Online booking built around how a salon day really runs.

The problem with booking by phone and DM

Plenty of salons still book through a mix of calls, Instagram messages and a paper appointment book. It works until the day it does not. A client messages at 10 pm for a Saturday color, the stylist sees it Sunday, and the slot has gone to someone else. Or two people end up in the same chair because a note never made it from the book to the phone.

Every back and forth also costs minutes. "Do you have anything Thursday?" "What time?" "Afternoon." Four messages later, you have one appointment and a client who still hasn't confirmed.

A booking page for each service

Centera sets up a booking page for each service you offer, so a client picks what they want and sees only the times that fit it. A men's cut might take 30 minutes, a root touch-up two hours, a full color with a cut most of the afternoon. You tell us how long each takes, with any buffer for rinsing, processing or cleaning up, and the page offers only the openings that fit.

You also decide who is bookable. A stylist who only works Tuesdays through Saturdays shows only on those days, and a new client can be directed to a first-visit service with a consultation built in.

What happens after they book

1. The calendar updates. The appointment lands on the stylist's calendar, synced with the one you already use, so a booking from the page and one you wrote down yourself never collide.
2. A confirmation goes out. The client gets the service, the time and the stylist by email, with the address and any note you want them to see.
3. A reminder follows. A reminder before the visit is the simplest way to cut no-shows on long appointments, because a missed two-hour color is a lot of lost chair time.
4. Changes happen without a call. Every confirmation carries a reschedule and cancel link, so a client who needs to move Thursday can do it at midnight without phoning the salon.

The QR code on the mirror

Centera also gives you a QR code that points to your booking page. Print it for the front desk, the mirror or the door. A client finishing a cut can scan it and book the next one before they pay, while the last visit is still fresh. For barbers it works well on the shop window, where people read it after closing and book for the morning.

What you control

You choose which services are bookable online, how far ahead the calendar opens, and how much notice you need before an appointment can be changed. Services that need a conversation first, like a color correction, can be set to request a consult instead of booking straight in. Walk-in hours stay as they are; the page just keeps the booked time clear so the two do not fight over a chair.

Want to see the page for your own services? The 15-minute review walks through one built for a shop like yours.

Questions owners ask