Phorest at The Heart of The Salon

Soffiato Via Uses Phorest SMS to Boost Bookings and Reduce Admin

Soffiato Via is a full-service hair and beauty salon based in New Jersey, USA. Dedicated to making the salon a space where clients are encouraged to express their true selves, the team uses Phorest to streamline client communication and create professional marketing campaigns to advertise their business.

I don’t think we’ve ever run a campaign where there was not a financial benefit, or where we weren’t getting any sort of booking!

Caroline Dodig

Owner, Colourist & Stylist

Using Phorest, Soffiato Via has…

10588X

ROI From SMS Marketing Campaigns

No-Show Rate (VS 8% National Average)

440

Positive Google Reviews

Implementing Phorest in a Fast-Growing Salon

Originally launched as a one-stop hairstyling bar in the heart of New Jersey, before long, Soffiato Via’s success helped expand the business into a full-service hair and beauty salon. “There was just a really big demand,” explains owner, Caroline Dodig. “Ever since we opened, we’ve grown a lot. I’ve learned a lot.” Despite the excitement of expanding into a larger operation, this fast-paced growth came with many challenges, especially regarding increased admin and organisational tasks. That’s when the team decided to make the move to Phorest. From the PhorestGo staff app to a user-friendly appointment calendar, integrated client notes, and powerful reporting features, Phorest had everything that Soffiato Via needed for smooth, organised, and efficient business growth.

Experimenting with Advertising & Fast-Tracking Growth

Soon after implementing the Phorest system, the Soffiato Via team began using its integrated marketing tools to advertise the business. The customisation capabilities and ability to hyper-target client groups were particularly enticing for the salon team. Caroline explains; “It only takes two seconds to change [a template]… having templates created for you, but being able to customise them and change them to your brand helps a lot. We change the wording so it fits our brand. It keeps things consistent.”

The team saw an increase in bookings from their first SMS marketing campaign, with an on-the-day gap in their calendar immediately filled after sending their first message. “We now use SMS [marketing messages] if we need a quick turnaround because [clients] see it right at their fingertips… everybody’s on their phone constantly, and text messages pop up right on the home screen. It’s a way of getting your name straight into their heads when you need to”, Caroline explains.

Using SMS for Fast-Effective Marketing

Keeping the context of both SMS and email marketing front of mind, Caroline explains that she uses both, but for different purposes. “I keep text messages [to advertise] booking directly. I use them for something [that’s happening] right away, as opposed to a deal that we have coming up in a few months. Email, if you have a lengthy message to get across to people, is great” In the salon, SMS is used to advertise last-minute gaps in the team’s calendars and promote flash deals, while email is used to advertise longer-running promotions or send larger client groups important salon updates. Thanks to the Phorest marketing tools, Soffiato Via experiences:

A more engaged client base
A virtually gap-free calendar
Increased revenue and client retention

SMS Takes the Hassle Out of Manual Admin

Alongside the marketing functionalities of SMS, the Soffiato Via team has embraced Phorest’s automated SMS tools.

Using Online Reputation,

each client that visits the salon receives an SMS review request after their appointment. The review is then sent back to the Phorest system, where the team can reply and/or publish the review across Facebook, Google, and Yelp. Using this feature has helped the salon amass almost 450 Google reviews and growing. At the same time, more new clients have seen the salon online and have been influenced by their stellar online reputation to book an appointment.

Using Automated Appointment Reminders,

the Soffiato Via team no longer has to manually follow up with clients or remind them of upcoming appointments, the system does it for them. This has resulted in a more engaged client base and fewer no-shows. “I couldn’t even think about having to call every client to confirm them, or to type out emails to all of them!”, Caroline laughs. “The confirmation reminders, and all the other automatic messages that Phorest sends out…. It supports us in so many ways.”

Using Client Reconnect,

a tool that identifies clients who haven’t booked in their usual booking pattern and gives you the option of reaching out via a text or email, Caroline explains that it’s easier to reach out to clients who haven’t visited in a while and provide a more personalised customer experience. “I had a client who got a reconnect message, and it was awesome,” she explains. “She hadn’t been here in so long, and just kind of forgot that she wasn’t putting herself first. She got the message and made an appointment… it’s not all about the financial benefit of getting clients that have forgotten us back.”

Less Paperwork, More Revenue, and Happier Clients

By embracing the various SMS features offered by the Phorest system alongside its range of salon management tools, Soffiato Via has created successful marketing campaigns, accumulated more engaged clients, increased revenue, and experienced less manual admin work. “We’ve never run a campaign where there was no a financial benefit… obviously we’re getting bookings from it [using Phorest’s marketing tools], but clients are getting this great service where they feel valued, and they’re being thought about,” muses Caroline. By empowering the salon in this way, Phorest has helped the Soffiato Via team focus more on doing what they love most-creating an exceptional in-salon experience for their clients.