In 1990, Rare Touch Salon opened its doors in Fremont, California. Hailing from a long line of beauty professionals, Brandee Meeks, Ronna Green & Regina Zeno knew that being in the salon and behind the chair was in their blood. As they sought to create a welcoming and inclusive environment to celebrate every client’s individuality, they saw an opportunity to empower the next generation. In 2006, they established a self-funded mentorship program for young girls in the community.
The three-month mentorship program is designed to build confidence and introduce young girls to the array of choices they have in their lives. The program's name, Hadessah, is a biblical reference to a young girl whose life began tragically after losing her family. After surviving hardships, she eventually became a queen, saving her people. Green said, "We try to teach young girls that it doesn't matter how your life started. There's always a purpose. And we try to tap into whatever that purpose is.” No dream is too big to achieve and the path to success isn't always linear. But you need the right tools and support to get there.
When Rare Touch salon started, they relied on paper calendar books and playing phone tag to get clients on the schedule. Once digital appointment systems made their way onto the market, Meeks, Green & Zeno tried a platform called StyleSeat. At first, it was a great solution; it allowed them to spend less time on the phone and more time behind the chair. But three years and a global pandemic later, the women at Rare Touch Salon became unhappy with how StyleSeat treated them as business owners.
Meeks, Green & Zeno found that:
For StyleSeat, it’s about the bottom line, their dollar.
Instead of transparency, StyleSeat altered its practices without informing business owners. StyleSeat began charging businesses for any new appointments booked. And, if a client selected a time slot that Rare Touch didn't have open, the software suggested another salon nearby, instead of another day or time slot at their business. The women at Rare Touch only discovered these issues when their loyal clients, some of 30-plus years, brought up the problems they encountered. Instead of being business owner-oriented, StyleSeat is end user-oriented, hurting small business owners instead of lifting them up.
Furthering the frustration for the ladies of Rare Touch was the lack of communication they received from StyleSeat. The only way to reach their customer service team was by email, often having to send multiple emails to get a straight answer. Green said:
As a business owner, you're working on clients, so you don’t have time to do that at all. So now, you know...we’ve freed up some of StyleSeat’s time because we left them.
That’s when they decided to try Vagaro.
Since switching to Vagaro, the women at Rare Touch have used features like the ability to bundle services, process payments and customize their booking calendar. But more than anything, they appreciate Vagaro’s responsive customer service and how they feel respected, seen, and most of all, empowered. Both Vagaro and Rare Touch help others to dream big by giving businesses the tools they need to succeed and by showing young girls how much possibility awaits, respectively. Together, they empower communities & customers, celebrating individuality, determination and dreams.
If you’re feeling inspired by Rare Touch’s experience with Vagaro after switching from StyleSeat and you’re ready to work with software that cares, sign up for a 30-day free trial from Vagaro. Discover how the right tools & support make any dream achievable.
