Salon Software Can Help You Avoid Headaches

Salon software can be the best thing since sliced bread if an owner of a shop does his or her homework and gets a great program. Let's face it; running a small business is not for the timid or lazy. It takes grit, perseverance and high energy. It also takes organizational skills which a software program can provide. Here are some headaches to avoid by making some good choices when purchasing computerized systems:

- Botched up payroll: Tracking everyone's hours can be a pain without a computerized program in place. Writing hours down on slips of papers that can be lost is a nightmare waiting to happen. Monitoring who worked when and how much they're owed will be much simpler with a computer software program.

- No more shampoo: Oh no! You've run out of shampoo on your busiest day of the year? What will you tell the remaining ten customers who haven't even arrived for their appointments? Will you have to let them go away with dirty hair or pick up an inferior product at the local 5 & Dime? You better hope not. With a computerized inventory tracking program, you'll always have the products you need on hand.

- Expired licenses: The state inspector has arrived and found that half of your stylists have expired licenses. She's threatening to close you down for your slipshod record keeping. This wouldn't have happened with a high quality computer program monitoring expiration dates.

- Double and triple booking: A few customers tried to book appointments while you were doing other things. You said "Sure, no problem" and then forgot to write it down. When the three of them show up at the same time, you realize your error. If you'd let a salon software appointment tracking device handle the bookings, this wouldn't have happened.

- Paid the wrong amount of taxes: Is that Uncle Sam knocking on your front door? Did you pay the correct amount of employee withholding taxes, sales tax on the products you sold and property taxes on your building? No? Uh oh. Now you're going to be slapped with fines and be facing an audit. If you'd had an accounting program set up on your software program, this wouldn't have occurred.

- The tech support person never showed up: Before signing a contract with a computer company, make sure you check their reputation, experience, and technical support. Ask for references and check them. Call the BBB to inquire about complaints and business track records.

- Your business outgrew your salon software: Businesses grow, shrink and change all the time. Make sure the program you purchase has flexibility built in so that it can adapt to the changes that will surely occur over time.

Salon software programs can be the bees' knees for organizing employee data, keeping up with licensure expirations, stocking inventory and much more. It can be worth its weight in gold if the right system is selected. It can be the cure for a variety of painful headaches.