The salon phone gets answered while your hands are in someone's hair
Clients ring in the middle of a foil, a fade or a blowout. Reception picks up in your greeting, says it is an automated assistant, and books the service the caller asks for into a time that fits how long it takes. Questions about who is in tonight never get an answer.
From $149 a month. One number, answered at any hour. Stop any month.
The calls you get
"Can you fit me in Saturday?"
It hears that the caller wants a time, finds the service they named on your list, and offers three free slots long enough for it. It reads the choice back and texts the client.
"Is Maria working tonight?"
It will not say. Questions about who is working, or about another client's appointment, are refused in the caller's own words before anything is generated. It offers to take a message instead.
"How much is balayage?"
It reads out what you wrote, so the answer can be that balayage is priced at a consultation. It does not make up a figure.
"My color came out orange, I want my money back"
Money back and refunds are a person's call. It says so, takes a message and agrees nothing, not a redo and not a discount.
"Sorry, I'm running late"
A route on 'running late' reads out your late policy word for word, then asks if there is anything else.
Hang-ups while you finish a client
If the caller hangs up first, they get a text within seconds with a link to choose when you call back. At that time the line rings them and connects them to the salon.
What you would write down
For a salon the services list does most of the work. Name each service the way clients say it on the phone and give it a real length.
Routes: the words that reach a phone or an answer
| Route | When the caller says | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Running late |
| Reads out your late policy and asks if there is anything else. |
| Weddings and events |
| Puts the caller through to the owner's cell. |
| Chair rental |
| Puts stylists asking about a chair through to the owner. |
Answers in your own words
- Do you take walk-ins?
- We take walk-ins for men's haircuts when a chair is free. For color and long services, please book.
- I'm running late, what happens?
- We hold your time for 15 minutes. After that we may need to move you to the next free time.
- How much is balayage?
- Balayage is priced at a consultation, because it depends on your length and your current color. Book a consultation first.
- Where do I park?
- There is free parking behind the building. Come in through the back door under the blue awning.
Services it can book
- Women's haircut and style60 min
- Men's haircut30 min
- Single-process color90 min
- Balayage consultation15 min
Nights and weekends
Clients often decide on a cut at night, in front of the mirror. After closing the line tells them the salon is closed right now and still offers the free times on your list.
Nothing rings you at home unless you write a route that does. If you set no fallback number, a caller who asks for a person leaves a message instead.
What to book by phone, and what not
Book what has a fixed length: cuts, blowouts, beard trims, single-process color, consultations. Slots start on the quarter hour, at least 45 minutes out and up to 14 days ahead.
Keep color correction, extensions and other open-ended work off the list and price it at a consultation. The line does not take deposits or cards, so if you hold long appointments with a deposit, that part is a callback.
Your stylists' schedules stay private
Salons get calls asking whether a stylist is in, when her shift ends, or whether a partner booked. Most are harmless. Some are not, and the front desk cannot always tell.
The line does not try to tell. 'Is Maria working tonight?' and 'Did my husband book for Saturday?' are both refused before any reply is written. It says it cannot talk about who works there or about somebody else's booking, and offers a message. The call record shows which words stopped it.
Name services the way clients ask
The line finds the service by the words in its name. A client who says 'balayage' lands on 'Balayage consultation'. A service called 'SPC' or 'WC+S' is never found, because nobody says that out loud.
An example call
An example call. Fern Street Salon and the caller are made up. The salon wrote an answer about walk-ins.
- AssistantThank you for calling Fern Street Salon. You are speaking with an automated assistant. How can I help you today?
- CallerHi. Do you take walk-ins?
- AssistantWe take walk-ins for men's haircuts when a chair is free. For color and long services, please book. Is there anything else I can help with?
- CallerYes. Is Maria working tonight? I only let her do my color.
- AssistantI cannot tell you anything about who works here or about somebody else's booking. I can take a message. Please say your name, your number, and what it is about.
- CallerPriya Shah, 555-0172. I'd like a color with Maria sometime next week.
- AssistantThank you. Somebody will come back to you. Goodbye.
Where it stops
- It does not book a particular stylist. There is one diary, and the caller cannot pick a chair or a person.
- It does not take deposits, cards or no-show fees.
- Complaints about a cut and requests for money back become messages. It offers no redo and no discount.
Questions owners ask
- Can an AI receptionist book salon appointments?
- Yes. You list your services and how long each takes. It offers three free times inside your hours, reads the chosen one back and texts the client.
- Can clients book with a specific stylist?
- No. It books into one diary and does not assign a stylist. A client who wants someone in particular can say so in a message.
- Will it tell callers which stylists are working?
- No. Questions about who is working or about another client's booking are refused, and the caller is offered a message.
- Can it take a deposit for a long color appointment?
- No. It does not take cards or deposits over the phone.
- What happens when a client calls after the salon closes?
- It says the salon is closed right now, then carries on. It can still book a free time, read out your written answers or take a message.
Tonight's calls, answered.
From $149 a month.
Set up your line