Blog | Timely Salon & Spa Software

Latest posts on the Timely blog
Ideas to help your business
Stories about the awesome people who use Timely
Updates and tips for Timely appointment software
Company news and life from Timely’s distributed team

By Ryan Bronson, 1 Feb 2019

10 Ways to Upsell at Your Salon or Spa

Every day brings new opportunities to upsell products and services in your salon or spa. Here's a few tactics to help you get started with upselling.

By Nicky Shore, 29 Jan 2019

5 Tips for Building a Successful Beauty Brand, and Business

Nicky Shore is the founder and owner of OFF Wax & ON Brow House. As well as pioneering microblading in New Zealand, Nicky also shows us the importance of a strong brand in running a successful business.

By Team Timely, 21 Jan 2019

Deliver the Perfect Salon Consultation Every Time

Consult for Hair Salons – give your clients comfort in the fact that you’re capturing their wishes and relax knowing you're protecting your business’ brand, reputation, and bottom line.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 14 Jan 2019

Text Message Templates for Client Reminders and Automated Marketing

Text messages are a great way to stay in touch with your clients and increase revenue, with little effort. We’ve whipped up a few text message templates to make it even easier for you!

By Team Timely, 8 Jan 2019

The Ease of Switching to Timely – A Customer’s Perspective

Leah Miller, Director at Waxed (36 staff across five locations) highly recommends switching to Timely. Here's what she had to say about her experience...

By Andrew Wassenaar, 1 Jan 2019

What to Consider When Switching Salon Software

Is your new year’s resolution to switch to a salon and spa management software that actually works the way you do?

By Team Timely, 14 Dec 2018

It’s Been a Jolly Good Year & There are Still a Few Goodies to Share

2018 has flown by and there is a lot we are proud of at Timely. We’ve released a sleigh load of goodies to help you attract new clients, retain existing ones, and improve your business.

By Team Timely, 10 Dec 2018

Nicky Shore: Providing the Perfect Customer Experience

Nicky Shore changed the way New Zealanders think about hair removal by opening the country’s first dedicated waxing salon in 2008. Now she’s also expanded into the business of putting hair back on, pioneering the microblading technique throughout NZ.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 28 Nov 2018

Paper Not Foil – A Sustainable Solution for Hair Salons

Amanda Buckingham is the creator of Paper Not Foil, a sustainable alternative to hair foils. Unlike foil, Amanda's 'paper' alternative is made from 100% recycled materials and is completely degradable... a first for the hair industry.

By Jess Free, 21 Nov 2018

Tips to Survive the Silly Season

It’s that time of year again! The Christmas carols are playing in the shopping malls, sparkly paraphernalia is beginning to appear, and you’re probably thinking about how to make the most of the holiday buzz for your business.

By Pip Knight, 19 Nov 2018

Our Gift Vouchers Have Had a Makeover…Just in Time for the Christmas Rush

From the mother in-law who has everything, to the favourite niece... everyone loves a gift voucher. They’re a great way to capture new business and to entice regulars back. We’ve made some changes to make them even easier for you to sell this Christmas.

By Team Timely, 14 Nov 2018

Kylie Hayes: The Freedom to Do What I Love

Owning a salon and winning countless awards might seem like a lofty goal, but our longtime friend and Timely user, Kylie Hayes from Moha Hairdressing, takes it all in her stride. We chatted to Kylie about business, being an artist, and how Timely has given her the freedom to do what she loves.

By Lisa Conway, 7 Nov 2018

The Big Ask – How to Narrow Down Your Niche

Knowing your target market is crucial to the success of your salon, clinic, or day spa. With the technology available to you today, there’s never been a better time to narrow down and develop your niche.

By Pip Knight, 29 Oct 2018

Instagram Booking Now Available with Timely

Timely users can now easily add a ‘Book’ button to their Instagram account, for free. This allows your clients to be able to book an appointment straight from your Instagram profile without leaving the app.

By Team Timely, 24 Oct 2018

How to Select and Mentor Junior Salon Stylists

We asked salon veteran Karl Ross for insight around hiring and mentoring juniors, taken from his 20 years in the salon business.

By Faye Murray, 16 Oct 2018

The 6 Most Expensive Words for Any Business

The most expensive 6 words for the owner of a business are: "We've always done it this way". In this post (read time 2:45) I share how change can be used to improve the way you do business.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 12 Oct 2018

Salon Trends 2019: 10 Hair & Beauty Industry Experts on What to Expect

We picked the brains of 10 experts in the hair and beauty industries on what they see as the salon trends for 2019. How many can your business tick off?

