Data highlights hidden admin cost of salon payments

New insight from salon management platform Phorest suggests that payment-related administration remains an overlooked operational pressure for salon, spa and clinic teams across the UK and Ireland. The findings point to the cumulative impact of manual payment follow-up, rather than the act of taking payment itself, as a drain on time, revenue visibility and team morale. 

According to the all-in-one software provider, tasks such as cashing up, checking deposits, reconciling transactions, resolving tip queries and correcting end-of-day discrepancies continue to absorb hours each month for many businesses. 

Phorest data shows that salons, spas and clinics using fully integrated payment systems spend up to 12 fewer hours per month on end-of-day administration compared with businesses managing payments across separate tools. The data also links digital tipping prompts with an average 25% increase in tips, while booking deposits are associated with no-show reductions of up to 69%.

Luke Doolin, Country Manager for Ireland, UK and UAE at Phorest, said the real cost of payments is often misunderstood. “The highest cost of payments isn't the transaction fee itself. It's the time and energy salon teams absorb every day resolving issues that shouldn't exist in the first place,” he said.