DaySmart Salon Reviews

“Easy reports for tips and commissions

Pros

We really appreciate how easy it is to pull up each person's individual reports and instantly see their tips, services provided and commission earned. It makes tracking performance and payouts quick and completely transparent.

Cons

I don't like that the platform does not require a credit card when clients book appointments online. I think that should be added for better security and reliability.

“Clean layout & detailed daily reports but pricey monthly subscription

Pros

I like the clean layout and what I valued most were the daily, weekly and monthly reports. As running my business means I need to track every piece of data closely and this tool helps me with that.

Cons

My least favorite aspect was the monthly subscription price as it is significantly higher than other solutions I looked into so I considered it overpriced.

“Awful support, no retroactive tracking

Pros

The software itself is really easy to use and it offers a wide range of features. My team used DaySmart for five years but eventually had to stop.

Cons

We stopped using it because their customer service was awful. They don't provide a way to retroactively track back-bar product usage for business purposes and the system would sometimes alter our inventory and tickets at random.

“software is expensive and unreliable

Pros

I miss the days when I could actually speak to a real person for support instead of being routed to bots and menus. I mean it used to be possible to talk to a human and that made a big difference to me.

Cons

Support has been terrible as I was left waiting over a week and chat support had no idea what was going on. And the whole process is painfully slow. Also you cannot integrate with accounting software unless you pay extra. Providing staff with app access also costs more per user. The cloud version is also a disaster and does not work at all. When I tried to use my laptop at home for bookkeeping, I found out I'd need a second license which means more fees. And that second license is almost always down and never works right. Overall the system is completely unreliable and feels like a waste of money. In theory, the software has potential but I am paying a fortune for features that are not any better than what Acuity offers. Acuity gives unlimited everything for $17 a month and connects to other services with no extra charges. But right now, I am paying nearly $500 Canadian a month. I have not switched yet because moving everything is a huge job but after being abandoned by support and left high and dry, I am done.

“Organizes our appointments and earnings

Pros

One thing I really like how simple it is to use. Also it keeps my appointments and earnings organized which makes everything organized.

Cons

Every now and then it sends a confirmation text to all of my clients which can be annoying.

“allows me to see client details on phone

Pros

What I love is how simple scheduling is. As the app lets me pull up all my clients details right from my phone.

Cons

Honestly I cannot think of anything I dislike about it as it meets my needs perfectly.

“quite an affordable software

Pros

I am really happy with the price. Also it is efficient, simple to use and provides plenty of reporting options so I can pull daily, monthly and yearly numbers easily.

Cons

Because it's web-based if the system crashes I do not have any other option or offline fallback to keep working.

“Easy scheduling with notes and photos

Pros

It is really easy to use as it makes scheduling appointments a simple task and I can name each one however I want. I can also attach notes and photos to entries and best of all, it's free.

Cons

There is not too much that I dislike about this app. In fact I have been using it consistently for several years now and it still meets my needs.

“I like that it is accessible from anywhere

Pros

Overall the software is really easy to use, works from anywhere and has automated reminders

Cons

I wish it would send another reminder whenever appointment dates are changed.

“support is not the best

Pros

The calendar layout is pretty easy to manage and the reminder text messages help a lot too.

Cons

Honestly getting help when there's a glitch is extremely difficult and it became clear that the support team often aren't familiar with their own software. As I couldn't find anyone who knew what they were doing. On top of that the merchant hardware they force you to use seems really outdated and they require you to complete a compliance questionnaire frequently or they'll add an extra $20.00 a month to your bill. They even tried to charge me $700.00 for a credit card swiper so I ended up switching to another booking site that has much more modern devices and significantly less hassle.

“Easy to learn and use

Pros

After a few couple of days I got comfortable using it. And honestly it's easy to pick up. Plus I find most features easy to use and I can usually locate and work with what I need without much fuss.

Cons

There are two things I don't like. First I cannot record or accept deposit payments on weekends because of a recurring issue that causes problems for my small, slower-paced salon. Second receipts don't show client payment details. So when someone pays cash we cannot print an itemized receipt.

