Self-booking and custom reports are two aesthetic clinic software features that can push your business toward success

At its best, an aesthetic clinic gives the appearance of simplicity. Clients make appointments, enjoy stellar service, and leave the shop with smiles on their faces, blissfully unaware of all the effort it took. But it did take effort, requiring booking, scheduling, inventory, medical records, and more to present.

Aesthetic clinic software is the conductor at the center of that orchestra, and the best aesthetic clinic software keeps the entire ensemble in perfect harmony without missing a beat. If you’re looking to upgrade your software, seek out these features to keep that image of simplicity alive.

Key features of the best aesthetic clinic software

Smooth booking that optimizes your calendar

Every beauty business can benefit from easy booking. Clients want to go from deciding to book to having an appointment in their calendars as quickly and easily as possible. Any friction in that process can dissuade them from following through.

One of the best ways to skip straight to a smooth booking process is to enable self-booking. This lets clients get on the books whenever they want, whether the front desk is open or not. It can also pull real-time availability data from your aesthetician scheduling software to give clients all they need to make a decision. Just be sure your process looks great on mobile — that’s how 82% of clients prefer to book.

The best aesthetic clinic software can do more than offer all open times to your clients. Look for solutions with smarter self-booking that offers clients a variety of times that work better for your business. That way, your clients get the services they love while you keep your calendar as efficient as possible to drive the most revenue.

Native payment processing

Settling up after an appointment is your last chance to leave a good impression on a client. They probably don’t want to hear the treatments they’ve just received said out loud for everyone in the lobby to hear, and they definitely don’t want to hear the price broadcast, either. That’s a good way to let the recency effect etch a permanent bad impression.

Avoid all that by using software that can handle payment processing natively. When you do, you’ll be able to capture client credit card info during booking. Then, when it comes time to checkout, you can simply show the clients an itemized bill on your POS and charge the card on file. That respects client privacy and speeds up the send-off.

Comprehensive client records

Aesthetic clinics need to consider a client’s medical history whenever they come in for treatment. Rather than ask repeat clients to fill out the same forms every time, the best aesthetic clinic software will let you store their information for future reference. It should also have the ability to visually capture notes over time, both for compliance and to help your client see their progress. That way, providers can review that info ahead of and during appointments to stay on top of client needs.

Of course, no aesthetic client management software would be complete without info about each client’s personal preferences. Research indicates 71% of your clients will expect a personalized experience from your brand, and 76% will be frustrated if you don’t meet that expectation. No problem: The best aesthetic clinic software will build a client profile with info on their favorite music, beverage of choice, and preferred provider. 

HIPAA compliance

Anywhere you store protected health information (PHI), you’ll need to meet some serious data security standards. After all, maintaining HIPAA compliance is mission-critical. To help stay on the Department of Health and Human Services’ good side, look for these features in any aesthetic clinic software:

• Data encryption to keep info safe in the event of a breach.

• Regular backups to recover lost data.

• A HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA).

Membership management

Over the past five years, new client acquisition costs have risen almost 50%. It's much more cost-effective to invest in retaining your best clients. Offering a membership is a great way to take care of those pre-existing clients, giving them bonuses they care about in exchange for some reliable business. They pay a monthly fee (which means stable, dependable revenue) and you give them special treatment that keeps them coming in.

The best aesthetic clinic software makes it easy for clients to add a membership to their cart during booking. It should automate renewal payments or allow pauses for seasonal clients. And it should be able to track memberships across all your current locations (plus those still to come).

Flexible integrations

No software solution can truly do it all. You may find software that works perfectly for almost everything you need, except that it doesn’t include e-commerce functionality. That’s where a vast stable of integrations comes in handy. The more programs your central solution can work with, the easier it will make your life. You’ll be able to auto-populate more forms, route information more easily, pull data for reports, and generally smooth out your moment-to-moment work.

Customizable reports

As the old saying goes, what gets measured gets managed. The best way to improve your business is to understand it from all angles. What are your most popular procedures? Which of your marketing efforts is bringing in the most clients? How much does your average client spend, and what do they tip? Answering these questions can illuminate what your clinic does well and what it can improve.

Not every software solution will offer every report you need. That's why the best aesthetic clinic software lets you customize your reports. That way, you can see everything you need to, exactly when you need to, without pulling teeth.

Responsive support

Even the best, most user-friendly software in the world may run into a hiccup from time to time. You and your team could struggle to find the feature you need or hit a bug that throws a wrench in the works. If the software you’ve chosen doesn’t have the support to back it up, you could lose out on hours or even days of productivity waiting for help.

That’s why responsive, capable customer support is so important. And if your provider is eager to incorporate feedback into the platform? Even better.

Every excellent beauty business finds its own way to shine, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra polish from top-shelf aesthetic clinic software. Keep your eye out for these features, and you’ll set yourself up for success.

Looking for more information about starting your aesthetics business? Check out "How to Start Your Own Aesthetics Business: The Complete Guide."