Blog

Hard times bring out the best and worst in humankind. As lockdowns grip the majority of Australia and New Zealand, civil unrest erupts in Afghanistan, and wild weather rips through Turkey and other parts of the EU – so many of us are feeling down in the dumps. And when you’re in a negative head space, that can seep through to every conversation and interaction you have with others.   

With each state experiencing their own roller-coaster journey with the COVID-19 pandemic, it can get pretty confusing for some business owners as to what applies to them. Luckily, Victoria and South Australia have just come out of their lockdown, but we’ve now seen some local government areas in Queensland put into a snap lockdown, and Sydney’s lockdown extended yet again.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or had your head buried deep in all the restriction and lockdown carnage Covid is leaving in business right now, then you may have heard our not-so-little secret. WE LAUNCHED SHORTCUTS 8.1! Here’s all the amazing features you have to look forward to in 8.1!

We’ve introduced a combined single view of your booked appointments and walk-ins to make managing your appointment book easier than ever, with intuitive design changes to the appointment schedule, the appointment touch tip and more.  

Barbers have carved their own niche in the hair industry – creating successful modern-day barbershops built on the foundations of tradition and heroing one of the longest standing trades. They’ve been revived to become places where fellas go not just for the trendy short back and sides cut, but for a unique experience. An experience where they get to sit back and relax with beer and banter. 

Ever been so flat-out in the salon you’ve rushed a client’s checkout, accidentally keying in $10 instead of $100 – uh oh! You just lost $90 on the transaction and your client’s already zipped out the door? #Awkies! Don’t worry we’ve all been there before...it’s a common mistake that happens more than you think in the salon industry. 

As salon owners, we’re constantly wondering if the service we’re providing is enough. Is my client happy? Will they come back? What if they tell people bad things about my business? The thoughts are endless. 

As we get cosy with the idea of 2021, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. I feel that this year is going to hold so much potential for salons who have proven they can survive and thrive through whatever the world can throw at them, after the fiasco of 2020.

We all love a good makeover story. The feeling of polishing something that’s past it’s prime to make it shiny and new again. We all need our Mia Thermopolis moment in the Princess Diaries when the hand-held mirrors part ways to reveal the new and improved Princess of Genovia. Ugh, an early noughties dream. We’d LOVE to have a makeover just like that on ourselves one day… 😉

Creating a marketing plan is a great way to ensure you have the right plan in place to achieve your goals. Although, it can be a daunting task and hard to even know where to begin!

We chatted with Ingrid van de Berg, our fab New Zealand Sales Manager, about how the barber industry is evolving to include more technology and progress their business even further.  

Ok guys, we get it… 2020 was a rubbish year. From bushfires to a global pandemic, lockdowns to protests, to wild weather and a wild ride of a US election thrown in, it was a year that was… a lot... to handle. At best. But in amongst the real-bad, we like to think there was some good.

Let’s face it, when you have a salon, spa or barber business to run you’re BUSY. With a capital B. You have a lot on your plate, juggling all the demands of your business, not to mention family, friends, and life in general. So wherever you can make your life easier, you’re going to be jumping on that opportunity, right? The simplest way to make your life easier is to (drum roll please…) automate. Seriously. Anything you can automate, just do it!

Let’s face it, when you have a salon, spa or barber business to run you’re BUSY. With a capital B. You have a lot on your plate, juggling all the demands of your business, not to mention family, friends, and life in general. So wherever you can make your life easier, you’re going to be jumping on that opportunity, right? The simplest way to make your life easier is to (drum roll please…) automate. Seriously. Anything you can automate, just do it!

2020 – what a year, right? With restrictions now easing in Victoria (happy dance for face-mask free treatments!) and the rest of Australia and New Zealand gearing up for the holidays, word on the street from our clients is that “every week is a Christmas week from now until the new year”. What that means for businesses is a chock-a-block appointment book, constantly crowded front desks and a roster that looks like a who’s-who of your team zoo – everyone on, all the time.

Cardless checkout is the new, Uber-style way of paying for an appointment. And she’s fancy. You know the convenience of catching an Uber? You sign up and enter in your card details once, and from then on you can catch Ubers wherever and whenever you like! Well, why should paying for a haircut or facial be any different? The answer – it shouldn’t!

Keeping track of the clients that come through your salon or barbershop is going to continue to be an important step in the nation’s recovery from COVID-19 – regardless of what stage of restrictions your state or country may be in. Everyone is so aware of the possibility of a second wave, like we’re starting to see in Victoria, so making sure you’re on top of contact tracing in your salon, spa or barbershop is a must.

Suddenly barbers all over Australia and New Zealand are scrambling to figure out how the heck to keep track of the clients walking through their doors when they’ve never taken appointments before. So what can you do ASAP to safeguard your business against COVID-19 and get your contact tracing requirements up to speed?