets. With on-line reservations, most software program does this for you. Ten-dollar tooth brushing? Twenty-dollar luxurious spa package deal? 5-dollar nail grinding? These numbers add up quick!
Have you learnt 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 cut back the speed of no-shows and maintain 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 present clients to see their appointment historical past, add vaccination information and extra.
2. Automated textual content messages. Hold up the telephone and say goodbye to reminder calls. By utilizing software program with built-in textual content messaging, you possibly can ship out automated appointment reminders with out lifting a finger. Textual content messaging presents extra flexibility than a conventional telephone name as a result of it permits clients to reply shortly and in conditions the place they could not be capable to discuss on the telephone. In most software program, clients can conveniently reply “YES” to automated reminder texts and their appointment shall be marked as confirmed in your software program system.
With automated textual content messages and on-line reservations, you possibly can simply cut 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 supply this identical nice expertise to your shoppers, whereas additionally saving you time?
3. Built-in bank card processing. Built-in bank card processing lets you maintain monitor of your funds and funds in a single place, making it straightforward to remain organized. By utilizing built-in funds, it can save you a mean of 60 minutes of workers time per day (30 appointments x 2 minutes = 60 minutes SAVED!). Moreover, you’ll be capable to enhance the consumer expertise, stop the prospect of guide entry errors and cease losing time evaluating invoices together with your batch studies, 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 workers time, however you’ll get your shoppers 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 strategy to ship invoices and obtain funds by way of textual content message. All transactions are encrypted so you possibly can make certain that your clients’ info is secure 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 with the ability to go into your software program, verify a field that exhibits your groom is completed, and a textual content goes out to your consumer 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 consumer can then merely stroll into your facility, seize their pet with zero paperwork or funds to finish, and you’ll each get again to your days.
Many grooming software program suppliers additionally mean you can securely retailer buyer bank card info within the type of encrypted tokens. Conserving buyer fee info not solely hastens the check-out course of, but in addition protects your small business 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 wish to work onerous and make cash, however most of us bought began within the pet care {industry} for the pets, not for the bookkeeping and administrative chores. However with as we speak’s revolutionary software program and expertise, you possibly can automate so most of the duties that interrupt your workflow and devour the dear time you might 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 small business is the fitting 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 Advisor, {and professional} pet groomer for practically a decade. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Hiya-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The workforce is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program primarily based on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from individuals such as you. Hiya-Groom presents best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone programs, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support workforce.
Jeff Brodsly
Jeff Brodsly, proprietor/CEO of Kennel Connection and 100GROUP, provides 15 years of expertise listening to shoppers’ ache factors and offering them with expertise options to enhance their companies. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Hiya-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The workforce is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program primarily based on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from individuals such as you. Hiya-Groom presents best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone programs, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support workforce.
