How to choose booking software for a salon with multiple staff
For a salon with several staff members, choose booking software that checks both the right person's availability and the room or equipment needed for each appointment. Reminders, deposits, staff access and clear pricing for the whole team matter too. The aim is to make everyday booking easier for you and your clients.
Meety brings bookings, team availability, payments and client communication together. It is a good option if you want to take bookings online and manage clients' return visits in the same system.
Start with how your salon works
A self-employed hairdresser needs something different from a salon with a receptionist, five colleagues and a shared treatment room. Choose around the situations your team handles every day.
| How you work | What the system needs to handle |
|---|---|
| You work alone | Service durations, working hours, breaks and reminders |
| Several colleagues provide services | Separate availability, access and a Google Calendar connection for each team member |
| One service needs several staff members | Everyone needed must be available at the same time |
| Service prices vary by staff member | A separate price for the same service for each team member |
| You share a room or device | Shared capacity checks for the services that need it |
| You offer longer services or need preparation time | Buffer time, cancellation rules and deposits |
| Clients visit regularly | Visit history, a loyalty programme and invitations to book again |
An available staff member and a free room
A gap in the calendar does not always mean a service can go ahead. A massage therapist may be free while a colleague is using the treatment room.
In Meety, you assign rooms or equipment to a service and specify how many it needs. When someone books, the system checks those resources alongside staff availability. It also accounts for the service's buffer time for preparation or cleaning. You do not have to compare two calendars by hand to spot clashes. How resources work in Meety.
You can set each colleague's working hours, services and role. A receptionist managing bookings has different responsibilities from a colleague providing treatments. Their access and permissions can reflect that.
More than one person in a booking
Some services need more than one staff member. For a couples massage or a four-hand massage, all the therapists involved need to be available at the same time.
Meety lets you book several staff members for one appointment. Set the number of team members a service requires, and the system checks their combined availability when offering time slots. Together with room or equipment requirements, this keeps the whole service in one booking.
For group classes, one client can reserve several places for themselves and other people in a single booking. Each place counts towards the class capacity.
Individual availability, including by service
Each team member can have their own availability, with separate schedules for individual services too. A colleague might offer haircuts throughout the week but colouring only on certain days. You do not need to change anyone else's schedule. See availability settings and service settings for details.
Each team member can also connect their own Google Calendar. Events marked as busy are taken into account when clients book in Meety. Once synchronisation is enabled, Meety appointments are also added to that person's Google Calendar. How the Google Calendar connection works.
The same service, priced by staff member
The same haircut may cost more with an experienced stylist than with a junior colleague. Being able to set a price according to who provides the service is therefore worth considering when choosing booking software.
In Meety, you can set a different price for the same service for each team member. Your service list can reflect your colleagues' experience and rates. Clients need to know the price when choosing their stylist or therapist.
Clients should be able to book from their phone
Clients want to choose a service, staff member and available time even when you are closed. Meety's booking page lets them do that online. Share the link on your website or social media, or embed booking in your existing website.
You do not need a separate website to get started. Your booking page can introduce your services, prices, team and business. Clients can find your offer and book in one place.
Reminders and payments should follow your rules
Meety sends reminders automatically. You choose the timing and channels. If clients can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before their appointment, the first reminder can arrive earlier, giving them time to respond before that deadline.
For longer services, a deposit or full payment upfront can also make sense. In Meety, you can set these for selected services. Clients see the payment and cancellation terms while booking. See the online payments guide for more.
You can offer a cancelled slot through the waitlist, giving interested clients a chance to book it. Find more options in How to reduce missed appointments.
Think about the client's next visit too
For recurring services, it helps when your system also supports return visits. In the automatic Win-back campaign, you choose how many days should pass after the last completed visit and prepare an invitation. Meety then selects eligible clients who have no upcoming pending or confirmed booking.
The campaign currently uses one inactivity threshold per location and contacts clients who have given marketing consent. Each client receives one invitation during an absence. After another completed visit and another period without a visit, Meety can invite them again.
Campaign results and your business overview are available in Meety analytics. Bookings and results stay in the same system. How the automatic campaign works.
Compare the cost for the whole team
The right plan depends on how many people need their own access and which features you use. The lowest advertised price may not cover your whole salon.
| Cost | What to include in your comparison |
|---|---|
| Subscription | A plan covering your staff and locations |
| Annual payment | The total paid upfront as well as its monthly equivalent |
| SMS | Separate usage charges |
| Online payments | Payment processor fees and any additional fees charged by the booking system |
In Meety, Premium is the team plan with unlimited users. Solo is for individuals. SMS messages are charged separately based on usage. Stripe charges the card processing fee; Meety does not add another payment processing fee. See pricing for current terms.
You can get help moving to Meety
You can import clients into Meety from a CSV file, including the Reservio format, and export your client list too. If you are switching from another system, tell us which data you need to move. We will go through the transfer options and help you set up your business. More about managing clients.
Common questions about choosing booking software
What booking software suits a salon with five staff members?
Look for a system that accounts for each colleague's working hours, services and access, as well as shared rooms or equipment. Meety Premium is designed for teams and includes unlimited users.
Do I need my own website?
No. Meety provides a standalone booking page. If you already have a website, you can link to that page or embed booking in your site.
Can I start with a smaller business?
Yes. Meety has plans for individuals and teams. Choose based on the features and access you need today. You can change plans as your team grows.
Choose a system that helps with the next visit too
Bookings, teamwork, payments and returning clients are closely connected in a salon. Meety brings them together in one place. You can start with a 14-day trial, and we will help you get set up.