By Jess Free, 4 Oct 2018

Balancing the Till isn’t a Chore with Timely

Keeping your till balanced and reconciled is an important part of managing your cash flow. Timely makes it easy, even at the end of a long, busy day.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 27 Sep 2018

The Importance of Education in the Beauty Industry

Jazz Pampling was in Auckland recently teaching a brow sculpting masterclass. We caught up with her to chat about the importance of education in the beauty industry.

By Pip Knight, 24 Sep 2018

Timely Roadmap – Here’s What’s Just Around the Corner

Welcome to another update! We’re super excited to let you know that these features will be rolling out any day now; helping you save time and grow your business.

By Harry Dalton, 18 Sep 2018

Free Social Media Management Tools for your Salon or Spa

There are a myriad of free social media management tools out there that can help you save time and money. Let's take a look at some of the best!

By Pip Knight, 13 Sep 2018

Afterpay Comes to Timely

We’ve partnered with Afterpay, making it easier for your clients to get pampered more often, and spend more each visit.

By Pip Knight, 12 Sep 2018

Another Reason to Keep Your Business in Your Pocket

The latest functionality to help you run your salon or spa is the ability to store all your clients documents in Timely. Yip - no more messy files all over the show.

By Andrew Schofield, 6 Sep 2018

Cloud Software: Dispelling the Myths

Do you sometimes get mixed messages about technology? Timely are passionate about being straight up, informative and helpful when it comes to our cloud software.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 6 Sep 2018

Madam Frou Frou – People of Timely

In the second episode of 'People of Timely' we meet Dawn from Madam Frou Frou, and talk about the importance of the client experience.

By Jess Free, 30 Aug 2018

Timely makes managing your stock a breeze

Managing your retail and professional stock is an important part of running a profitable business, and Timely’s new stock management features have made keeping track of your stock a breeze!

By Ryan Baker, 28 Aug 2018

Timely and Instyle Industry Roundtable

I recently attended Hair Expo Australia in Melbourne and had an absolute blast meeting new people, chatting with existing customers, and showcasing our software.

By Faye Murray, 23 Aug 2018

Are You Missing Opportunities? Salon Advice from Faye Murray

Salon owners come across opportunities to help their clients on a daily basis. In this post (read time 2:00) I explain how to recognise these opportunities.

By Team Timely, 17 Aug 2018

Dario Cotroneo: Everything I need to run my business is in Timely

We recently caught up with one of our favourite Timely users, Dario Cotroneo, Dario Salon & Founder of DCI Education. We talked about how Timely has helped him with the flexibility and control of his business.

By William Berger, 15 Aug 2018

Smile! Client Photos Have Arrived at Timely

When a client comes into your business we know how important it is to have the relevant details available at your fingertips.

By Melanie Morris, 14 Aug 2018

Winter Warmer Thoughts for your Clients

Mel Morris looks at how to keep existing clients from going cold towards your services.

By Ryan Baker, 9 Aug 2018

Tabatha Coffey Joins Timely Board of Directors

We have been searching for an amazing person to add to our board of directors at Timely and I'm very excited to announce that Tabatha Coffey will be joining us in this role.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 3 Aug 2018

Jazz Pampling: How Timely Helped Me Be a Better Business Person

We sat down with Australian Brow Artist and long-time Timely user, Jazz Pampling, to talk about how Timely has changed the way she does business.

By Ryan Baker, 1 Aug 2018

Welcome to the Team, Colin!

Please say hello to our Chief Financial Officer, Colin Rohloff!

By Andrew Long, 31 Jul 2018

Skip the Queue with Timely Premium Phone Support

On hectic days, you can’t afford to wait. So we’re making Timely support even more timely.

By Grace Carter, 25 Jul 2018

8 Tips for Writing a Spa Menu that Sells

A good spa menu will help clients decide what sort of treatments they'd like. When done exceptionally well, a menu will even sell treatments for you.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 20 Jul 2018

How to Surprise and Delight Your Clients

Every salon and spa wants to go the extra mile to make their client's day. You need to surprise and delight your clients in order to succeed.

