3. August. 2012 | von Christopher Rudolf

Headshop, in the middle of the neighborhood: Since July 2012, the Prenz'lberg hair salon has been using the zeitfest platform and thus offers online appointment booking.

The collaboration with the hairdressers at Headshop is quite new. We asked how zeitfest has affected their work life after the first few weeks.

zeitfest: What was your first reaction when you heard about zeitfest?
Marco: The concept sounded like an innovative idea that you could definitely take home to think about, and I definitely wanted to incorporate it into the business.

zeitfest: So you haven't been online with zeitfest for very long, and from what we heard, it was a somewhat "different" way to go online. Tell us about it.
Marco (laughs): Well, that's how it was. We didn't think everything would work so quickly, and the next morning a customer called us asking if his appointment would actually take place, which he had booked online. So we looked into the digital calendar and discovered to our positive astonishment that 5 customers had booked an appointment for the next day overnight. So if it hadn't been for the tip, we would have checked the calendar and been easily surprised in the shop. But it was definitely nice to see that our customers immediately took advantage of the online option.

zeitfest: How is it for you to be able to handle everything electronically?
Marco: It took a week for all employees to get up to speed. But I didn't take the employees aside directly to train them; I just went about it casually in the day-to-day work. By now it's very pleasant. You can read all the entries! Hairdressers have handwriting under stress that I won't go into further. Besides, we previously had to have our own appointment books laid out and bound early on; that stress and cost factor is now gone. Overall, an electronic system is just relieving.

zeitfest: Have your customers commented on online booking?
Marco: Yes, so far entirely positive feedback, especially the easy-to-use software interface has been well-received. Of course, it should be said that we have a rather internet-savvy clientele. What our customers particularly appreciate is the ability to make and cancel appointments even outside business hours.

zeitfest: What percentage of your customers do you estimate are already booking online?
Marco: Well, I'd say the rate has gone from 3-5% to 15% within 4 weeks, but it's continuing to increase week after week.

zeitfest: Have you already had to record cancellations from them?
Marco: Unfortunately several times before "big" appointments. That mostly happens with teenagers.

zeitfest: Would you attribute that to online booking?
Marco: No, not at all. The same thing happens with phone appointments too. Even more often, because the barrier to entry is lower. With online booking, you have to provide your name, email address, and cell phone number.

zeitfest: zeitfest does offer the option to log in from any internet-enabled device. Do you also access the calendar option from home?
Marco: Well, some employees, like our apprentice for example, use zeitfest from home on their smartphone or iPad. They just check what appointments are coming up that day. But not all employees log in outside working hours. Personally, as a salon owner, I quite like the option to check in when I can't be on site, to see what's going on in the shop. Having the insight and control from outside is very reassuring.

zeitfest: All in all, would you recommend zeitfest?
Marco: Yes. The switch to a digital duty roster and calendar is very relieving for the staff and me. The customers are also super satisfied; they appreciate the convenience.

zeitfest: That would be it from our side. We thank you very much for the conversation and your time. By the way, really cool shop!
Marco: Thanks! All good, no problem. See you next time!