Is managing multiple business locations as financially and professionally rewarding as you hoped, or are organizational issues standing in the way of all that dreamt-of growth and profit? Vagaro’s booking & management software removes these roadblocks for many enterprising business owners by simplifying and streamlining their most important business processes. Of course, even with all the right tools, success hinges on effective leadership, strategy and the ability to pivot. The checklist below covers the most important strategies for managing multiple locations effectively, and how to implement them using Vagaro.
1. Be Faithful to Your Processes
The most important thing you did (or should have done) to prepare for opening your next location was streamline, document, and replicate all business processes from your flagship business. That includes best practices for booking, client intake, payment processing, customer service, client management, employee onboarding, payroll, and everything in between. Ensure that all employees are trained in these daily processes and that they’re being followed as closely as possible.
This is just as important for your long-time employees as it is for your new ones. The team at your established locations must be trained to manage them as you would since it’s impossible for you to be in several places at once. Consistency, efficiency and trust are the lynchpins of running multiple business locations successfully. So, how do you do this? Well...
2. Implement the Right Technology
The ability to standardize and streamline your operations rests on the software and systems you use to manage your businesses. We suggest implementing a cloud-based, all-in-one solution with such features as:
Employee Scheduling
Robust scheduling software lets you efficiently manage employee shifts and schedules across multiple locations. This ensures proper coverage and reduces scheduling conflicts.
A Mobile App
A mobile app, such as the Vagaro Pro App, enables you to check key metrics and receive real-time updates about your business on the go. Mobile accessibility enhances flexibility and responsiveness in managing multiple locations.
A Point-of-Sale System
A centralized POS system can help track sales, manage inventory & process transactions consistently across all locations. Moreover, fully integrated payment processing makes it easier to streamline payments safely and securely across all locations.
Centralized Employee Database
Easily share and access essential information about staff members at all locations. This makes it easier to manage employees consistently, especially as it pertains to onboarding, payroll and taxes.
Centralized Client Database
Similarly, you should be able to access essential client information across all business locations, enabling a consistent customer experience.
Inventory Management
Inventory management tools track stock levels, manage reordering processes, and maintain consistent product availability across locations. Centralized inventory systems can prevent overstocking or holes in inventory by providing insights into demand patterns across locations.
Payroll Integration
You must be able to quickly process payroll and offer benefits to your team, all in one place. Your payroll software should, ideally, handle direct deposit, multiple payrates, customizable commission, automatic tax deduction, and PTO policies, to name a few.
Data Analytics
Data analytics tools gather insights into the performance of each location (more on this below). This includes analyzing sales data, customer behavior, and other relevant metrics.
E-commerce
An e-commerce platform helps create a centralized online presence for your businesses. Implementing an online store can help reach a broader customer base and provide a consistent brand experience. Not to mention, there’s the upside of making money while you sleep!
Multi-location/Enterprise Functions
Vagaro’s Flagship Syncing lets you replicate the services, classes, products and other elements of your original (flagship) business easily across your other locations.
Integrated technological solutions like the ones above let you create a cohesive and efficient operational framework.
3. Hire Right
Your hiring needs have undoubtedly evolved in your expansion era. Establish consistent hiring criteria and standards across all your locations so you get the same level of talent and skills in each employee.
Prioritize the following considerations during the hiring process:
- Market Understanding: Candidates should understand the local markets where each business location runs.
- Adaptability: Candidates should be flexible and able to adjust to different environments, client bases, and operational procedures.
- Communication: Candidates should effectively communicate with other employees, customers, or managers to foster collaboration and clarity across every location.
- Collaboration: Speaking of collaboration, candidates who can work well with colleagues across various locations contribute to a positive and cohesive business culture.
- Technological Proficiency: Prioritize candidates who are comfortable with centralized systems, technology platforms, or software solutions.
- Leadership: Candidates should be independent and capable of making informed decisions—without calling you constantly.
- Growth Mindset: Consider candidates who understand the challenges of expansion and are prepared to take on new roles.
- Previous Multi-Location Experience: Consider candidates with prior experience in managing or working across multiple locations.
4. Check Business Data Constantly
Whether you’re a hound for data or not, it tells you a lot about the direction your business is heading. Vagaro’s Reports feature allows you to view the numbers and data of every business location at any time, on any device, from anywhere with an internet connection.
Some of the most important reports include:
Employee Reports
Of course, you trust your employees, and, in fact, took great care to hire a talented team of professionals. However, it’s good to find out who your highest earners and hardest workers are, how many repeat bookings they have, when they’re working and how often they call out.
The employee report helps you minimize scheduling gaps, improve marketing, and broaden your client base. The appointments summary report provides a breakdown of services and classes, so you’ll see which staff members are performing at their peak. This information allows you to identify and correct performance issues and identify training opportunities that empower staff to achieve their full potential.
Sales & Revenue Data
Check the sales data and finances for every location. The overall financial health of each is important, but you’ll also want a clear picture of which services are being booked the most and which ones are lagging behind. You may find that the overhead and resources needed to keep something on the service menu at one location isn’t worth it because the demographic differs from geographical area to geographical area.
