Boulevard Education Manager Katie Chapin explores how technology is revolutionizing the industry at Premiere San Antonio
When you run a self-care business, you’re always thinking about the big picture. How can you improve the client experience and cultivate long-lasting relationships? How can you make your shop run more efficiently? How can you outperform your competition, boost profits, and grow the business?
As an education manager at Boulevard, Katie Chapin is familiar with self-care business owners’ concerns and questions. In September 2024, Katie took the stage at Premiere San Antonio to explore the evolving role of technology in the self-care industry and how the right solutions drive growth and streamline operations. Here are the key takeaways from Katie’s session.
The role of technology in the self-care industry
Technology plays a significant role in almost every aspect of daily life. Your smartphone keeps you connected to the people you love and the things you care about. We use social media to stay entertained, follow new trends, and show off significant moments from our lives. Nearly everything, from televisions to speakers to appliances, can connect to the internet now.
In other words, you’re already pretty tech-savvy, even if you don’t realize it. Because so much of self-care is creative and passion-driven, technology can sometimes feel antithetical to your mission statement. But if you’re not embracing these solutions in your business, you’re in danger of falling behind.
In order to stay competitive and deliver the best client experiences possible, it’s critical to understand the role technology plays in self-care business operations.
Enhancing the client experience
Think about the entire client journey. These days, that journey starts long before they set foot in your business. Self-care enthusiasts will first do research online and try to book an appointment from your website or social media. If that experience is clunky and full of friction, you’ve just blown your chance at a positive first impression.
But seamless self-booking isn’t the only tech-based enhancement clients expect. Once they’re in the building, they expect personalized service, especially if they’ve been to your business before. Just about every demographic appreciates personalization, but it’s particularly crucial for Millennials and Zoomers. If you’re not using client management software to keep track of details like service history and purchase preferences, it’s going to be challenging to provide that level of service.
Streamlining operations
It sounds cliché, but in the self-care industry, time really is money. The more appointments you can fit into the schedule while continuing to provide a high level of customer service, the more money you — and your providers — will earn. On the other hand, every minute you spend fighting with your POS or trying to unravel the scheduling gaffe that led to a double-booking or awkward gap is wasted time and therefore lost revenue.
If that sounds familiar, it’s time to put your technology to work and streamline these processes. The right platform can optimize scheduling, which reduces downtime and boosts productivity while also giving your providers plenty of quality time with their clients. A combination of smart hardware and software offers a seamless checkout experience. And those two examples are just the beginning; imagine having a single platform for booking, scheduling, payment processing, messaging, marketing, and beyond. That’s why the right technology is a total game-changer for self-care business owners.
Staying competitive
Self-care is a fiercely competitive industry. With almost 80,000 salons, 5,000 barbershops, and 56,000 nail salons in the United States alone, it’s a safe bet that you’re not the only spot in town offering the services on your menu. To keep your doors open, you have to find ways to stand out in the crowd.
The client experience will play a big part in how well you fare against the competition, but that’s not enough on its own. You need insights that show you what’s working and what’s not. You need to understand sales trends and market demands. You have to be able to make informed decisions for strategic growth.
In other words, you need data. And unless you’re prepared to spend hours poring over spreadsheets crunching the numbers, you’ll need technology with powerful reporting features. This makes it significantly easier to track your progress and meet your goals. You’ll be able to make choices based on facts, not vibes. That’s the kind of edge technology can give you over the competition — you just have to know how to leverage it.
Finding the right technology solution
By now, it should be clear that technology gives self-care business owners an edge and helps propel growth. But no one expects you to suddenly become an IT expert. You need a platform that’s both comprehensive and intuitive. If you know what features to look for, you’ll be better equipped to find the best solution for your business. Use these examples as you begin your search:
Everything in one place: Using different apps for booking, payments, scheduling, and so on isn’t efficient. Ideally, your platform should bundle all of this functionality (and more) into a single solution.
Sophisticated marketing: Getting the word out is important, so look for solutions with smart marketing features designed to boost bookings and client satisfaction.
Real-time messaging: What if you could fill a last-minute cancellation in minutes? With automated two-way texting, you can. The key is to ensure the texts still sound human; no one wants to do business with a robot.
Don’t commit to any solution sight unseen. Instead, ask for a demo to see the technology in action and determine if it meets your needs.
Remember: Technology is there to make your life easier, not harder. If that doesn’t describe your current tech stack, it’s time to reevaluate. With the right solution, you’ll be able to focus on what you do best — which is ultimately a sound strategy for business growth.
