Whether you’ve graduated from begging your friends to help you build your portfolio or you’re long past living paycheck-to-paycheck, you’ve come a long way, boss. We hope you’ve taken out some time to celebrate the journey, but we happen to know a thing or two about the ambition of a beauty pro, and we know you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t trying to take your business even further.

Get ready to step up your game, because we’re sharing the secret to taking your salon from good to great. Spoiler alert: It’s all about your systems. Keep reading to find out why and to figure out exactly which strategies you can put in place to unlock your next level of greatness.

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How Systems Will Help You Succeed

Yes, setting up new protocols often involves an up-front investment of time and money, but the ongoing value month after month pays you back exponentially. Not convinced? Here are six more reasons why good systems are the key to salon success.

1. Systems help build your brand 

Establishing a recognizable brand is all about being consistent. What’s more consistent than a reliable way to keep your website looking fresh and your social media on point? With the right platforms in place, every part of your brand a client interacts with will be flawless and that makes you look so good.

2. Systems help “train” your clients

When you have a routine set for certain client-facing aspects of your business, your regulars will quickly learn what they need to do and what they can expect. They’ll always know how to book, how to communicate with you, and most importantly, how to pay you.

3. Systems make business more efficient

One of the most important reasons to get into a systematic mentality is to save time – although it may seem cliche, the fact of the matter is that time really is money, especially in a hands-on business like beauty.

On top of the time-saving element, getting into a good groove will make you more organized. When you’re not flustered about booking that next appointment or getting your inventory done before an order deadline, you can channel your energy into more important things, like performing the services you love.

A good system shifts your role away from being the boring businessperson and gives you more time to become the inspired creative you are. And the more you get to focus on your craft, the more your confidence will soar.

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4. Systems create room to grow

It’s hard to find space to grow among chaos, but when you’re running your salon like a well-oiled machine, it’s so much easier to start identifying opportunities to expand. Not only do systems allow you to step back and look at the bigger picture of your business, they also create space that allows you to home in on details you can perfect.

5. Systems help you retain top talent

If you’re growing a salon team, having a strong sense of structure is essential to keeping everyone on the same page. It also helps alleviate the stresses of miscommunication and unclear responsibilities which can quickly scare off a talented team member. A solid set of systems will help you cultivate a positive work environment that makes it effortless to attract talent, easy to train new members, and a breeze to manage the whole crew.

6. Systems make work-life balance a snap

When you know your team and clients are well taken care of by the systems you have in place, it gives you a lot more space in your free time to actually be free. You’ll sleep better at night and be more present during the day knowing that you no longer have to micromanage every aspect of your salon – your smart systems have got this! That also means you have a lot more time for hanging with friends, playing with your kids, or booking your own spa day that’s been put off for far too long.

Strategic Systems to Practice at Your Salon

From booking to payments, try putting some of these methods into practice to get your salon running smoother than ever.

For booking

Every booking is like making a new first impression and your business depends on making the process as uncomplicated as possible. By having a stunning, customizable site on your side with GlossGenius, your clients get the easiest and most stylish online experience on the booking scene and you get all praise.

With an online booking system that means you can also toss the paper planner – no need to constantly check your calendar, answer endless calls, or restrict a client’s ability to create a booking only during business hours. You can accept appointments automatically (or manually, your call!), put clients on a waitlist, and share calendars with your team so there’s always someone at the ready.

For policies

With bookings, come cancellations. It’s an inevitable part of the beauty business, but with the right procedures in place, you can effectively reduce the occurrence. Get proactive by setting up automated confirmations and reminders as soon as clients book and reiterate your cancellation policy so clients know what’s up. With GlossGenius, you can easily add your policies in the “About” section of your website or use the blank Social Templates to keep clients informed.

Another great policy to put in place is to send clients a reminder text or email within 24 hours of their upcoming appointment. The best part is that you don't have to actually remember to do this when you have the right notification settings turned on. To set up confirmations and reminders with GlossGenius, head to Settings > Booking Controls & Notifications > Client Notifications.

Of course, there are some clients who will no-show or cancel last minute despite notifications. If you’re finding this impacts your income, you may want to set up deposits on your high-value services, to protect both your time and your money. Learn more about GlossGenius’ Deposits feature.

For communication

GlossGenius has the tools you need to reach more clients, no matter what your preferred style of client communication is. Easy-to-use systems for email and text campaigns, social media posts, or client notifications allow you to effortlessly schedule and send messages that work for you even when you’re off the clock. These notes can be sent to clients before or after appointments as opportunities to confirm, reschedule, cancel, follow up, or even just to say “happy birthday!”

To get started with your next email campaign from the app dashboard, navigate to More > Email Marketing > Create New Email Campaign or Create New Text Campaign. Add the clients you want to reach out to, customize your message, and hit send – that’s it. Sharing on social media is as simple as picking out your favorite template, adding your message, and posting on your favorite platform. Birthday shoutouts can be set up quicker than it takes to blow out a candle – they simply need to be switched on in the settings under your client’s contact card.

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For product management

Having too much or too little inventory on hand can hurt your revenue or clutter up your creative space and neither of those is a good look for a boss trying to do great things. GlossGenius makes inventory management simple by making sure you can see exactly what you have, know how much you’re selling, and get alerts on what you need before you run out. Plus, you’ll never have to spend an afternoon in your stock closet tallying up products on a clipboard again.

For the checkout process

If you’ve come this far, don’t let the checkout process be what trips you up on your path to greatness. GlossGenius delivers the most streamlined processing platform and takes the awkwardness out of the payment procedure. Our card readers kick off the process by making client payments fast, easy, and stylish, but you can really bring it home by setting up automatic systems for higher gratuities and rebooking rates.

When it comes time for clients to think about what to tip, don’t make them do the math – keep things super simple by setting up a default gratuity so no one needs to calculate a thing. If you’re using one of our sleek Chief Money Machines, tipping options appear right above the signature line with a default amount you can highlight. You can also set up your system to prompt a rebooking right after the payment is complete.

For reporting & analytics

You don’t need a calculator or a stack of spreadsheets to become an analytics nerd. We’ve worked with industry experts to create a tailor-made reporting system that shows you what numbers matter and helps track them for you. Our advanced analytics keep your average sales, transaction details, inventory, and more available at a glance, and everything you need to know is presented in easy-to-follow reports sent straight to your inbox.

Try GlossGenius free for 14 days!