Salon Owners and Stylists Everywhere Are Increasing Revenue by Decreasing No-Shows with Notifly
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 18, 2013 -- Earlier this year the Internet was abuzz with a story about a Boston hair salon owner whose elderly client failed to show up for her regular appointment for the first time in seven years. The stylist became so concerned she sent a neighbor to check on the client and she was discovered lying at the bottom of the stairs where she’d fallen more than 24 hours earlier.
Thankfully, most missed hair appointments aren’t life and death matters. However it's true that missed appointments, or “no-shows,” can be a serious problem for stylists, salon owners and other hair care professionals.
But while for years many stylists have simply shrugged and accepted that no-show clients are just part of the game, today stylists and salons everywhere are combating the problem by using Notif.ly (website: https://notif.ly); a new appointment reminder platform, specifically designed to help minimize or eliminate no-shows.
"From our research talking to stylists, we found that most of them averaged at least one missed appointment a day," explains Joshua Otten, managing partner with Notif.ly. "For a salon to be successful it's very important to maintain a steady flow of daily appointments and those no-shows can add up quickly. This can really impact an individual salon or stylist’s bottom-line."
Some stylists use telephone calls to try and remind their clients of scheduled appointments. However, nowadays, there is a growing consensus that such calls can be intrusive, as many people’s schedules simply don’t allow for them to pick up the phone and talk to a receptionist during busy work days, filled with meetings and other demands. However, while it’s true that people don’t always pick up the phone, most people will check or respond to text messages, regardless of how busy they are.
"Notifly is the result of considerable research, which reveals a startling figure: 95% of all text messages are read, as opposed to just 23% for emails," explains Mr. Otten. "Texts also get a higher response rate than calls or emails. And while people won't always answer the phone at work or when they are in a meeting, they will almost always check or respond to a text."
That's why Notifly employs a simple, SMS-based approach to the whole process of confirming appointments. Stylists and salon owners who use the platform free themselves and their staffs from having to call clients to confirm. With Notifly, once an appointment is set, the platform automatically sends out a timely, courteous reminder to the client via SMS.
Clients may then either confirm the appointment by texting "Y" or cancel it by texting "X." Based on the client's reply, the Notifly dashboard will then alert the stylist as to which clients have confirmed and which will need to be rescheduled. And because Notifly sends out reminders 48 hours in advance, salons that use the platform always have ample time to fill timeslots for clients who do choose to cancel. Messages sent via Notifly can also be configured to include directions, instructions, special offers and other customized content.
Unlike many other SMS reminder platforms, which are frequently just one component in a larger suite of services, and can easily cost hundreds of dollars, Notifly is a standalone application. Notifly offers users a freemium service plan, allowing anyone with a small business to try out the service for free. After that, monthly bulk plans are available starting at just $10 a month.
About Notifly
Notifly is an innovative new web-based SaaS platform designed to help stylists, salon owners and other professionals better manage their appointments with clients. By using Notifly, businesses can increase their revenue by ensuring that clients, patients and customers never miss their scheduled appointments. By fully automating the appointment reminder process, Notifly makes it easier for businesses to decrease their rate of no-shows. Simple, intuitive and easy to use, Notifly frees salon owners and their staff from the responsibility of having to make follow-up phone calls by sending convenient text message reminders to clients. Notifly was designed to empower hair salons to decrease their no-show rates and increase their income. To find out more about Notifly visit http://www.nomorenoshows.com.
For more information:
Joshua Otten
Managing Partner at Notifly
Email: josho(at)notif(dot)ly
Phone: 818-920-8297
Joshua Otten, Notifly, https://notif.ly/, 818-920-8297, [email protected]
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