All About APIs: What Beauty Enterprises Need to Know About Custom Software

And why Premier and Enterprise Accounts will love our two new API Enhancements

Okay, maybe we should have titled this article “Enough about APIs” and not “All about APIs.” Because as someone running a business, you really don’t want — or need — to learn everything about APIs.

And that’s really the beauty of what an API is and how it works. An API (short for Application Programming Interface) is software that allows two applications to communicate with each other. The developer of one application doesn’t want or need to understand everything about the code being written to drive another application. She simply wants to make sure the app can communicate with her app to perform specific tasks. APIs drive all of the many apps we use daily. We don’t think about how they work, we just marvel that they do.

In a way, it’s analogous to the thinking behind the Boulevard platform; we provide powerful software that helps you run your business, maximize productivity, increase customer retention, and analyze performance. And that frees you up to focus on your business goals.

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Boulevard has three powerful APIs

While most other salon and spa management platforms don’t play well with others, Boulevard’s public APIs and integrations connect the dots between all outside tools and systems so you can manage everything in one place. Plus, our APIs allow you to build new custom workflows to help simplify tasks and focus on growing your business. Boulevard offers three powerful categories of APIs for maximum flexibility that developers love to use:

• Client API: Allows you to customize your client’s self-booking experience to match your brand’s aesthetic. Your clients start evaluating your business long before they walk through the front doors, and our Client API helps make the most of it.

• Admin API: Access and sync your staff, clients, past appointments, inventory, and more important business operations data to any other system. Want to customize workflows within the dashboard or sync your clients to Shopify? Our Admin API has you covered.

• Tokenization API: Built-in tokenization allows you to securely collect sensitive customer information, such as credit card info, all while staying out of the scope of PCI compliance. You’re welcome.

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And now our APIs just got better!

We’re thrilled to announce some very cool features that allow Premier and Enterprise customers to utilize APIs in new and very powerful ways. With this pair of new releases, you’ll be able to automate some of the most common communication and scheduling tasks for Boulevard customers.

• Magic Tags w/ Zapier Integration (Premier and Enterprise accounts)

• Custom Booking Flow Starter Kit (Enterprise accounts)

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Magic Tags with Zapier Integration 

What it is: We’ve set up Zapier in the Boulevard platform so that when you add particular tags to a client, order, or appointment, it kicks off an automated workflow. 

Why you’ll love it: Boulevard’s client, order, and appointment tags are some of our most-loved features. We’ve now superpowered your tags to do next steps for you, so no matter the volume of customers you serve, your processes run smoothly. This not only saves time but also reduces the probability of things falling through the cracks. 

How this could work in practice:  Say there is no parking in front of your location on Mondays. You can add a “parking reminder” tag to your Monday appointments in Boulevard, and configure Zapier tol message those customers with alternate parking instructions. If you are auditing orders throughout the day, you can put a “review order” tag on an order and Zapier will take the info and plug it into a Google Doc for review. This is just an example, though; you can come up with all kinds of interesting uses for Zapier based on your specific needs, so get creative!

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Custom Booking Flow Starter Kit 

What it is: Boulevard Enterprise users will find it easier than ever to customize their client booking experience. Our Custom Booking Flow Starter Kit is pre-configured with all the functionality you need — your team just needs to tweak it as you see fit and add your own branding.

Why you’ll love it: It is now easier than ever for your dev team to adjust the appointment booking experience for your clients. This is where the power of an API really shines. Think of the metaphor of building a treehouse. With our Client API, you can make a booking experience that talks to Boulevard. That's like having a screwdriver to build the treehouse you want — but you still have a lot of work to do. The Custom Booking Flow Starter Kit is pre-configured front-end code to get you started. In other words, we knew you wanted a treehouse, so we built one for you! Now, all that’s left for you to do is put a coat of paint on it and rearrange the furniture, aligning branding and specifications with your ideal.

How this works in practice: Take your custom aesthetics to the next level. Change the order of the booking flow so your clients can select their service provider before selecting a location or service. You can also hook up your content management system to show seasonal discounts during booking, incentivizing people to convert. When you package together bundles of services or products, the user might focus on adding a single transaction to the cart but under the hood, it’s actually adding multiple individual items. You’ll also be able to capture unique data about all of this during the client booking — and be able to report on it.

Aesthetics matter. And you’ve worked hard and invested a ton to establish your brand. Now it’s easier than ever for your dev team to build a more brand-consistent booking experience for your clients.

For more information about Boulevard’s powerful APIs, you can always visit our Developer Portal. And if you’re a Premier or Enterprise customer ready to take advantage of our new Magic Tags with Zapier or Custom Booking Flow Starter Kit, please reach out to us directly to learn more.  

Current customers: reach out to support@blvd.co

New to Boulevard? Get a Demo and learn more!