Solutions to Evolving Your Salon Business with Technology

As business owners, we must always be evolving, or we risk becoming extinct. Specifically, technology has changed the world dramatically in the past decade.
It is a well-known fact that:

-The largest transportation provider in the US does not own a single car = Uber

-The largest movie company in the world does not own a movie theater = Netflix

-The largest hotel company in the world does not own a single hotel = Airbnb

Companies like Payless, Toys “R” Us, Macy’s, Radio Shack, and Sears have all closed many of their stores if not all of them. You may be thinking so what does this have to do with my business? We believe it has EVERYTHING to do with your business. In our experience, many Salon owners are not utilizing technology to their advantage. Now is the time to upgrade, advance, and evolve. Our business model has forever been changed and we are being forced to change the way we do business. Why not embrace technology? By doing so we believe you will streamline your business, have more effective communication with your team as well as your clients, and have a more efficient business. We see it as a big win for everyone.

Here are some resources / companies we believe have excellent products based on our personal experience as well as feedback we have received from many salon owners we work with:

Phorest Software
Phorest Software is an Ireland-based company that made its breakthrough in the US relatively recently. Their technology is amazing, and their system creates a high-level of communication for clients. Our favorite features are:
-Client conformations and promotions easily communicated via text
-Seamless and wireless checkout with phorest pay. An added feature is you can securely store clients cards on file which will be even more convenient post covid-19
-Phorest will design a custom app for your Salon which will be available to clients for download where they can then book appointments, view your team bios, and view their own client history
-A simple request for a review to each client literally exploded our online reviews within months of switching to Phorest. This has been an amazing feature.
-Built in consultation forms keeps your records precise and your communication clear

-Artificial Intelligence is built into the system in various ways which helps with pre-booking and reminding clients when they are due for their next service
-Phorest integrates with other technologies within the beauty industry, helping your business evolve into a more modern model (we will discuss these technologies below)

Vish
Vish is the beauty industry’s best kept secret. Through amazing technology and analytics, Vish helps salons eliminate hair color waste, charge correctly per service based on product usage, record all formulas automatically, and analyze your salons color metrics in a way you have never seen before. Our favorite features are:

-Vish integrates with Phorest making the setup simple and easy
-User friendly technology- Vish is all done through an iPad connected to a bluetooth scale. Stylists select the color they are going to mix through the app and then mix to precise measurements with Vish’s help
-Vish’s front desk dashboard communicates what services were done on all clients, helping with communication from stylist to front desk operator
-The support from the company is outstanding. They will walk you and your team through the process and even come to your salon to launch Vish on a live client day in your Salon.
-Formulas are automatically recorded and adjusted per client based on the amount of color used. This reduces color waste dramatically and will literally save your Salon THOUSANDS of dollars.
-The analytics dashboard breaks down overall color waste, use, and percentage of profit per service. It will also show you the analytics for each individual colorist in your Salon- think about how valuable that information is!

Trainual
Trainual is an amazing application that takes your training process to a completely new level. With a user-friendly interface and incredibly innovative features, Trainual will help you modernize your current training process or guide you in building one from scratch. Our favorite features are:

Trainual is completely customizable. I built my entire hair cutting and color program through its technology. students of our training program can now have what used to be a 65 page binder in the
palm of their hands and accessible with the touch of their finger.
-Trainual’s features are practically endless when it comes to training your team. Whether you want to create a training program for your Salon, update your employee handbook or job descriptions-you can do that and much with their technology.
-You can create customizable tests or reviews for any training module you create. This creates a high level of accountability for your team and also provides the owner the ability to task team members with going through certain modules, taking the review, and in turn watching their progress.

Zeezor
Zeezor’s technology taps into the back end of Phorest and can track your Salon’s metrics and data on a real-time basis. Our favorite features are:

-Zeezor is an amazing feature for goal setting during one on one meetings with each individual team member
-With a tap of their finger, a stylist can view their average service and retail tickets, their productivity, prebook percentage, and much more. It creates a “numbers consciousness” and therefore a “numbers driven culture”
-Goal setting becomes fun, simple, and easy
-Create custom friendly competitions within your team based on the metrics of your choosing
-Not only can each stylus access their own stats, but the owner can see overall salon statistics as well as individual ones. This provides the owner an amazing resource for accessing their data without running any reports through their salon software
In closing, we understand that technology can be overwhelming and at times frustrating. When it is working we love it and when it is not, well we have all been down that frustrating path a time or two!

We believe that if you want to run a modern-day business, integrating technology is a must. You will not only take a giant leap forward in the way you run your business, but you will become more attractive to potential new employees who see your company as cutting edge. Take the leap, be willing to evolve, and enjoy the process along the way.

Culture Curators is an innovative approach to business development. We focus on a high level of business training, coaching, and mentorship. We walk side by side Salon and Spa owners and help them design the business culture of their dreams. We empower Salon and Spa owners with the tools and ability to work on their business, create profitability and freedom for their lives, and enjoy a fulfilling work/life balance.