On the other hand, maybe it's so popular that you need to hire another specialist to provide that service. Maybe it lags at your flagship location but sells at another one. Find out why that is.
The data here could lead you to discover that diversifying—say, by adding more skincare services to a salon, bootcamp classes at a fitness studio, or low-touch therapies to a spa—will be lucrative for you.
Appointment Sources
It pays (literally) to know where most of your appointment bookings are coming from. Businesses, especially those using Vagaro, rely on multiple touchpoints to book clients—website, social media pages, review sites, Google & Apple Maps, the Vagaro Marketplace—and know that understanding where & how most of your clientele books tells you how they find your business and what’s important to them.
Imagine that most of your clients booked from a review site, like Yelp. You can bet that those 4- & 5-star customer reviews really matter. So, you would encourage satisfied clients to review your business on those sites, and even incentivize it via a rewards program. You would also thoughtfully respond to customer reviews, positive and negative.
E-commerce Data
Inventory management can be overwhelming. You have to check inventory levels to keep stock replenished, stocked on time, and you need a way to figure out which products are selling, and which aren’t. You’ll also be able to track sales trends over time and anticipate when you might need to order more than usual, like in the holiday season.
For example, a deep dive with Vagaro’s inventory report might reveal that, while a certain item (product, gift cards, etc.) has been selling slowly overall, its numbers are better than average at one of your other locations. If you can’t seem to move something individually, maybe discounting it or packaging it with other popular items (perhaps as part of a holiday bundle) will help you clear it out of your inventory.
5. Analyze Client Feedback
Numbers are important, but don’t get so lost in them that you forget to check in on the biggest piece of data early on: the customer experience. Consistently collect feedback from clients at all locations to identify strengths and weaknesses.
This can be feedback about:
- The overall vibe of your business
- Customer service
- Services, products, packages & memberships offered or requested
- Events that you held
- Exclusive deals or bundles you’ve offered
- Services that your clients would like to see you offer
All of this can be easily done by attaching a survey form to follow-up client emails or text messages, or to a monthly newsletter you send out. This is easy, assuming your management software:
- Offers a flexible & intuitive forms template feature
- Enables you to share client information between locations
- Has automated email & text marketing tools
- Can segment those campaigns by location
Vagaro users running multiple business locations use these capabilities to address customer concerns, implement innovative ideas and enhance overall client satisfaction promptly.
6. Delegate Tasks to Experts
Running multiple businesses entails wearing a lot of hats—this, you know. But there’s no shame in taking a few off your head. Sure, strong management software can make you an effective HR & payroll specialist, email marketer, data analyst, inventory manager, etc. But graphic designer, website builder, or SEO specialist may not necessarily be in your wheelhouse.
Taking everything on yourself is a gamble, and like a famous gambler once said, you’ve got to know when to walk away. Not literally; we mean delegating these roles to certain employees, or potentially going outside the business for help, to save time and ensure that things are done right.
This is especially true of your branding and digital presence, where professionalism and consistency are particularly important:
The logo and colors you use must be consistent at all locations, on your social media pages, on all marketing collateral (physical & digital), and on your website.
Your business’s website should be well-designed, easily navigable and mobile-friendly. This creates a top-notch user experience, but also aids its SEO.
Not everyone’s an artist or web designer—we get it. That’s why you can entrust your branding and website-related needs to our in-house Design Services Team, saving you loads of time & stress, and ensuring you end up with a product that fits your vision completely.
7. Visit Each Location Periodically
Schedule regular visits to each business location to stay informed about the local market, address concerns, and provide support. Use these visits to gather feedback from both customers and employees.
You should also foster a sense of community at each location by engaging with local businesses and residents. You did this with your flagship business, and taking part in local events and initiatives relevant to your other locations can help you extend your brand and clientele.
8. Promote Continued Education
Create a culture of growth and learning by scheduling regular (monthly, quarterly, etc.) training sessions, seminars and other learning opportunities for employees across all business locations. These can cover everything from customer service and sales techniques to product knowledge, operational procedures, and continued education for your particular craft or industry.
Create a training resource library that employees can access for reference. Include training videos, manuals, and other resources to reinforce learning and provide ongoing support.
Vagaro offers many resources to businesses, including regular webinars, demos & training sessions, and a library of support content geared toward using every software feature correctly and efficiently.
Encourage cross-training to broaden interested employees' skill sets and enhance their versatility. You can count on cross-trained employees to fill in for each other, improving operational flexibility and resilience. They may also fit nicely into leadership roles down the line and can be trusted to schedule all future training with junior employees.
After all, you’ll want a strong management team in place at every location so you can focus on the bigger picture of business development.
There’s never a truly “perfect” time to expand into multiple locations. There will always be bumps in the road and economic shifts that you couldn’t foresee, but that shouldn’t stop your ambitions. Ongoing success starts with solidifying business processes, implementing the right tools, and making decisions based on clear, actionable data—not hunches. In these ways, Vagaro can help you run cohesive and profitable businesses every day, no matter how far apart they are. Start your 30-Day Free Trial, and experience it for yourself.
