What are Boulevard users saying about the software?

Boulevard elevates our customer experience, giving us a competitive edge

Stellar. Simply put the experience from onboarding, training and ongoing support is fantastic. I hear the horror stories from other Main Street owners using the more established incumbents in the space and I am glad I made the right decision to choose Boulevard!

Pros

The single unified design, the built in messenger and online booking workflow. Compared with many established players who patch together different features with different user interface designs, Boulevard has one easy to use design. There is no jarring for the user when they switch features. It is all seamless. The Messenger has helped reduce telephone time significantly and has about a 90% open rate. It also provides a detailed record or client requests, issues and concerns. With voice calls, notes are not always taken. The online booking workflow has helped us increase self booking, allowing front desk to refocus time in other areas.

Cons

Boulevard feature development is continuous so I always feel confident that features and improvements will be added. One area that could do with improvement is the Guest Account Management. Ideally guests would like the ability to log in and see their service history and transactions in addition to being about to book. I know though that this is an area receiving some focus now and look forward to seeing improvements in 2022.

Top-tier salon management solution that continues to improve

We are very happy with our switch to Boulevard. Migration went very smoothly, we got up and running with minimal problems, support has been great since day 1. The only issues we've had have been or are currently being actively worked on in product cycles. Our day-to-day is much smoother than previous solutions, we love being on Boulevard!

Pros

Intelligent booking and client-specific service timing has saved us countless hours at the front desk and increased our service revenue 10%+. The calendar and schedule are very easy to use, our new front desk staff is trained up in half the time as previous software. The integrated booking widget that lives on our site is wonderful for preserving a fluid brand experience for clients booking online.

Cons

Add-ons for advanced features can start to add up on top of an already higher base price, and the cost to migrate from an another product can get very high (though if you are good with Excel you can prep migration sheets yourself and save a lot like we did). Reporting was initially a weak spot but has been continuously improved over the past year and is nearly at parity with our previous solution.

Solid, reliable and modern software

Solid experience. It fulfills all of my needs. The extras will come, I'm confident.

Pros

If you're like me, you want to use a software that is most importantly reliable AND beautiful. I love what they did with the user interface. Booking appointments on the software is extremely easy, and new features are released periodically. They have a messaging center where we can quickly communicate with clients via SMS and a way to reach out to customer support quickly through their integration using INTERCOM chat.

Cons

I think the analytical reporting could be better. This might be something they can take from Booker's page. Some insight like how many customers are existing and how many are new would be great. How many booked online vs manual. Also, if they can integrate with Frederick or Emma, that would be awesome too. They are integrated with mailchimp which is nice.

If you like to pay through the eyes for expensive software that isn't very intuitive, by all means

Horrible. Costs too much for the subscription and their system is not very intuitive. It takes few extra steps to do anything in the system. Extra steps create a lot of places where mistakes can be made, especially when it comes to scheduling.

Pros

It is generally easy to learn out of the box, however there is definitely learning involved.

Cons

The POS system is a joke and they force you to utilize them as a Merchant Processesor. Their rates are competitive with other premier solutions like Square, but they literally give you a $0.50 magnetic card swiper from China to process the payments. The alternative is to buy a glorified card reader for $150 (literally a block that is a glorified magnetic card swiper) that interfaces with your iPad through Bluetooth. If you have every used Bluetooth technology on your phone, you know how horribly unreliable that it can be. If the device times out when you're taking payment, be prepared to ask your clients to wait while you spend 5-10 minutes making sure that the devices are back on line. The

Boulevard

It’s a new software so it’s expected but I think a lot of things could of been better over the years. Lots of new updates to keep current and trendy but with that comes a roller coaster of trial and error. With that being said old tech should be easy but isn’t.

Pros

Seamless booking appointments online for clients and in person.

Cons

Glitches … a new one every week! As a business owner you don’t have the time to make customer support tickets and figure out how to do workarounds more often than not. But I guess that’s how it is with these softwares.

Payment and sales reporting does not meet expectations

I don’t receive many quick replies and when i do my questions don’t have answers. My suggestions get added to future development.

Pros

Online booking and scheduling appointments

Cons

The reporting doesn’t make much sense for the service providers that switched from other payment platforms like square.

Overall a Great System with focus on technology improvements.

I have to say the cost and the simplicity of the system is the part I like most. I really enjoy how easy this system is to use and the technology behind the system. The new Duo credit card reader is great except it would have been nice if it would have had a Magswipe to it as well.

