Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for salons and spas.
A checklist built from how salons and spas work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Appointment book by stylist and room
- Client card
- Patch tests and consent notes
- Counter billing
- Memberships, packages and loyalty
- Staff commission
- Back bar and retail stock
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For owners
- For the front desk
- For stylists and barbers
- For branch managers
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Sales by service, stylist and branch
- Commission payable by stylist
- Colour and consumable usage against services done
- Retail products sold and stock to reorder
- Prepaid card balances and cards near expiry
- Clients not seen in the last few months
- Chair and stylist bookings by hour
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Card and mobile wallet payments
- Accounting export, agreed at set-up
- Barcode or label printer for retail products
- Biometric attendance device
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Can clients book themselves online?
- Can it remember a client’s hair colour mix?
- How does it handle walk-ins alongside appointments?
- Does it calculate stylist commission?
- Can colour and product stock be tracked?
- Does it send reminders, and will that stop no-shows?
- Is there a link to accounting software?
- Can we sell gift vouchers or run loyalty points?
- Who owns the client list?
- Do we need this for a two-chair salon?
- How soon can the front desk and stylists run on it?
- What should a salon owner have to hand before set-up?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Client history walks out with staff
- Commission slabs cause fights
- The back bar disappears
- No-shows empty the chair
- Prepaid packages are hard to prove
Prefer to talk it through? See the salons and spas page.