Multi-part bookings: Helping your salon business save time, make money, and take on new clients

It used to be that a sturdy pair of scissors, a mirror, and somewhere for your clients to sit was all the technology you needed to get going in the hair and beauty industry.

How times have changed. Technology is constantly reshaping the way we live and work, and the hair and beauty industry is no different.

Online booking technology has made it easier (we hope) for salon owners to manage schedules across multiple locations, have customers book salon services 24/7, and save their stylists time on scheduling that would be better spent making their clients look fantastic.

Now, we’re excited to announce another innovation. And this is a big one. One of our most requested features of all time. You asked, and we answered.

Introducing… multi-part bookings.

What are multi-part bookings?

If you own a hair salon, you will know that your stylists’ time is precious. You may offer cuts, colours, and hair products. But the most valuable thing your salon sells, is you and your team’s time.

You will also know that not all services your stylists offer run continuously from start to finish. Sometimes there is time left in the middle.

One example is cut and colour. A staple of salons everywhere, a cut and colour often leaves your clients with some downtime while they wait for their new colour to set. They might spend it leafing through a magazine, having a cup of tea, or chatting with other clients.

But what about your stylists? Wouldn’t you rather they made the most of the break between applying colour to the client’s hair, and styling it?

Our new multi-part bookings feature helps them maximise that precious time. 

How do multi-part bookings work?

If your salon offers services that involve multiple parts, like cut and colour appointments, there’s every chance you want to have time in between to take bookings from other clients.

That’s where multi-part bookings come in. When you create a multi-part service in Appointedd, you can add services with multiple parts, as well as the breaks in between those parts.

Let’s take a cut and colour as an example. If a client wanted to book a cut and colour with your salon, the breakdown of that service might look something like this:

• Part 1 | Colour application, 60 minutes
• Break | Development time, 30 minutes
• Part 2 | Cut and style, 45 minutes

Previously, that service would have to be added to Appointedd as three separate services, each with their own duration.

With multi-part bookings, however, your multi-part service will appear as a single service on your booking page, with a single price and duration to cover everything. That means your clients won’t confuse themselves by having to book multiple services, i.e. a colour then a cut.

On your internal Appointedd calendar, each of the distinct parts of the service will automatically  be added, with a 30 minute break in the middle.

That break will appear as a free slot in your live availability, leaving you and your staff free to take bookings from new clients while you wait for cut and colour clients to be ready.

What are the benefits of multi-part bookings?

There are multiple benefits of multi-part bookings, for both your clients and your staff; chiefly that your team are free to continue earning during breaks between services with multiple parts.

Benefits for your clients:

• Avoiding the confusion that comes with having to book service parts separately, i.e. cut and colour
• Being able to book one service with one duration and price, rather than lots of mini services
• Being clear on how much time and money they will be spending overall

Benefits for you and your team:

• Saving time on scheduling admin by grouping separate parts of the same service into one convenient block
• Having the option of making money during breaks between services, like cut and colour, by taking on other clients
• Enjoying a complete overview of schedules, and being in full control of how time is allocated

How will multi-part bookings help my hair and beauty business?

Running a hair salon is hard work. Harder still if you have more than one location.

As the owner of a salon business, you’re selling your team’s skill, their eye for detail, and their creative flair. Most importantly, you’re selling their time.

Appointedd’s multi-part feature protects that time.

The time you save, you can spend wisely. Having clients book multi-part services lets you manage your schedule more efficiently, maximize your opportunities for earning, and use the break in the middle of services like cut and colour to take on another client.

Or not.

As we mentioned, running a salon business is hard work. You could use your time to make money. Or you could use it to take a break.

Online booking system with multi-part bookings puts your hair salon in control.

To learn more about our multi-part booking feature, check out this handy guide.