Guides
Yoga classes, workshops, courses: a group class is a different game from a one-on-one appointment. How to set capacity wisely, what to do when a class fills up, and how the waitlist hands a freed spot to the next in line automatically.
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Guides
Booking system for hair salons: what a plain calendar can't do
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A hairdresser's day rarely comes in identical blocks. A quick men's cut in the morning, then a two-and-a-half-hour colour with highlights, and in between someone calls: "I only want to see Anna, when is she free?" A generic calendar treats all of this the same way: you pick a time, type it in, done. The trouble starts when clients book online themselves, and the system has to know everything you used to keep in your head.
This article walks through the points where a hair salon differs from an average service business, and for each one shows how to set it up in Bellora. Where the system has a limit today, we say so – better to know up front.
If you're only starting to look for a system, it's worth reading the 8 questions to ask any booking system first. This article is its hair-salon-specific follow-up.
Same service, different durations
A women's cut might take you 45 minutes and your colleague 60, because she always blow-dries too. If the system only knows one duration, either you sit idle or she runs late every day.
In Bellora you can override a service's base duration and price per team member. When editing a service, under the team member assignments, you can set a Custom duration and Custom price for each colleague. Online booking always uses the values of the person the client picked.
Hair length is a separate question. There are no separate "variants" (short / medium / long hair) in the system today, but two approaches work well:
- A separate service per length – for example "Colour – shoulder length" and "Colour – long hair", each with its own duration. This is the more accurate option, since the duration differs too.
- A "from" price – if the duration is roughly the same and only the product cost changes, a "from" or range price type is enough. It only changes the displayed price, not the time booked.
A buffer between clients
Rinsing the bowl, wiping the chair, sweeping up hair – none of it is part of the service, but it still takes time. If it isn't set up, the next client arrives exactly when you're still holding the broom.
You can set it at two levels:
- Salon-wide: Settings → Booking → Scheduling → Buffer between bookings. It applies after every service, and clients don't see it.
- Per service: when editing a service, in Buffer after service you can keep the salon default or set a custom value. A colour usually needs more than a clipper cut.
If a client books several services at once, the system uses the longest buffer.