“Reliable mobile app for tasks

Pros

For years I have used this for both of my businesses and I find it pretty easy to navigate. And I genuinely appreciate how simple and reliable the mobile app is for managing day to day tasks.

Cons

That said I have had my share of headaches. There are glitches as I have had trouble confirming appointments through reminder texts and sometimes confirmations just don't go through. The worst part is there is no way to call and speak to a real person which is incredibly frustrating. On top of that I keep having issues with the CC Flex machine failing to complete transactions. Many of my clients pay by card so when it fails, I lose revenue for the day. I either have to try the card again later or let them pay next time. Also I have opened multiple support tickets about this and months later, the problem is still there. If this is not fixed soon, I am seriously considering switching credit card processors as this is just not reliable.

“allows printing neatly organized details

Pros

What I really like is that it allows me to print any details I need and everything comes out neatly organized.

Cons

There are times when I am really annoyed by how long I have to wait to get a callback after they promised someone would call me.

“Very easy and meets needs

Pros

We find the software very easy to use and it meets the majority of our business needs.

Cons

The online booking tool on the website is confusing for our clients when they try to select services to schedule.

“Great reports with online booking

Pros

Everything about it works for me. And I am really impressed with the reports and I also love the online booking and the texting feature.

Cons

Support has really declined for me. I used to love their help but it is not the same now as the bot chat gives terrible support.

“Losing sales due to the gift card bug

Pros

The app is good. And I must say it is more efficient than the cloud-based version of the software but no more good can be said.

Cons

My experience with their customer care has gotten really bad. I am losing money because of a silly bug with gift card messages. As if someone types a message like Happy Mother's Day and uses an apostrophe, the system shows an error and rejects it. The buyer thinks they made a mistake with payment so they try again only to be blocked by the same apostrophe issue. I have asked them many times to fix this but nothing changes. You can use periods or exclamation marks but apostrophes are not accepted and it's been like this for years. The result? I lose sales. As frustrated customers give up and buy a gift card somewhere else. So if you use this tool, try buying a gift card and type Happy Mother's Day you'll see the error. There is no warning so people get confused and leave. That is why I have decided to switch to Meevo. I am in training now and already see a big improvement for the same price. I hope they fixes issues soon. As it's an avoidable bug thats hurting small businesses like mine.

“they lied about phone support

Pros

For email marketing I found it really useful that I could message customers directly within the same platform with their card on file.

Cons

I feel like they lied about offering phone support as I could not reach anyone by phone. And their live chat is not available 24/7 either as it's only open Monday to Friday 9 to 5 which is really frustrating. On top of that, they locked me out of my account the same day my subscription payment failed. I was waiting for a new credit card after a fraud alert and without warning, I lost access to all my info. Getting help is slow too. It often takes about ten minutes for someone on chat to even respond which made everything worse.

“DaySmart Review

Pros

I'm impressed with the customer service and email support. Anytime I've encountered an issue or a server connection problem, they've been excellent at resolving it. The team always maintains a high level of professionalism.

Cons

Sometimes, guests seem to get a bit confused with the dropdown menu. If there's a way to display a description of each service on the booking link, that would be a big help. It can be really hard to reach someone over the phone, and at times, it took weeks to resolve issues, leading to guests being double charged multiple times.

“Nothing worked well

Pros

Honestly there was nothing I liked about DaySmart.

Cons

Nothing about it worked well for me and I didn't like any of it.

“has everything !

Pros

For operating my business professionally it gives me everything I need to succeed.

Cons

Honestly I can't find anything about the system that I dislike.

“Provide wide range of tools to monitor business

Pros

I really like that it offers a wide range of tools to help my business thrive and I can monitor everything.

Cons

My only wish is that the online booking had more customization options available but aside from that it's fine.

“Cloud-based with no downtime

Pros

Since it's cloud-based there is almost no downtime. So as long as we have internet it works. The browser-based interface is really handy too as staff can work from anywhere, even on their own devices. That means we do not need a server anymore just inexpensive laptops. Also the software is very flexible and can be set up to match how we work. The reporting tools are also thorough and genuinely helpful.

