What I wish I'd known before switching to Vagaro
Logan Robinson
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Salon / Hair Studio · Exeter · 4mo ago
Can we talk about the actual cost of running a barbershop without a proper booking system? Because I think a lot of people are making the calculation wrong.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £5 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least five hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my barbershop in Brighton, I was losing the equivalent of £5 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Square Appointments now for 18 months and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about five hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
They see the monthly fee — let's say £5 per month — and think that's an expense. But they don't add up what they're already spending:
- Time doing manual admin (at least five hours a week for most people I speak to)
- Money lost to no-shows with no deposit protection
- Clients you miss because they couldn't get through on the phone
- Late-night WhatsApp messages you answer because you feel you have to
When I sat down and actually counted this up for my barbershop in Brighton, I was losing the equivalent of £5 a week to inefficiency. The booking system paid for itself in the first fortnight.
I've been using Square Appointments now for 18 months and the ROI is obvious. My diary is fuller, my admin time is down to about five hours a week from what used to be a lot more, and I haven't had a no-show in over a month because the deposit system filters out the chancers before they waste my time.
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The no-show stats in this post match my experience almost exactly. I was losing roughly £25 a month to no-shows and cancellations before I introduced deposits. That money was just gone. Now it's protected. The maths on deposits is completely obvious once you see it.
#1
Really useful breakdown — thank you. I've been sitting on the fence about Treatwell for months and this has pushed me to just go and do the free trial. Will report back.
#2
The bit about re-engaging lapsed clients is something I hadn't thought of using Fresha for. Going to set that up today. I've got loads of clients I assumed had just moved on who might just need a gentle nudge.
#3
The bit about re-engaging lapsed clients is something I hadn't thought of using Acuity Scheduling for. Going to set that up today. I've got loads of clients I assumed had just moved on who might just need a gentle nudge.
#4