Recently Shedul.com was rated as 2018’s best salon software by Capterra, a Gartner Inc. company. The platform came out on top in all three rating categories for salon software; most popular, most affordable and most user-friendly.

Shedul.com streamlines business operations for salons and spas with intuitive, free-to-use software. The platform takes the hassle out of running a business by managing appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records, human resources, inventory, and financial reporting. Shedul.com is free of charge with no trial period and no limits on usage; and it's a completely subscription free salon system.

Shedul.com has quietly acquired a vast user base of merchants in more than 120 countries, primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada

In 2018 the company launched an all-new online booking system, Fresha.com, for clients to easily book and manage their own appointments. The system offers mobile apps for clients and real-time booking integrations to Instagram, Facebook and Google. Fresha.com also comes with integrated card payment processing to protect against No-Shows and Late Cancellations.

"Over 80% of our appointments are booked online directly by clients. We run our whole business on the Shedul.com platform for Salons. The system is very easy to use, our team and clients love it!" says Leith Matthews, owner of Akin Barber & Shop. 

“At Shedul.com we're incorporating intelligent features for our online booking system to help salons grow revenues. For example, smartly displaying price and availability options, based on the client’s purchase history and the salon's projected schedule. Our system analyzes client preferences and the business's activity, providing an unbeatable booking experience. This frees up salon staff to do what they do best and spend more face time with clients," says CEO & co-founder, William Zeqiri. 

A growing number of consumers expect to be able to book services online and this trend will continue to increase as younger, tech-savvy clients take over the market. 40% of online bookings are made outside of normal business hours. This relieves pressure on salon staff having to push pre-booking or answer as many calls for clients asking to book.

HOW TO GROW YOUR SALES & BECOME MORE EFFICIENT:

Here’s five top tips from the Shedul.com team on how to grow sales and improve operational efficiencies with online bookings features. Salons who make use of online bookings see a 30% increase in sales by making scheduling more convenient for clients.

1. Tidy service menu. Clients find lengthy service menus overwhelming. Check your sales reports to see what services are the most popular at your salon, and make sure those options show at the top of your menu. Don’t be afraid to cull services which aren’t selling, they’re in the way of what your clients are looking for. Clients are much more likely to self book at salons with short and tidy service menus.
   

2. Social media integrations. Bring your booking calendar to where your clients spend their time online. Salons with online booking from their own website alone are missing out. Take advance of official booking integrations with Instagram, Facebook and Google to capture more online appointments.
   

3. Awareness. Having online booking features up and running is not enough on its own. Often, clients simply do not know online booking is available with their salon unless staff are highlighting it. Clients embrace online booking with some simple words of encouragement from stylists and receptionists.  
   

4.  Exclusive pricing. Offering online-only specials is a great way to convert phone bookings clients into first time online bookers. Overall it’s much more cost effective for the salon to have clients self booking online, compared to the expense answering phone calls at all hours. Pass on some these savings to clients and fill up your appointments calendar.
   

5. Measure. Review your reports to see how clients are responding to online booking. Popular trends include a high amount of appointments created late at night or earlier in the morning. Clients are often busy with their daily life and want ability to make reservations outside times when a receptionist is available to take a call. Another common trend is that clients like to book at very short notice, so it’s important that your displaying maximum availability online without restrictions on lead time to create new bookings.