What two years with Setmore taught me about my own business patterns
Laura Ward
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Aesthetic Clinic · Gloucester · 24d ago
Right so I've been meaning to write this up for ages. I'm a hair salon owner based in Bristol and I spent way too long using WhatsApp as my main booking tool. I know a lot of you are still doing this and I get it — it feels personal, it's easy, your clients know how to use it. But here's what it was actually costing me.
Every Sunday night I'd spend two hours going through messages, confirming appointments, sending manual reminders, chasing people who'd said 'yes I'll be there' three days ago and then gone quiet. Two hours every single Sunday. When I eventually calculated that out over a year it was over 100 hours of unpaid admin.
I moved to Square Appointments 18 months ago. Setup took about three hours including customising my services and pricing. Within the first month I got 18 months's worth of time back. The automated reminders alone have saved me from three no-shows that would definitely have happened.
The bit I was most nervous about — telling my existing clients — was a complete non-event. I sent a single message saying I'd moved to online booking and included the link. About 80% booked straight away. The other 20% needed a gentle nudge but they got there.
Every Sunday night I'd spend two hours going through messages, confirming appointments, sending manual reminders, chasing people who'd said 'yes I'll be there' three days ago and then gone quiet. Two hours every single Sunday. When I eventually calculated that out over a year it was over 100 hours of unpaid admin.
I moved to Square Appointments 18 months ago. Setup took about three hours including customising my services and pricing. Within the first month I got 18 months's worth of time back. The automated reminders alone have saved me from three no-shows that would definitely have happened.
The bit I was most nervous about — telling my existing clients — was a complete non-event. I sent a single message saying I'd moved to online booking and included the link. About 80% booked straight away. The other 20% needed a gentle nudge but they got there.
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Totally agree about Fresha's transaction fee adding up. I did the maths for my price point and the 'free' plan was actually costing me more than a paid subscription to Jane App by the time I factored in the percentage on every booking. Read the small print before assuming free is cheaper.
#1
Just want to add for anyone reading this who's worried about the tech side — I am not a tech person at all. I set up Vagaro by myself in one afternoon by just following their setup guide. If I can do it, genuinely anyone can.
#2
I've been in this industry for 3 years and the switch to online booking was the best operational decision I ever made, full stop. Not even close. The time saving is enormous and the professionalism it adds to your brand is something clients notice and comment on.
#3
This is really relatable. I went through almost the exact same process 6 months ago. The biggest thing for me was realising that the clients who pushed back hardest on deposits were the ones who'd let me down before. Once I saw it that way the decision became very easy.
#4
I've been in this industry for 8 years and the switch to online booking was the best operational decision I ever made, full stop. Not even close. The time saving is enormous and the professionalism it adds to your brand is something clients notice and comment on.
#5