Salon Business

Better Business

February 1, 2008 By: American Salon Staff American Salon

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According to Couts, the Web site's biggest content change is the new "Stylists Only" section. "Here stylists can get instant product usage education via video, get an inside look at the creation of our campaigns and get a preview of our Foundations cutting and salon business education," he says. In addition, stylists can download an eight-minute, looped video featuring KMS California haircuts, products and behind-the-scenes coverage to play in the waiting area of their salons. Meanwhile, the biggest news for consumers worldwide is the Web site's new language function. "The technology we use allows each of our dozens of countries to easily translate the site into their local language," he says. "Soon we'll have 10 languages up and active, with English and Chinese already a part of the site."

Both stylists and consumers will appreciate the Web site's "Create Your Look" section, which features images from the company's current campaign, as well as information about the products that were used to create the hairstyles in the different looks. Users can also learn about the company's 10 product lines, find out how KMS California's innovative IOPS (Inside Out Perfecting System) technology delivers reconstructive and conditioning agents to penetrate deep into the hair, locate salons that carry KMS products and find up-to-date information about which beauty editors around the world are recommending KMS California products to their readers.

Before redesigning the Web site, Couts says the company's management did research to determine two primary things: what consumers look for in a Web site (of any kind) and what stylists and their clients are looking for specifically from KMS California. "We found that consumers want content to be visual, easy to understand and available in as few clicks as possible," Couts says. "Stylists told us they were looking to see all of our model images, have a one-stop resource for product and company information and also have access to our inspirational tools and magazine mentions."

The result of all of this research and the ensuing redesign is a user-friendly site that Couts says has gotten a very positive response from stylists and consumers. "The feedback has been excellent and traffic is way up," Couts says. "Everyone has commented on the easy navigation, the global outlook of the content and, as always, the dramatic imagery, which is always shot on location rather than in studios." —L.A.

TECH SUPPORT

FULLY BOOKED

Software can help you keep your appointment book full.

Keeping your appointment book full is one of the most important keys to the success of your salon. Fortunately, salon software can make it easy for you to get clients booked, minimize no-shows and fill open appointments.

Online appointment booking, offered by such software systems as ClienTrak!, Crimpers, Harms' Millennium, Leprechaun, Extended Technologies' SalonBiz, ProSolutions, Salon Iris and Unique, allows clients to book appointments even when you aren't open. Another way to increase bookings is to add services to clients' appointments. With Millennium, salons can create up-sell and cross-sell notifications so that booking agents can inform clients of promotions or new services while they're booking. Floydware's Rosy also helps in this regard by using client history records to alert booking agents that a client who's calling for a haircut, for example, may also be due for haircolor.

One of the best ways to make sure your calendar is full, however, is to book appointments while your clients are at your salon. After a sale is completed, Crimpers' automatic prompts remind receptionists to ask clients if they would like to book their next appointment, while both ClienTrak! and Leprechaun encourage stylists themselves to do the rebooking while their clients are still in their chairs using a wireless device.

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