Answer these four questions to determine if it’s time to upgrade your systems.

You know almost immediately when your phone needs to be replaced. It’s something you use every day and so you notice when it’s becoming harder to use or just plain clunky. The same can’t be said for the tech in your beauty business. You do use it every day, but you’re probably more inclined to work around its shortcomings than replace it. Replacing it would be a whole thing and what you have is getting the job done well enough for now. 

You work hard every day to make your business thrive; don’t let outdated technology be the anchor holding you back. Evaluating your business-wide technology every so often is the best way to keep your systems healthy and strong. You should expect to swap out technology every five to seven years, depending on the role it serves. Let’s get into how to know if your most crucial systems are due for an upgrade.

Can your payroll system do this?

If you only upgrade one of your legacy systems, make it payroll. Poor payroll processing impacts the most crucial parts of your business: your staff and your profits. Screw up enough paychecks and you’ll find yourself standing all alone. On the flip side, mistakes, delays, and errors can eat into your bottom line in ways that are hard to detect until it’s too late.

Let’s get one thing clear: If your payroll has errors on a regular basis, replace it. Nothing else it does makes up for getting its core function wrong. Assuming it’s working correctly, here are the three things it should also be doing to keep your business humming.

Make life easier: Seems obvious, right? You shouldn’t have to fight your own systems to get anything done. But what does “easier” look like? Being able to access all relevant documents in one place; streamlined on and offboarding processes; time-saving automations. In other words, your normal day to day interactions with payroll should be nearly frictionless. 

Sync with booking: Literally everyone in your business has better things to do than add up each individual employee’s bookings. Your payroll system should sync with your booking or scheduling system to perform that time-consuming — but crucial — function for you. If your current tech isn’t automating those kinds of regular tasks for you, it’s time for an upgrade.

Include time tracking functionality: The person processing payroll for your business has better things to do than entering or confirming work hours. A modern payroll system should have recording, approving, and entering time built right into it. Bonus points if it lets all employees — admins, manages, and line staff — view and input information. Double bonus points if it’s a “smart” system that can flag errors such as an employee forgetting to clock back in after break.

Is your POS a POS?

When it comes to upgrading a business’ tech, the POS is often the bottom of the list. It shouldn’t be. Not only is it where you receive payment for your services, it’s also usually the last interaction a client has with your business. You want that experience to be as swift and smooth as possible, and an outdated POS makes that less likely. 

Updating your POS isn’t just about getting clients out the door faster, it’s also about maintaining physical and financial safety. Older POS systems weren’t designed for 100% contactless transactions, which are now at least a wise precaution, if not a necessity. That’s why we designed the Boulevard Duo to enable contactless payments (and look great doing it). Outdated payment processes put your business at higher risk of fraud liability, too. 

So how do you know if your POS is a piece of...scrap? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Does it work with my other systems, like accounting software? 

• Do I have access to customer support 24/7?

• Can it process all current payment methods (i.e. cash, credit, Apple Pay, etc.)?

• Does it store customer information for loyalty programs, email marketing, and more?

If you answered “no” to any of those, you should consider upgrading your POS. If you answered “no” to all of them? Better hurry.

What does your phone system do when you’re not around?

Here’s some quick math you should do: Estimate how many calls you miss from clients wanting to book an appointment or make a purchase. Multiply that by the amount of your average transaction. That’s just some of what your outdated phone tech is costing your business. With so much operating in an on-demand model, potential clients are less and less willing to wait on hold, try back later, or even make an effort to call during operating hours. They expect you to be available when it’s convenient for them, not the other way around.

It’s not reasonable to have someone manning the phones of your beauty business 24/7, but a communication platform like TrueLark provides the next best thing. An AI-powered system answers every call, can respond to customer inquiries, and even book appointments. It’s also customizable to match the tone of your brand, creating a consistent experience for every client.

How often do you think about your booking system?

In the best circumstances, you almost never think about your booking system, because it just plain works. There’s enough room between client appointments, double-bookings never happen (except when they’re supposed to), appointment reminders go out on time, and scheduling is fast and easy. If that doesn’t sound like what’s going on in your business, it’s time to upgrade your booking system. 

Boulevard’s Precision Scheduling™ technology ensures you won’t have to give your booking system a second thought. It accounts for transitions between clients, leaves room to double book during processing, and provides a top-down view of every appointment stage on a single screen. 

If outdated systems are an anchor, Boulevard is an engine driving you and your business forward into exciting new waters. It’s not just for scheduling (although it’s great at that) — it’ll help with all of these business issues. Talk to a team member today for a custom assessment of your current tech stack and options for upgrading it.