Guides · Updated 2026-09-29 · 6 min read
Salon management software for small salons: what you actually need
Salon management software is sold with long feature lists, and most small salons use a fraction of them. This guide goes through the jobs the software has to do in a salon with one to ten staff, what each looks like in BookBook, and what BookBook does not do, so you can judge the fit before you sign up to anything.
Your own booking page for £35 a month. No commission. Free trial, no card needed.
Start your free trial1. Online booking that follows your diary
- Clients choose a service, a location and a staff member, or "any available".
- Each staff member has their own working days, hours and break.
- Price and duration can be set per staff member for the same service.
- Block out holidays, training or walk-in time, once or on a repeat, and online booking leaves it free.
2. You approve every booking
New online bookings arrive as requests. You get an email with confirm and reject links and can approve with one click; the client is emailed when the booking is confirmed. Nothing lands in the diary that you have not seen.
3. Client records
- Booking history, total spend, average spend, number of visits and last visit on every client profile.
- Staff notes on each client, marked as general, preference or complaint, and private if needed.
- Allergies and medical conditions from intake forms are flagged on the profile.
4. Intake and consent forms
Build your own forms with text, tick boxes, dates, consent statements and a signature box. Attach a form to the services that need it and the client fills it in while booking, or from an emailed link. The answers are stored against the client.
5. The till
Open a till session with a float, check out a finished appointment, add extra items, apply a discount, record cash, card or split payments with tips, print a receipt, and cash up at the end of the day. Refunds are made from the transaction list.
6. Reports
- Revenue, average booking value, completed, cancelled and no-show counts.
- Bookings, transactions and cash collected, with CSV export.
- New against returning clients and top clients by spend.
- Bookings, revenue and commission per staff member.
7. Staff, commission and leave
Set a salary, commission percentage or visit fee per staff member, run payroll for a period and produce payslips. Staff request holiday and sick leave, managers approve it, and leave balances are tracked.
8. Loyalty points and reviews
Clients can earn points on completed appointments and redeem them when they book online. After a visit the client can be invited by email to leave a star rating, which you see against the booking and the staff member.
What BookBook does not do
Better to know now: there is no product stock control, no gift cards, packages or memberships, and no card terminal link at the till. If retail stock is a large part of your takings, check that first with any system you consider.
Frequently asked questions
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. The dashboard and the client booking pages run in the browser on phones, tablets and computers.
Which languages are supported?
The dashboard and client booking are available in English, Polish and Lithuanian. Services and forms can be written in all three.
Is there commission on bookings?
No. BookBook is a fixed monthly fee with no commission on bookings.