How to Create Digital Consultation Forms for Salons

Salon consultation forms are essential for understanding clients’ needs and providing top-notch services. Whether you’re an established business or newer to the market, integrating forms into your daily practice will elevate the client experience and ensure their safety. 

In this article we’ll explore the benefits of using digital consultation forms for your salon and see exactly what information you should request and provide through these documents for particular scenarios. But first things first:

What is a digital consultation form?

A digital consultation form for salons is an electronic document clients fill out before an appointment to provide key information. It ensures both the person receiving the service and the salon professional have a mutual understanding of the expectations and requirements for the visit. 

These online forms can usually be accessed and completed remotely on the business’ website or booking app before arriving at the salon.

Consultation forms are not a brand new concept since many establishments have been using the traditional pen and paper versions for a while now. However, switching to digital seemed like the best thing to do as the records are more easily accessible and updatable, allowing salons to track client history over time. Not to mention eco-friendly, because they reduce the salon’s environmental footprint.

Why use digital consultation forms for your salon?

You might not yet see the point of salon consultation forms, so let’s dive into the advantages of using them to improve client interactions and make your business more efficient.

1. Provide personalized services

Digital consultation forms allow you to understand client preferences and expectations, making it super easy to offer personalized salon experiences.

Having access to information like hair type, skin type, and previous treatments or services helps you recommend products and procedures that suit each client’s unique needs. 

When people receive customized care and recommendations, they feel valued and understood, which increases satisfaction and fosters loyalty. According to Instapage, 77% of clients prefer, recommend, or pay more for bands that deliver personalized services or experiences.

2. Ensure client safety

Client well-being should be your salon’s top priority. Through online forms you can gather information on client medical conditions such as allergies or skin sensitivities. You’ll know what products or treatments to avoid, reducing the risk of adverse reactions.

Forms also make clients aware of procedures and any associated risks, leading to informed consent. There’s no room for misunderstandings that could compromise client safety. Additionally, showing commitment to safety builds trust in your business.

3. Improve client-salon relationship

Salons are a relationship business where communication is key. You can think of forms as a two-way communication channel where you provide essential information and clients can express their concerns and specific goals for their appointments.

But it’s not just that, salon forms also help clients see their individual needs are being catered to, building a sense of trust and loyalty. You can also include sections for feedback, showing your salon values the client’s opinion and is committed to improving service.

4. Show professionalism and compliance with the law

Informed consent is a legal and ethical requirement in many jurisdictions. Digital consultation forms can record consent, ensuring clients know the nature, benefits, risks, and potential side effects of the treatments they receive. In the event of a lawsuit, these documents will protect your salon from any liability.

Complying with this safety protocol not only meets legal standards but also shows professionalism and dedication to client well-being. When clients feel safe and secure in your salon, they will keep requesting your services.

5. Enhance your marketing efforts

The information you collect through salon consultation forms is a goldmine as it allows you to tailor your marketing efforts for improved efficiency. 

For example, it can help you understand client demographics and target your marketing campaigns better. It can also give you insight into which services are most popular, allowing you to promote them more heavily or offer special deals to existing and new clients.

You can find out the clients’ preferred communication channels (email, SMS, social media, etc.) too, and send marketing messages where they are most likely to respond.

What to put on a consultation form?

The content of the document depends on the type of form you’re creating. We’ll get into some of the most common types of salon consultation forms in a minute, but these are some of the most common things you’ll find on most of them.

• Basic client information: the person’s full name, date of birth, plus contact details such as their phone number and email address;
• Emergency contact information: the name of the emergency contact and their relationship to the client, as well as their phone number;
• Health and medical history: medical conditions, allergies and sensitivities, as well as previous treatments and adverse reactions (if any);
• Consent and waivers: treatment consent, data privacy consent;
• Signature: the form completion date and the client’s signature.

Of course, there are other sections you can add, like permission for before and after photos, acknowledgement of your cancellation and refund policy, or client satisfaction and feedback. These are always nice to have.

How to create a salon consultation form?

There are a ton of form-building tools out there that can help you create your digital consultation forms, but the best approach by far is to use a tool that is integrated with your salon’s existing systems (i.e. booking software, customer relationship management system).

This way all client data, appointment history, and salon consultation forms are stored in one place, making it easy to access and manage information. The Goldie app allows you to create forms and enable them for specific services like haircuts, hair colorings, or facials. 

All data is secured and handled in compliance with GDPR and other regulations, and you’re able to easily customize every aspect of your document, including questions’ answer type, form availability (which services it should be applicable for), and frequency (once per client or on every appointment). 

Your clients will see the form on the appointment page and will be prompted to fill it out prior to their scheduled service. It really is this easy. You just have to know what your form should include. 

So, here are the steps to create a salon consultation form with the Goldie app in less than 5 minutes:

• If you don’t have it yet, download Goldie for free from the App Store or Google Play
• Go to Menu and tap Forms
• Customize your form by adding your questions or requirements
• Select the answer type (Yes/No or open answer) and the frequency
• Choose if you want to require a signature from your clients

There you go, your online form is ready!

Types of salon consultation forms

Here are five of the most common digital consultation forms and how you should use them for your salon:

One-time consultation forms

These are typically used on new clients to collect comprehensive information before their very first appointment at your salon. One-time consultation forms provide reference for future visits, ensuring continuity in service. This proves very useful when a client is handled by multiple salon professionals over time. 

This salon form typically includes sections for basic client information, health and medical history, hair or skin type, past treatments, specific concerns or treatment goals, and the client’s signature. 

Consultation forms for every appointment

Unlike the previous form type which is meant for initial assessments, consultation forms for every appointment are created to collect updated client information on each visit.

By signing these, the client reaffirms consent for ongoing treatments and acknowledges any updates to salon policies or procedures. Plus, it can also be used as a way to track progress for procedures which typically require a series of sessions. 

You can add sections like client information, expectations, hair/skin assessment (if needed), allergies and sensitivities, previous services, consent, and the client’s signature.

Annual consultation forms

As the name suggests, these salon forms are filled out by clients once a year. They serve as a review and update of the client’s information, so you can continue to offer personalized services and ensure safety.

A lot can change in 12 months, so you need to refresh your records, reaffirm consent and agreement to salon policies, protecting both the client and the salon legally. 

For annual forms, you can use the same questions as for the one-time consultation forms since both of these are meant to gather a large amount of information.

Specialized treatment forms

More complex services like laser hair removal or chemical peels pose certain risks, require pre- or post-treatment care, or have unique health considerations that the client should be aware of for personal safety and treatment success.

In these cases, you need a specialized treatment form that focuses on medical stuff and treatment-specific details, but also features sections like personal information, emergency contacts, consent and agreement.

Patch test consent forms

It is best practice to draft this type of form whenever you do a patch test before a particular service. Not only does it help you maintain a professional and trustworthy image, but it is  written evidence that the client was informed about the test and potential risks associated with the products used, in case of any legal disputes or claims.

Such a salon form usually contains client information, treatment and patch test procedure details, potential reactions, a consent statement, plus the client signature and date.

Conclusion

Creating salon consultation forms is essential for improving client satisfaction, service quality, and work efficiency. We hope this article will make building and implementing your consultation forms easier.

Regularly review the form’s content to ensure it remains up-to-date with current practices, services, and client needs.

Educate your entire team on how to use the online forms, including how to access and manage the collected data. This information can help improve services across all salon specialties and ultimately grow your business.