Pros

I do have to say Boulevard is a very simple and easy system to use with a lot of power behind it to stand next to some of the bigger more popular booking software available. Another perk is the benefit of having the credit card processing with Boulevard and not an additional expense.

Cons

There are a few glitches such as selecting a date in the future you need to be in calendar mode instead of Front Desk Mode. Another annoying feature is the multiple clicks of confirming to book an appointment. I feel that is a waste of time. I will also say that it would be helpful if the system would send a text message to the client during the booking instead of only an email. As a stylist I will receive a text message of the newly booked appointment but not the client. Their app is not a very user friendly app for management.

So happy with Boulevard!

It has been exceptional because of the excellent service. Couldn't be happier.

Pros

I LOVE the customer service. Your team is so accessible and on top of things anytime I've had a concern. Thank you so much. I know I'm one of the first users - I am so grateful you let me stay on. As a close second, I like the look of the design and the way it integrates with my existing site. The style and functionality together are unlike anything I've seen. It gives my booking interface a sophisticated look that aligns with my brand. I have nothing but positive things to say about you all!

Cons

There are times when the software doesn't sync well with my google calendar. In particular, my google cal events don't show on the Boulevard calendar. There were a few occasions where I was double-booked. But I have been double-checking those on a regular basis to avoid that from happening again.

Boulevard: bang for your buck that keeps on growing

Boulevard has been overall incredibly beneficial to our business. It’s combined more than one program that we were using before for less than the cost, and gave us many new added features.

Pros

Coming from using a combination of Rosy for salon scheduling and booking, Zingle for text messaging, and a third party payment processor, finding boulevard and finding out that all of these features were built in was a no brained. The system is colorful and aesthetically pleasing, the the customer support team is usually quick to answer and assist any comments, questions, or concerns. The dev team regularly adds new, requested features. The mobile app has been great for our staff to keep track of their days and know when their clients have arrived or booked keeps them on track.

Cons

Some features that we are waiting on for boulevard to implement feel like they should’ve been included with the base software, such as letting staff see their tips on the mobile app. Sometimes customer support just doesn’t get the problem you are having, and it feels like you’re explaining it over and over. The software has yet to be down, but sometimes the POS has moments of glitchy-ness. Inventory control could use a little clarification and could be streamlined.

Boulevard is expensive, but worth it

Boulevard is super-stable, slick, and easy to use as a POS ANDscheduling system. It saved us tons of hassles with Booker and Zenoti in terms of confusing interfaces and over-built functionality (Zenoti), and system instability/glitches (Booker). Boulevard's POS system and iPad app is also very slick and integrates very well with the software, which is more than we could say for Zenoti and Booker as well. Boulevard is expensive, but as a small business owner, time is money, and it saved us from a lot of headaches we were having with other scheduling/POS solutions.

Pros

Excellent UI and ease of use. Thorough onboarding and customer support. Feature-rich and well thought-out functionality for salon owners operating at any scale. Hardware and software is stable and reliable.

Cons

Boulevard is an excellent product, but you gotta pay for it!

Happy we made the switch to Boulevard

Overall I am happy with Boulevard. Again, I was told some things upon signing up that were untrue, so that did make a bad first impression. However, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] saved the day as best she could. I am still waiting for hopefully new features in the program to make it easier as a business owner to use, as well as easier for clients and my receptionists to make less errors booking.

Pros

Boulevard is very user friendly. We used to have Mindbody software and are very happy we made the switch. The onboarding process was a little rocky, as there was some misinformation given to me, however, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] was very helpful and attentive helping me figure everything out. The consumer online booking looks sleek and is easy to use.

Cons

There seems to still be some kinks with online booking, I wish it smart booked better. It also is easy to book a staff member a service they don't perform. The sales reports include tax & tip, I wish there was a way to see our true sales without having to get out a calculator and do it myself. I also was told Mailchimp was included in the high monthly price, however, I have to pay almost $200 more a month for Mailchimp on top of the Boulevard price.

Overall good, but needs som improvements

Overall it is good, but it doesn't serve my businesses needs 100%.

Pros

It was very easy to set up and the interface is easier than other platforms I've seen. The customer help is very good, too!

Cons

There are often bugs/error messages when trying to adjust appointments, that can be very frustrating and hold up a client's checkout or scheduling experience. There also really needs to be an easy, clear option to book two services at the same time for the same person.

If you are not using Boulevard, you're doing it wrong!

Loved everything, from the set up (they are very hands on, unlike Vagaro) to the demo and the customer service! All amazing.

