Do not leave a client to answer a phone.
Aroha is an AI receptionist for salons. Aroha answers your phone, books a colour for the time it really takes, and texts you the details. It books while the caller is on the line, texts the caller and the owner, and gets the owner for urgent jobs. You can talk to Coco at Bower Hair, a demo receptionist for a made-up business, free in your browser.
A day of calls, answered.
- 9:05am, first client in the chair: "A new client wants balayage this week."
- Flagged the patch test first, booked it for tomorrow and the colour for Saturday.
- 11:30am, mid colour: "A regular asks how much a cut and blow wave is."
- Quoted your price list and booked her usual stylist for Thursday.
- 2:08pm, mid cut: "Mere needs a full colour before a wedding."
- Held three hours, not the default slot that wrecks the day, and texted the patch test reminder.
- 7:20pm, salon closed: "A bride’s stylist is sick on the morning of the wedding."
- Texted you URGENT, and told the bride your answer before she had put the phone down.
It already knows how these calls go.
This is the setup you get on day one, and you can read and change every word of it.
- Keeps the client context
- Uses the customer history available in Aroha and asks when a detail is missing.
- Uses the service duration
- Follow the appointment lengths you set instead of assuming every colour or cut takes the same time.
- Explains your patch-test policy
- Uses your approved policy and refers any uncertainty to the salon.
- Handles cancellation requests
- Records the request and checks a connected booking before claiming a cancellation is complete.
- Answers mid-cut
- The phone stops interrupting the client in front of you.
- Gets you when a day is at stake
- A bride on the morning of her wedding or a client reacting to a treatment texts you straight away.
- Sees the look they want
- Clients send a photo of the look; it describes the colour and technique so the right service gets booked.
- Cuts no-shows
- Reminders go out by text before each appointment, with an easy way to move it instead of not turning up.
Patch Test Tracker, built for salons.
New colour clients who need a patch test 48 hours before, so none slip through. It is sorted by what each call needs from you, most urgent first, and you can ring or text anyone straight from their card. It fills itself from what callers told the receptionist, so nothing is typed in.
When it cannot wait, it gets you.
You set the list. These are the calls a salon owner would want to hear about mid-cut.
Urgent by default: A client reacting badly to a treatment (after telling them to get medical help if it is serious); A bride on the day of her wedding. Aroha texts the owner straight away, rings them if they do not reply, and tells the caller the answer.
Book the look, not a guess
It texts a link, the client sends a photo of the look they want, and it describes the colour and technique so the service and the time are right. It describes only the hair.
Works with what you already use.
Import your clients by spreadsheet so it knows your regulars. Then let it book into its own calendar, or take the request and send you the details to confirm in Timely, Fresha or Kitomba.
What it costs
Start free. Plans from NZ$79.99 a month, or pay as you go at NZ$0.59 a minute plus NZ$5 a month for a number. Month to month, no contract.
Questions
Will it book a colour into a 45 minute slot?
No. You set each service’s length, and a full colour gets its full time. This is the thing it is strictest about.
What about patch tests?
Any colour for a new client gets a patch test flagged at booking, 48 hours out, not on the day.
Will regulars be treated like strangers?
No. It recognises regulars by their number and uses what is in their record, like their last booking and their stylist.
My book lives in Timely or Fresha. Does it work?
Import your clients by spreadsheet so it knows your regulars. Then either let it book into its own calendar, or set it to take the request and send you the details to confirm.
Can clients show the look they want?
Yes. It texts a link, they send a photo, and it describes the colour and technique so it books the right service for the right length of time.
Can it take a deposit?
It can tell callers your deposit and cancellation policy at booking. Taking card payments over the phone is not something it does.
Will it answer booking texts too?
Yes, if you switch it on. It replies with real times from your calendar and steps back the moment you reply yourself.