The omnichannel booking experience

-> Clients want an omnichannel
appointment booking experience.

Omnichannel booking was a rising trend before the pandemic and is now table stakes. Over the past year, clients have booked appointments over the phone and in person, as well as using online booking platforms, text or chat, and social media. As a result, 49% of personal care business leaders say managing appointment booking processes has been a significant challenge for their business over the past year. Businesses can use integrated tools to manage appointments on the back end to operate efficiently while offering multiple ways for clients to book.

Clients have much less patience for friction when booking, so businesses that only offer booking via phone or email may find it difficult to expand their client base in this new world.

"The beauty industry has changed immensely, giving businesses the opportunity to look attheir operations and find ways to operatesmarter and more efficiently. Merchants needto invest in digital solutions that enable themto automate their booking process, ensuringthey never miss a sale while also providingthe polished experience their clients expect.”

Willem Ave
GM, Square Appointments

55% of beauty businesses had automated technology for scheduling appointments prior to the pandemic, and 25% started using this technology after the pandemic started.

30%

of customers would avoid a salon with no website to view services.

29%

of consumers say they want automated systems to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments, even after COVID-19.

24%

of beauty businesses say it’s been a challenge to fill downtime between clients/appointments.

"I use Square Appointments for literally every part of my business. I really don’t spend a lot of time outside of work scheduling appointments. [Clients] can text me if they want, but a lot of people definitely do the online booking through my website. Or if they need to reschedule, since they get a confirmation text with a link, they’ll just use that confirmation info to reschedule their appointment on their own. That’s really cut back on a lot of after-hours communication.”

Jenna Schermerhorn
Owner, My Salon Suite

1 in 4 customers would avoid a salon with no online booking options.

Square Assistant, a Square Appointments feature, helps reduce no-shows and saves you time by confirming, rescheduling, and canceling appointments. It responds to your clients’ texts about their upcoming appointments automatically, any time of day.

"Through the pandemic, we used email marketing a lot to promote gift cards and to remind customers we were still here and trying to make it through. Now, we use it to keep clients updated. If I see a week is booking up far in advance, for example, I’ll send out an email letting customers know that the week is already almost fully booked.”

Jenna Sharma
Owner, BlushTan, Worcester, MA