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 workers spend on every little thing 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: For those who may spend subsequent to zero time on these duties, would your small business be extra worthwhile? 

In at this time’s setting, 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 small business with 4 easy know-how options to get you out of the day-to-day enterprise monotony, make you more cash 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 possibly even pen and paper? In that case, we get it. You’re operating your small business one of the simplest ways you understand how. 

However think about this thought: Would you utilize an previous pair of kitchen scissors to form a topknot? Positive, the kitchen scissors may go; however are they going to provide the similar outcomes that utilizing a pair of freshly sharpened curved shears would provide you with? Undoubtedly unlikely!

To be honest and provide a sensible analogy, the identical goes for utilizing any type of software program system that isn’t designed particularly for the grooming {industry}. It might work, however not in a approach that can get the job executed quicker, higher and smarter. 

So, for those who don’t use kitchen scissors, why would you use a non-specialty software program product? You in all probability wouldn’t for those who knew the true advantages that industry-specific software program has to supply, identical to you realize the distinction between kitchen scissors and that pair of shears you splurged on at Groom Expo. The suitable industry-specific software program with options like on-line reservations, automated appointment reminders/confirmations and text-to-pay will help you’re employed smarter, not tougher.

1. On-line Reservations. I do know what a few of you’re considering; “Clients scheduling their very own appointments is one thing I’ve had precise nightmares about, NO THANKS!” However on-line reserving know-how 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’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 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, on the lookout for open appointments when you may be grooming? 

For those who may enhance 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 elucidate all of the totally different additional providers and upsells your salon affords; or, in lots of instances, your entrance desk employees might merely not be comfy attempting to promote different providers or gadgets. 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!

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 preserve your clients accountable. Most on-line reserving techniques additionally include a customer-facing portal, rushing up the brand new buyer consumption course of and permitting current 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. Through the use of software program with built-in textual content messaging, you possibly can ship out automated appointment reminders with out lifting a finger. Textual content messaging affords 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 have the ability to speak on the telephone. In most software program, clients can conveniently reply “YES” to automated 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 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 provide this similar nice expertise to your shoppers, whereas additionally saving you time?

3. Built-in bank card processing. Built-in bank card processing lets you preserve 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 have the ability to enhance the shopper expertise, stop the prospect of handbook entry errors and cease losing time evaluating invoices along with your batch studies, attempting 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 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 sure 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 with the ability to go into your software program, verify a field that reveals your groom is finished, 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’ll each get again to your days.

Many grooming software program suppliers additionally can help you securely retailer buyer bank card data within the type of encrypted tokens. Retaining buyer cost data not solely accelerates the check-out course of, but in addition protects your small business by making certain you’re 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 arduous and earn money, however most of us obtained began within the pet care {industry} for the pets, not for the bookkeeping and administrative chores. However with at this time’s modern software program and know-how, you possibly can automate so most of the duties that interrupt your workflow and eat the precious time you may spend doing what you love. 

Know-how is consistently bettering, so store round, ask for demos and ensure no matter system you’re utilizing to handle your small business is the best match in your distinctive wants. 

Bear in mind, working smarter, not tougher will prevent money and time. Leverage what’s on the market at this time 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 Marketing consultant, {and professional} pet groomer for practically a decade. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Hi there-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The crew is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program based mostly on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from individuals such as you. Hi there-Groom affords best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone techniques, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support crew.

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 know-how options to enhance their companies. After 28 years within the {industry}, Kennel Connection launched Hi there-Groom, web-based software program designed particularly for groomers. The crew is stacked with pet care professionals who construct software program based mostly on their hands-on expertise and invaluable suggestions from individuals such as you. Hi there-Groom affords best-in-class software program, bank card processing, enterprise insurance coverage, telephone techniques, and 2-way-SMS, supported by a devoted customer support crew.