Makastam for hair salons

Long appointments with several stages

A barber can work in half-hour slots, but a full head of foils, a balayage or a smoothing treatment can fill a whole afternoon. If the diary does not reserve that time properly, either a stylist stands around waiting or two clients end up booked into the same chair. In Makastam you set the duration of every service in your service list, and when a client books several services the appointment takes up their combined time.

On your online booking page a client only sees stylists who offer those services and are genuinely free for that whole stretch. If nobody offers every service they picked, the page says so, so a long colour appointment never lands with the wrong person. You decide how far ahead clients can book and how much notice they must give. If you would rather check long bookings before they are confirmed, turn off automatic confirmation: online bookings then arrive as "Pending" until you approve them.

The colour formula lives on the client profile

For a colourist, the formula is the record that matters most: which shade, which developer, how long it processed, roots only or full lengths. If it sits on a paper card and that stylist leaves, or the card goes missing, the client may never get the same colour again. The client profile keeps notes, past tickets, appointments and the last visit together.

A new junior stylist can read the same note and match the colour. The profile also shows how many times the client did not turn up, their birthday and whether they gave marketing consent.

Stylist and junior on the same ticket

In a hair salon one client is often looked after by more than one person: the stylist applies the colour, a junior does the wash and blow-dry. Every line on the ticket belongs to the person who did it. At the end of the day it is clear who did what, without a debate, and staff commission is worked out from those lines automatically.

• Different rates per type of service: separate rates for cutting, colour and treatments.
• You choose the base: the amount excluding VAT, or the amount after colour product costs.
• Retail commission can be set separately for the aftercare products a stylist sells.
• Each stylist's share of tips and who carries the card fee are part of the rule.

Weddings, proms and special occasions

Bridal hair, wedding parties, proms and debs are planned well in advance and usually combine several services. You put the appointment in the diary weeks ahead, add the client's wishes to the appointment note and keep anything permanent on the client profile. If a package does not fit your price list, add it on the quick sale screen as a custom item and choose the stylist.

You can also show a short announcement on your booking page, for example asking brides to call first so you can talk through the day. If you are rethinking your prices, our guide on how to price salon services is a good place to start. Running a salon in Ireland? See our page on salons in Dublin.

Bringing clients back

Colour clients come back at fairly regular intervals, but noticing when one stops coming is hard. After the number of days you choose, clients who have not been in can receive a "We miss you" message over Telegram, and a birthday message on the day. These only go to clients who gave marketing consent. The client report also lists the people you have not seen for a while.