By Dave Curlewis, 11 Jul 2018

Code Club: Inspiring Future Techbots

Three years ago my daughter came home from school and I could tell something was wrong.

By William Berger, 6 Jul 2018

New Features to Boost Your Client Retention

Client retention just got even easier, from the moment your clients walk through your door to the moment they leave.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 4 Jul 2018

Nexus Barbershop – People of Timely

We recently caught up with Danny from Nexus Barbershop, located in West Auckland, New Zealand. We talked about life, love, and giving back to the community.

By Larissa Macleman, 27 Jun 2018

Time Management: The Key to Salon Success

Salons actually don’t sell haircuts, they sell time...and finding 15 minutes in your appointment book could make you $23,000.

By Faye Murray, 22 Jun 2018

Understanding the Difference Between Retention and Rebooking

An improvement by 2% in the number of clients that you retain, is equal to a 10% decrease in costs.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 19 Jun 2018

Spa Decor: Do’s and Don’ts

Spa decor has a huge impact on making clients feel welcome and ensuring they come back. Here's some tips on what to do...and what to avoid.

By Reuben Yonatan, 14 Jun 2018

8 Best Sales Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Your Spa Business

Reuben Yonatan breaks down the best sales KPIs to be tracking as a spa business.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 12 Jun 2018

Salon Group Photo Ideas

A salon group photo can be used in many different ways: Facebook cover photo, reception decoration, etc. Here's how to get a great one.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 5 Jun 2018

5 Things Your Salon Reception can’t do Without

There are certain things that every salon reception needs, regardless of your specialty. Here's five salon reception essentials that you can't do without.

By Harry Dalton, 5 Jun 2018

Facebook Ads for your Salon and Spa

You’ve seen posts on your Facebook timeline that say ‘Sponsored’ on them. So what are they, and why do they keep popping up on your news feed?

By Larissa Macleman, 29 May 2018

What does your business personality have to do with your success?

I recently came across a book I had read back at the beginning of my business life that totally changed my mindset.

By Faye Murray, 24 May 2018

The Value You Give to Your Clients: Salon Advice from Faye Murray

Today's salon clients expect value. In this post (read time 1:45) I explain the three types of value I work with, and encourage.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 21 May 2018

Salon Expansion: Larger Space, or Second Location?

There are two main methods of salon expansion: moving to a larger location, or opening a second location. Here's what you need to know.

By William Berger, 17 May 2018

Here’s a Sneak Peek of What is on the Horizon…

Busy salons, we have you covered. New features you’ll love are on their way.

By Lisa Conway, 16 May 2018

Salon Owners: Who’s Keeping You on Task and on Track?

Accountability is the fuel for success. Let me explain why and how accountability can turbocharge your salon business.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 15 May 2018

Salon Salaries: 4 Payment Structures for your Staff

Salons differ in the amount that they pay their stylists, as well as the pay structures they use to do so. We explain the four main types of pay structures for salon salaries, and their pros and cons for your stylists.

By Harry Dalton, 10 May 2018

3 Easy Ways to Smash it on Facebook!

We all know the benefits of using social media for your business, but here's 3 easy ways to do it right.

By Andrew Schofield, 7 May 2018

GDPR is Just Around the Corner – Effective 25th May 2018

In this post you’ll hear about what Timely has done to comply with the GDPR, plus how we're supporting EU-based businesses to meet their GDPR obligations.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 4 May 2018

5 Salon Marketing Mistakes (and how to fix them)

The salon industry is cutthroat. Here's 5 of the most common salon marketing mistakes you don't want to be making.

By Larissa Macleman, 1 May 2018

Salon Management: the Glamour, Money and Guilt

The joy of salon management is that you get to do things your way, but it's not all butterflies and rainbows.

By Faye Murray, 26 Apr 2018

Respect is a Two-way Street: Salon Advice from Faye Murray

Respect is something to be earned. In this post (read time 1:20) I'll share my advice on gaining the respect of your team.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 24 Apr 2018

Rent a Chair or Hire Employees for Your Salon?

A growing salon needs to make a decision around staff. Should you rent a chair out to contractors, or employ stylists to become a part of your business?

By Simon Christie, 19 Apr 2018

Refunds Added to Timely

Reliable cash management is key to running a profitable business. This includes being able to refund customers when the situation arises.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 16 Apr 2018

Retaining Clients in your Business

Your business can't grow if you're only focussed on getting new customers. You also need to work on retaining clients that you already have.

