To keep business operations running as smoothly as possible, salon owners need to schedule their employees efficiently. Without proper scheduling methods in place, clients could show up for a service only to find out the person who should be providing the service is not there yet or has off for the day. Other employees who are working then need to scramble to figure out who can help the customer.

Not only does this reflect poorly on the salon, but it also frustrates your workers who now have to disrupt their own workday to make up for the scheduling error. These types of mishaps, if occurring frequently, can severely impact future sales.

So why exactly do salons need to implement employee scheduling software? Glad you asked! Below we’ll be covering the main reasons why this type of software is so beneficial for your salon and how it can help improve overall business operations.

Efficient Employee Scheduling

Naturally, one of the best benefits of using employee scheduling software is that you can schedule your workers more accurately and efficiently. Employees can enter their availability and request time off through the software, which scheduling managers can reference. This allows schedulers to create shifts that meet the demands of the business while also taking into consideration employee preferences.

If you are concerned about relaying shift information, the good news is that employee scheduling software has communication options built-in. If a shift has been posted or changes, an employee will be notified immediately. Being that employee job scheduling and communication software is often web-based, employees can review their schedules at any given time and from any device.

Good employee scheduling software will allow you to make scheduling changes with minimal friction. For example, if an employee calls out sick for the day, you should be able to glance at your schedule to see which other employees can cover the shift. 

Improved Customer Experience

When your employees show up on time for their appointments, customers take notice and appreciate that your business is mindful of their time. However, if a customer has to wait in the lobby, their experience with your business quickly decays.

This, of course, goes back to efficiently scheduling your employees with the help of easy employee scheduling software. By having a set schedule in place as far out in advance as possible, your employees can adequately prepare for their appointments and ensure they show up on time, every time. 

If an employee does know they’re going to be late, they can reach out to their client and let them know. While the customer may be upset that the appointment is running late, they will appreciate the concerted effort to let them know the status of their appointment. 

Reduced Labor Costs

Using employee scheduling software allows you to reduce your labor costs in the form of savings. By not overstaffing, you can save money. By accurately tracking employee work hours, you can save money. By reducing time theft, you guessed it! You can save money.

Employee scheduling software gives you a bird’s-eye view of staffing on any given week. You can review your projected labor costs, how many hours you are scheduling, and which employees may be nearing overtime. You can then use this information to more efficiently create shifts for your workers.

Employee scheduling isn’t the only thing you need to concern yourself with. By investing in time clock and scheduling software, you can ensure that your employee’s work hours are being tracked down to the minute, and they are being paid for their time worked. You can also ensure, through advanced features such as facial recognition, that employees are only punching time for themselves, therefore significantly reducing the chances of time theft.

Most importantly, you can monitor when employees are nearing overtime. When an employee is paid overtime, they are receiving one and a half times their regular pay. This can snowball into a massive issue when you have several workers that are requiring overtime pay.  These extraneous costs can quickly eat into your labor budget. And if you end up going over your labor budget, you will have to find the money somewhere else. Potentially at the risk of throwing your business into complete disarray.

To guarantee this doesn’t happen, invest in employee scheduling software that comes with a time tracking component. You can kill two birds with one stone. You can ensure that your employees are scheduled based on their preferences and availability, all while accurately tracking hours they have worked. This will lead to happier employees and customers and will significantly increase the chances for business success.