TECHNO-LOGIC

WHETHER YOU’RE A FRANCHISE, A FREELANCER, OR AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, SOFTWARE IS CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING YOUR BUSINESS – JOSIE JACKSON SPOKE TO THE EXPERTS TO FIND OUT HOW

FOR INDEPENDENT BARBERSHOPS

Running an independent barbershop offers its owner freedom over many decisions, including hiring and choice over products used, however there are also drawbacks to this business structure. Elizabeth Olveda, Senior Communications Manager at Vagaro, notes that the power of marketing and branding is increasingly important in this day and age but admits “it can be a challenge for independent barbershops to focus on this practice while they are busy running day-to-day operations”. So, how can barbershop software help independent businesses combat these issues? Elizabeth explains: “Vagaro’s branded app packages are simple yet comprehensive, to help independent barbershops establish a unique identity, build brand awareness, and nurture client loyalty. Our Design Team creates completely customisable brands for businesses based on their direct needs and feedback.”

Meanwhile, Phorest Ads Manager is designed to help streamline the process of creating video ads, which aim to deliver higher engagement rates and a stronger connection with audiences compared to the more traditional static ads. Edyta Laveryd, Phorest Senior Product Manager, explains: “Hundreds of customisable templates are at your fingertips, designed by marketing experts to grab attention and drive client action. The intuitive targeting options ensure your message reaches the right audience, leveraging your unique client data for precision marketing.”

One of the reasons clients may be drawn to an independent barbershop is that they are looking for a more personalised, unique experience. Annabel Wood, at Fresha, highlights how this can be achieved: “With Fresha, you can build client profiles to keep track of everything you need to know about your client, allowing for a personalised experience. There are so many ways to target different clients, so you can always maintain and nurture those relationships.”

Sally Conchie, UK Marketing Specialist at Timely, also explains how software can help when building that all important client relationship: “Automated messages can be used to not only inform clients of their appointments, but provide them with aftercare advice, while loyalty schemes can be offered to encourage client retention. Clients can even be marked as VIPs and rewarded with exclusive discounts and special promotions, allowing your business to stand out.”

STRONG ARM STEADY

FOR FRANCHISES

Barbershop franchises often benefit from an established reputation, as well as marketing and operational support. However, there are some drawbacks to this structure, with Rikki Tronson, Chief Revenue Officer at Salon Manager, explaining: “Franchises often face the challenge of maintaining consistent service quality and brand standards across numerous locations.”

To help those shops running under a franchise model to maintain standards across locations, Salon Manager offers a centralised client record card system. This is a great way to ensure preferences follow them as they move between shop locations. The software also features robust permission settings for centralised oversight but also allows individual locations to enjoy the flexibility of managing their day-to-day operations.

Running a franchise model also raises the issue of royalties. These typically cover head office expenses e.g. administration, advertising, and technical support as well as the business idea and brand. Software provider, Zenoti has created features to support franchisees with royalty fee collections, Geraldine Fusciardi, General Manager, Zenoti UK and Europe explains: “We enable businesses to reduce the effort and errors in calculations, payments and reconciliation of dues and royalty fees. You can set the category, such as sales commissions, technology fees, or standard fees, and choose collection frequency.

Corporate can easily validate the royalty fees to be paid, approve payments, and initiate collection from all centres in one click.”

When it comes to those at the top of the management chain Booksy can offer customisable permission levels across the software. Put simply, this means overarching policies can be set whilst still allowing individual locations to manage their day-today operations and make location-specific adjustments. Shortcuts is also set up to support multiple layers of management within a franchise structure. Chris Dann, Content & Training Specialist at Shortcuts, tells us: “Our ‘Enterprise’ platform provides businesses with a centralised level of control over back-end configuration. This simplifies the process of making changes or updates with minimal downtime and disruption to each site. This platform is scalable, allowing for seamless expansion of locations, employees, and products.”

FOR FREELANCERS AND MOBILE BARBERS

According to the July-September issue of Modern Barber, 56% of the industry is freelance, while an additional 23% are a combination of freelance and employed. With this in mind, many barbershop software providers have begun to target many of their services at this demographic. Freelance and mobile barbers often face the challenge of dealing with every aspect of running a business themselves. Chris explains how Shortcuts Aire is an ideal solution for this: “The software includes a robust marketing suite with ready-made campaigns that can be activated with a simple click.”

For mobile barbers in particular, it can be challenging to determine which clients are within a reasonable distance, and should you choose to, it can also be tricky to calculate a travel fee. “Booksy offers mobile-friendly scheduling, integrated Google Maps and secure payment processing features, making it easy for freelancers to manage their business from anywhere,” says Hannah Hulley, Senior Sales Manager at Booksy. “If a mobile barber charges per mile the system will work this out for them, or they can choose to charge a set fee for travel. The system will also allow you to set a maximum distance.”

LUCKY SEVENS BARBERSHOP

FOR CO-WORKING SPACES

With the rise of freelancers, the opening of coworking spaces has also increased; these often follow a rent-a-chair or set payment plan, and provide barbers with a place to work, without the commitment of opening their own salon, the pressure of working under someone else, or the need to go mobile. Robert Smith co-founder of Slick has worked with leading co-working hubs to ensure the platform works for those utilising these spaces. Discussing a recent implementation Robert explains: “We built a system that splits payments into each chair renter ’s bank account, all from the client tapping once on the one card machine – even if the client has received services from multiple freelancers. It makes the co-working space look more professional and ensures the books and accounts stay nice and neat.”

However, if you’re managing a co-working space, Beu might be a great choice for you, it offers an automated commission split which takes place at the point of sale, ensuring everyone is paid their fair share without messing up any bank statements.