Cons

Because the system is so customizable the admin still has to enter a lot of data if you are not switching from an older version of DaySmart so that won't apply to everyone. Also if you don't use this one for payment processing there is an extra step when handling customer payments. Though it is a minor hassle but worth mentioning.

“allows easy booking from anywhere

Pros

Booking clients and changing appointments is easy no matter where I am, at the salon, at home or even on holiday. I can manage everything right from my phone!

Cons

At 58 years young it took me a little longer to get comfortable with the look of the online schedule and to figure out all the different sections. Once I worked through it though I absolutely love it and how simple it is to use.

“Easy setup and navigation

Pros

Setting up the program was not a hassle and I find the interface easy to navigate.

Cons

I'd prefer it offered a wider range of features because I feel it could be more flexible for different needs.

“Affordable but app needs improvements

Pros

For what I pay this feels like a bargain as it's affordable, packed with features and easy to navigate. I also like that there is a mobile app which in many cases I actually prefer over the browser version. Text message alerts and the communication tools work really well on both the website and the app. When I only need a walkthrough or a how-to, client support has been helpful enough to get me through it.

Cons

My biggest complaint is how inconsistent the mobile app and web version are as the app often has features the web version does not which feels odd. Reporting is also very limited. There are no customizable reports and I cannot even pull a simple list of client appointments. I also cannot see who has prepaid services or packages left so I have to guess and check each profile one by one. When I asked about this, they said there was no way to pull that data which I find hard to believe. Also database has to exist for the system to work so it seems like they just do not want to give us access. Support has been useless when real problems come up. The worst was when the app would not let me schedule, change or add appointments for over a year which is a major failure for scheduling software. I opened six tickets in that time and never got a single email, call or update. They said they could not recreate the bug so they dropped it and did not even tell me they'd closed the case. A full year without working scheduling is unacceptable for an app built to manage appointments.

“offers customizable services

Pros

What I like most about DaySmart Salon is that I can use the app to book appointments from anywhere which makes running the shop so much more easy. I can also customize every service and set prices exactly how I want so nothing feels limiting. Plus I can easily track each client's services, formulas and appointment history which helps me stay organized and consistent.

Cons

If the salon's Internet goes down or there are connection issues, I can't access the software through the app. That leaves me unable to manage bookings or pull up client records until the connection is restored which can be really disruptive.

“allows two-way texting

Pros

It is very easy to navigate. Plus I like that you can add promo codes so discounts get applied automatically. The way reviews are handled is decent too though I'm still undecided about it. Also two-way texting is really handy in daily use.

Cons

Although the software offers lots of reports I've noticed several shortcomings in them. At checkout, tips are not automatically split so we have to divide them by hand. When you do that, it also fails to display the original tip amount. Say a customer left a $22.50, the moment you begin modifying it, the initial tip disappears, forcing the technician to recall the figure and manually calculate how to reallocate the tip. On top of that once a transaction is finalized, you can't change tip amounts without voiding the whole sale. Lack of weekend support has been another hurdle for us, particularly during the early stages of our rollout when we needed help most.

“Works well on phones

Pros

At my salon we love that DaySmart works on our phones whether we are at home or at the shop so if someone needs to request time off or slot in an appointment, we can handle it remotely. Also it's user-friendly and really streamlines checkout and rebooking making everything much smoother for staff and clients.

Cons

I wish there was an integrated way to save customers card details and automatically charge them for no-shows or late cancellations. If that feature exists I have not been able to find or enable it. I'd also like an easier method to set up specials, deals or promotions within the system.

“We find it affordable and feature rich

Pros

It is really easy to set up and use. Also it is affordable and I like all the extra features the program includes.

Cons

Being able to insert diagrams directly into client files would be useful and I believe solid documentation is essential.

“Access from anywhere on any device

Pros

One thing I like is that I can access it from anywhere and on any device.

Cons

I'd like the pay later option to be upgraded so it actually becomes more practical and useful for customers.

“Simple use and offers the best customer support

Pros

What I appreciate most is how simple it is to use, the helpful customer reminders and the customer support team as it is honestly the best I've ever dealt with.

Cons

The payroll features need to be more user-friendly and should automatically handle local and state taxes.