BARBERING HAS ENTERED THE CHAT

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS THE BUZZWORD OF THE MOMENT – BUT WHAT IS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO INTEGRATE IT INTO YOUR BUSINESS?

Although it’s been around for a while, AI (artificial intelligence) has started to make big waves in recent months, thanks in part to the rise of ChatGPT, an AI language processing tool, also referred to as a chatbot. The tool can be used to compose content, respond to questions, write code and more, presenting multiple opportunities to help support your barbershop.

However, there’s also something else on the market that could be just the ticket to help you boost your business: barbershop software. While many software brands also utilise AI technology, they have been specifically developed to take a portion of the workload off your hands and are already programmed to help you tackle specific tasks you encounter on a daily basis. So, we asked the industry what each of these AI tools has offered their business.

HOW BARBERS ARE USING AI

As social media continues to evolve, the demands placed on barbers and business owners to maintain a strong online presence are increasing – therefore it’s no surprise that this is the most common area where barbers appear to be utilising tools such as ChatGPT. For example, Bailey Snowden, who’s been in the barbering industry for six years, tells us: “I’ve used ChatGPT to help me make a content calendar for

Instagram, and it was a very easy process. I typed in the prompt, ‘Make me a 30 day content calendar for a barber on Instagram’, and it provided me with 30 days’ worth of video, picture and reel ideas.” Once you get to grips with the basics, you can even tailor your prompts so that the responses generated are unique to you and your skills.

Aston Ng, owner of Cave Barbershop in Hong Kong, also agrees that AI can be easily implemented into your social media strategy, noting: “It’s a great way to enhance customer engagement by using it to respond to customer enquiries automatically, although it does require some initial technical support,” adding that overall it was easy to implement.

While Chat GPT is the AI software most barbers are likely to be familiar with, there are certainly other options available; for example, Canadian barber Gregory Dennis highlights that his preferred AI platform to use is Jounce.ai. He says: “I find it quite similar to ChatGPT, but I think it’s easier to use as it doesn’t require quite as many prompts.”

WHAT ABOUT SOFTWARE?

While ChatGPT has only recently started to surge in popularity, barbershop software has been around a little longer; Ainsley Walton, who’s been in the hair industry for 11 years, has been using Booksy Biz for over half that time. Sharing what he loves about using software in his own salon, Har Sessions, he says: “It offers a great selection of marketing tools while also being foolproof – and my clients find it really easy to use, too.” Despite this, he admits that the rise of ChatGPT is unavoidable, adding: “It’s definitely something I’m going to have to think about using in the future to stay with the times.”

POWER COUPLE

Using a dedicated barbershop software in tandem with an AI chatbox is something Bailey is familiar with, and while he admits that the latter has some great uses, barbershop software has been the most beneficial to his business. “I find both of these tools great, but for different things,” he explains. Gregory is in a similar position, sharing: “With Resurva, clients can book their appointments remotely, plus the automatic waitlists, notifications and reminders help to combat no-shows. “A lot of people don’t want to talk on the phone these days, and having your bookings open 24/7 works with peoples’ erratic schedules.” He still praises ChatGPT, thanks to its easy-to-use interface, but adds: “Bad input, bad output. You need to know how to ask the right prompts to get the right answers; TikTok is full of useful ways to get the most out of it.”