Marlow & Finch Barbers: a booking app for customers

The problem

A barber shop that books by phone loses the customer who rings while the barber has a razor in hand. The appointment book gets crossed out and rewritten, and now and then two people turn up for the same chair. A customer who thinks of it at midnight has to wait until morning to ask.

What we built

For Marlow & Finch Barbers, a made up barber shop, we would build a booking app that opens in the phone's browser, with nothing to download. A customer picks a service, a barber and a time in four steps. The shop sees the day's bookings in one list.

Problem and answer

• The phone rings in the middle of a haircut.

  Customers book for themselves, at any hour. The shop only picks up for questions that need a person.

• Two people book the same chair.

  Times that are already taken do not show up. Nobody can pick them.

• Customers forget, and the chair sits empty.

  A text goes out the day before. The customer can add the time to their own calendar, or cancel so the time opens up again.

• Regulars want their own barber, and first timers do not know who to ask for.

  Each barber has one line about what they do best. A choice for any barber gives the earliest time.

• A beard trim takes less time than a haircut and a beard.

  Every service has its own length, so a short job does not block a long slot.

How it works

1. 01The customer opens the link from the shop's website, a card or a social profile, and picks a service.
2. 02They choose a barber, or any barber, then a day and a time. Taken times are not shown.
3. 03They confirm. The booking lands on the shop's list and the customer gets a confirmation.
4. 04A text reminder goes out the day before. If the customer cancels, the time opens up for someone else.

Works with

• Google Calendar, so each barber's day shows in a calendar they already use
• A text message service such as Twilio, for the confirmation and the reminder
• Square or Stripe, only if the owner wants a card held when a booking is made
• The shop's own website and Google Business Profile, where the Book now link sits

The plan we would follow

1. Week 1We spend time in the shop, watch how the book is used on a Saturday, and agree the services and who cuts what.
2. Weeks 2 and 3We build the four steps and the owner's list, and write every word on the screens in plain language.
3. Week 4The barbers make test bookings and tell us what gets in the way. We fix it.
4. Week 5We connect the calendar and the texts, and try the app on an older phone.
5. Week 6Launch, with a short walk through for whoever opens the shop.

What the owner keeps

• The app's code and every screen design
• The domain name and the hosting account, in the owner's name
• The calendar and text message accounts
• The customer list, to keep or to delete