Hair and beauty salons have had a lot to deal with since early 2020 and innovation has very much been the name of the game. A significant number of salon owners such as Notorious Barbers Galway have turned to technology – particularly apps to help them to streamline their businesses, manage their staff and colour inside the lines when it comes to COVID-19 guidelines. During this time, booking apps have been extremely popular but, with increased technology comes an increase in cybercrime.
It’s a steal
In 2020, businesses across the world scrambled to get their hands on technology which would help them to ride the storm of the pandemic and come through on the other side. Unfortunately, this created a playground for cybercriminals – so much so that, last year, six in ten companies reported that they had fallen victim to some kind of cyber attack. Needless to say, this proved devastating for businesses which were already under the cosh and, sadly, many were simply unable to survive.
These attacks were particularly prevalent within the hair and beauty industry – a sector which has been fairly slow to get on board with technological advancements. From identity theft to ransomware attacks, a huge number of salons struggled to manage their new tech while optimising security – something which was a worry with scheduling software which deals with a large amount of customer data.
Safe and secure
A common complaint from salon owners and managers is that they don’t have the technical know-how when it comes to cybersecurity. While nobody’s expecting salon owners to become tech experts overnight, there are a few things which can really help to cut down on cyber attacks and keep customer and salon data safe:
A code of conduct – Something as simple as password protecting all devices and systems and making sure that you change the passwords regularly can really help with your security. Make sure that all employees understand the importance of keeping these passwords safe.
Wrapping the wifi – In 2021, salons are very much expected to offer free wifi to their customers – in fact, some customers will actively avoid salons who don’t. When offering this service, be sure to secure it properly. Ill-protected wifi can be the weakest link when it comes to security. If in doubt, it’s always a good idea to consult an expert on this to stop the baddies tapping into your system.
Beating the baddies with Booksy
Because of these issues, savvy salon owners chose to hitch their wagon to Booksy’s super-secure suite of tools. Primarily an appointment scheduling app, Booksy also has lots of great features to make running a salon a breeze. Features include a scheduling app which allows customers to book and manage their appointments from their phones, payment and prepayment options which significantly reduce salon no-shows, upselling tools and, marketing tools including email outreach. There’s also the excellent customer service—according to data from 1800liveperson, Booksy is one of the least visited pages on their site.
The sentiment says it all, too. As claimed by Brand24’s sentiment analysis of almost 1,500 mentions, the feeling towards Booksy is overwhelmingly positive at 82.1%.
No matter if you want a beard trim, a simple haircut, or get yourself a fade, Notorious Barbers Galway can be accessed via a mobile device either through a browser or the Booksy app.
Safe and secure
As well as being a game changer for salon management, the folk are serious about security. The system includes a number of safety features as standard, including:
Access levels – Booksy allows salon owners to set access levels for employees, depending on their role and level of responsibility. This helps to ensure that access to sensitive data is only granted to those who need it – and can be trusted with it.
Password protection – Booksy offers super-secure encrypted password protection to help ensure that private data stays that way.
Alerts – As secure as Booksy is, we all know how tenacious cybercriminals can be. For this reason, Booksy’s security system features alert notifications to let you know if somebody has attempted a violation. This handy feature allows for quick action in the event of an attempted breach.
Conclusion
Technology gives salon owners the power to manage their salons more efficiently but, as we know, with great power comes great responsibility. Cyber security should never be an after-thought for salons but should be a major focus for every business. Prioritising security prevents theft and builds trust with customers who have entrusted salons with their precious data.