How to choose a POS for your nail, hair or spa business: a 12-point checklist

Short answer: Judge a salon POS on 12 points: terminal integration, online booking, walk-in turns, payroll and tips, gift cards and loyalty, reporting, permissions, the devices it runs on, support, total cost, data export, and a real trial during your busiest hours.

The 12-point checklist

1. Card terminal integration: does the amount go to the terminal automatically, and does the tip come back? Can you keep your current terminal?
2. Online booking: can clients book by service and staff member, with text reminders?
3. Walk-ins and turns: is there a waiting list and a fair turn tracker?
4. Payroll: are commission, tips and base pay calculated automatically, or are you still in a spreadsheet?
5. Gift cards and loyalty: can you sell and redeem them at the desk?
6. Reports: revenue by day, staff and service, viewable on your phone?
7. Permissions: do refunds, voids and price changes require a manager? Is every action logged?
8. Devices: does it run on the computers, tablets and phones you already own, or require special hardware?
9. Support: does a real person answer, in a language you and your staff are comfortable with?
10. Total cost: monthly fees, per-staff fees, text fees, card fees, hardware and cancellation fees.
11. Data: can you export your client list and reports? Is the data yours?
12. A real trial: run it through at least one busy weekend and one payroll period.

Questions to ask vendors

• "What happens when the internet goes down?"
• "Is moving my client list from my old software free?"
• "How long is the contract, and is there a cancellation fee?"
• "How are extra text messages billed?"
• "Who will help us set up?"

Red flags

• Long contracts with steep cancellation fees.
• Mandatory expensive hardware purchase or lease.
• No way to export your client data.
• Vague card processing quotes and no sample statement.

Kashela was built in, and runs every day at, a real salon in Texas. It's month-to-month with no long-term contract and a 30-day free trial. See salon pricing.