By Jay Chapman, 12 Apr 2018

Converting First-time Callers into Long-time Clients, with Jay Chapman

I’m dialling your salon number right now. What can I expect?

By Team Timely, 10 Apr 2018

6 Tips for Your Social Media Videos

Social video content generates 1200% more shares that just images and text combined. Is your salon capitalising on this trend?

By Team Timely, 6 Apr 2018

Massage Advertising Ideas

Massage therapy is a competitive industry. It's important for businesses in this space to keep promoting their services to attract new clients.

By Team Timely, 4 Apr 2018

6 Steps Towards a Smart Salon

Technology has reinvented almost every aspect of our lives. It’s about time that salons hopped on the bandwagon.

By Team Timely, 30 Mar 2018

Customer of the Week: Peter Grant Massage

For new clients, this massage space comes with a warning. Expect to receive a hearty greeting from Murphy and Mason, Peter’s two English Cocker Spaniels. Introducing our latest Customer of the Week: Peter Grant Massage.

By Jess Free, 28 Mar 2018

Getting Started with Cash Up

Last week we introduced our brand new cash up feature, which makes balancing your till at the end of the day an absolute breeze.

By Faye Murray, 27 Mar 2018

Why isn’t your Salon Fully Booked?

Imagine looking at your schedule at the beginning of next week and it's fully booked? In this post (read-time: 1:45) I'll give you 3 steps to making this a reality in your salon.

By Larissa Macleman, 26 Mar 2018

7 Habits of Highly Successful Salon Owners

Successful salon owners make it look so easy. How do they do it?

By Andrew Wassenaar, 23 Mar 2018

Customer of the Week: Sugaring NYC

Sugaring is a method of hair removal that existed for hundreds of years before waxing. It requires a lot more skill and technique, but it’s much easier on the skin and uses just three natural ingredients: sugar, water and lemon juice. Meet our latest Customer of the Week: Sugaring NYC

By Melanie Morris, 22 Mar 2018

Are You Ready for Your EOFY?

One of the challenges of many small businesses is planning ahead.

By Team Timely, 21 Mar 2018

Profitable Ideas for your Salon

With a million and one things occupying you as a business owner, it can be hard to think of new profitable ideas for your salon.

By Team Timely, 20 Mar 2018

6 Wellness Program Ideas for your Salon

Your salon is running smoothly and is known for providing top-notch hair care for your clients, all thanks to your hardworking group of stylists! Isn’t it only fair that they are rewarded for all of their hard work?

By Jess Free, 19 Mar 2018

Improved Cash Management in Timely

At the end of a busy day, doing the daily cash up and balancing the till is no one’s favourite task.

By Team Timely, 16 Mar 2018

Customer of the Week: Perfekt Skin

Olivia Arkin has always been obsessed with skin care. Many of her baby photos feature little Olivia holding lipstick and a mirror, and as a child in elementary school she used to make her own face masks. Meet our latest Customer of the Week: Perfekt Skin.

By Lisa Conway, 13 Mar 2018

A New Take on Takeaways, with Lisa Conway

Imagine a takeaway that’s good for you. One with zero calories, no fats and zilch sugar. It doesn’t matter how much of this takeaway you enjoy, the more you indulge, the healthier you look and feel. What takeaway wizardry is this? Follow my lead, and learn more about the takeaway we should all be enjoying more often.

By Team Timely, 9 Mar 2018

Customer of the Week: Nest Remedial Massage

Twelve years ago Julaine Booth was considering a career change when a meeting with her former dance teacher steered her in the right direction. Meet our latest Customer of the Week, Nest Remedial Massage.

By Lisa Conway, 7 Mar 2018

Why your salon needs to offer express services, with Lisa Conway

Lisa Conway looks at boosting less common services such as hair-up and smoky eyes to a whole new level.

By Marie Drever, 5 Mar 2018

Meet, Train, and Elevate: 4 Training Tips from ZING Coach Marie Drever

I hear you: you don’t have time to train your team. But guess what…you have to MAKE time.

By Team Timely, 2 Mar 2018

Customer of the Week: Perth Psoriasis and Good Skin Clinic

Maria Arora knows the power of natural medicine first-hand. After suffering a stroke that left her paralysed she discovered that the only practitioner prepared to offer her a solution was a naturopath, and it was her own journey to recovery that inspired Maria to start her career in natural medicine.

