Booker

Booker is a godsend for so many salons. It is very user-friendly and they have implemented the use of embedded training videos for all the features; this is a wonderful tool and works very well for people who are visual learners, which most stylists happen to be. For salon managers and owners, Booker offers a variety of tools: time-clock, sales tracking, inventory, tip allocation, expenditures/budgets, etc. Being a web-based software, it's very easy to add a widget or embed a link on your website and/or Facebook page to allow customers to easily schedule themselves for services. In addition, there is a built-in point of sale system that makes it easy to check out clients without needing to switch over to another program and/or system.

The downside to being a web-based software: if the server is down or there is an issue with the website, you cannot access your calendar or your point of sale system. Booker has been awesome enough to provide a separate website where they allow you to report issues of the system being down and also announcing known issues. Their customer service makes up for this issue.

Online scheduling option for clients. Option to require credit card to hold the appointments.

Unstable, often (typically weekly) goes down without warning - our solution - keep all client service data on another platform (box.com) so we provide service to scheduled clients. Unstable, Unable to accept payment due to instability of the system - solution - we use a mini clover and have pricing of services stored on a spreadsheet to reference and complete transaction thru mini clover with client. We have line item in booker - "bookernotworking" as recommended in their FAQ section to close out transactions when this happens.

I really like how Booker allows clients to schedule on line and purchase gift certificates. Most clients love the ability to schedule on line.

It can be difficult to maneuver around in the settings.