By Team Timely, 28 Feb 2018

6 Team Building Activities for your Salon

Team building activities are an essential part of managing staff, and this is perhaps especially true in the hair & beauty industries.

By Timely, 23 Feb 2018

Customer of the Week: Vogue Avenue Hair

From the day they first opened their doors, Abby Hall and the team have set out to make every customer experience exceptional. Meet our latest Customer of the Week: Vogue Avenue Hair.

By Faye Murray, 22 Feb 2018

Take 10 to Start the Day: Salon Advice from Faye Murray

Preparation is key to running a successful business. In this post (read-time: 1:30) I'll share my advice on starting each day the right way.

By Lucy Godwin, 21 Feb 2018

Marketing Methods Driven by Data

It was fictional detective Sherlock Holmes who famously said “It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist the facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

By Timely, 20 Feb 2018

Hair Salon Promotions: 6 Ideas for your Business

Don’t let the relaxed vibe and casual nature fool you, running a salon is serious business. Bringing in clients is a big part of that business, and what better way to market your services than by running hair salon promotions?

By Brad Shorr, 19 Feb 2018

Choosing the Best SEO Keywords for Your Salon

There’s no getting around it — any SEO campaign, no matter how brilliantly executed, stands or falls based on the target keywords.

By Andrew Schofield, 18 Feb 2018

Getting Ready for the GDPR

Big changes are coming to EU data regulations. Here’s how Timely is preparing to meet our obligations for the GDPR.

By Timely, 16 Feb 2018

Customer of the Week: The Beauty Clinic

Lisa Travis has built her business with one simple goal in mind... to empower women. Meet our latest Customer of the Week: The Beauty Clinic.

By Karen Lynch, 15 Feb 2018

Salon Prices: Getting them Right

The very first step to growing your salon sales is to charge correctly for all of your services and ensure your services aren’t unnecessarily being discounted or undercharged.

By Andrew Long, 13 Feb 2018

Welcome to the Team, Alison!

At Timely, our customers are our sun. We revolve around them in everything we do, and nowhere does that show clearer than in our Customer Support team.

By Timely, 12 Feb 2018

Writing a Business Proposal for your Salon

You love doing working with people so much that you want to open up your own salon? Awesome! One of your first tasks is to come up with a business proposal.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 9 Feb 2018

Customer of the Week: Reine Des Fleurs Hair & Beauty

When Shelly decided to take on the challenge of owning her own salon, she had a clear vision of what she wanted to bring to her community. Meet Reine Des Fleurs Hair & Beauty, our latest Customer of the Week.

By Melanie Morris, 7 Feb 2018

The Post-Christmas Cash Flow Crunch

Here we are already through one month of 2018, hopefully refreshed from a few days off over holiday period. Resolutions may have been made and broken and hopefully some still remain.

By Dave Curlewis, 5 Feb 2018

Welcome to the team, Nick!

Nick Little brings 8 years of IT industry experience to the Timely team, ensuring our infrastructure is solid and the cloud stays up.

By Andrew Wassenaar, 2 Feb 2018

Customer of the Week: Dime Friday

The sun is shining on the last day of the week, you’re heading home from work, favourite song blasting on the radio, and your hair game is on point. There’s a name for a day like that. It’s a Dime Friday, and they’re our latest Customer of the Week.

By Timely, 1 Feb 2018

8 Salon Ideas for Small Spaces

When you tell people that you’re opening your own salon, everyone is quick to envision a plush studio with bright lights, fancy equipment, and a professional stylist...

By Team Timely, 30 Jan 2018

4 Valentine’s Day Marketing Ideas for Salons and Spas

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for salons and spas, as people look for relaxing and luxurious gifts for their partners. Let's look at how salon owners can take advantage of this opportunity.

By Justin Hewitt, 29 Jan 2018

Welcome to the Team, Ben!

With 20 years of IT experience, Ben Chartrand is a very welcome addition to the Timely dev team.

By Rosa Anderson-Jones, 26 Jan 2018

Customer of the Week: Elegant Lashes

Launched in 2009, Elegant Lashes is leading the way in lash and brow services. Elegant Lashes has the largest range of eyelash extensions in Australia and is one of the few salons that can claim to be able to truly custom tailor a lash set for each individual. Meet our latest Customer of the Week: Elegant Lashes.