Pros

After using Mindbody, Vagaro and Bewe we noticed that on the salon end you can not tell if a customer chose a specific employee for there services. Boulevard has a feature that any client who books online with a chosen employee they request will show up with a heart icon for the appointment on our end. THIS IS SO DIFFICULT for a Nail Salon especially with new clients daily. The appointment reminders are by text and email at time of booking the appointment and 48 hours before (I believe these are customizable). The clients can text you to cancel (reduces phone calls). You can also see the exact times the clients confirmed by either text or email (this helps

Cons

I wouldn't even say this is a Con because they are constantly updating and adding new features, but most softwares are catered towards Hair Salons/Barber Shops we would love for more customization for Nail Salons. For example: Hair Salons have "Processing Times" where the employee is free for 20 or so minutes. We would love a "Soaking Time" for manicures that require a soak off before the start of the service.

Boulevard good

Pros

I liked having settings for clients based on if they always showed up late or vip or something

Cons

I no longer use boulevard because I moved salon. One thing I love with our system is I can place a hold on a time for a client and send them a link to finish booking with all their info

There are better systems out there

Pros

Decent layout you can choose colors foe your calander

Cons

The system freezes or breaks down way too often. Where you can't view appointments or ring a client or make future appointments. Therefore, interferes with $$$

Happy, Happy, Happy BLVD 4-lifer Customer

I love that I don't have to worry about double bookings etc so we are able to give our clients the best customer service without losing that personal touch. It's fast at booking clients so I love that there isn't a lot of down time on the phone

Pros

There isn't enough time to discuss all that I love about this software. I love that the checkout page includes a gratuity line so our team doesn't have to ask 'would you like to leave gratuity for your artist' tacky! I love the cash drawer feature - helps to maintain an accurate cash drawer during the day. Inventory functionality is great. The reports are abundant and extremely powerful to help you keep track of running your business The checkout / reception page is ridiculously cool and informative I love that the help team is fast and ready to assist as much as they currently can The communications is great - you know when your clients, book when they arrive, when they check out, and when they cancel. Customization and team permissions are abundant.

Cons

I feel like because it's new some things are still being worked out. New like within the past few years. I do like how the customer service and help chat team are fast to respond to issues. I do not feel like the app fits this software! It is so forward and the app is just mundane. I hope more work and effort goes into it like being able to shrink down the size on the screen to show the whole day or all team members and also being able to book an appt within the client tab (Rather than only through the calendar tab). We did not have a great experience with duo - so I am hoping that gets worked out and we can try again in the near future. I'd love to be able to have a push notification when a client simply reschedules her appt - that way you're not chasing down the front desk to figure out what happened to xx on Monday at xx and why her appt is gone. Need better communication with regards to the disputes. During the process is pretty much radio silence.

Superior Salon Software

We love knowing that if we have a question, bug, idea or feature request that Boulevard will actually pay attention and work to make it better!

Pros

We love Boulevard's online booking and the ability to easily text clients through the software. Boulevard is very responsive to ideas, has added features for us multiple times, and frequently asks for our feedback. They are constantly evolving and are great about communicating changes that they've made through monthly emails. We also love that offer basic online training, which is very useful when training new front desk staff.

Cons

A few minor frustrations that we have with Boulevard are not being able to schedule providers in different rooms (if Amy does Pedicures on Monday and Facials on Tuesday, it would be helpful to assign her to those rooms for just those days), not being able to change service colors, still having a few unoptimized appointments with online booking and front desk search, and the lack of a complete ticket/service change history. Overall, we love working with Boulevard and these are minor issues.

Boulevard is Awesome

Overall my experience has been pretty great. Such a positive change from Mindbody. I just wished I switched sooner!

Pros

Is it so easy to check clients out! It is so easy for people to schedule online. We switched from Mindbody, and for our massage therapy studio, it is so much more intuitive and easy to take payments without mistakes. Scheduling calendar is easy to use. The Messaging system is so amazing. We text our clients all of the time now and all conversations show under their profile! Online booking is super easy for Clients and guarantees Credit Cards captured to prevent no shows. One of the biggest things I love is customer support. I have a dedicated partner manager, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] that I can contact. She has been absolutely incredible, supportive, and helpful through this whole process. I also have access to a support team that actually knows about the software and helps me learn or troubleshoot. I love that you can book an appt while staying on our website, and the page never has to refresh for online booking and each step of the payment window.

Cons

Not being able to purchase services online or in the app, the app needs more functionality for sure. They have a bunch of new features they are working on that will be rolled out soon, however. They also need better payroll reporting features for paying other than commission. They are also bringing out better online booking smart booking to limit gaps, so that is something I am excited to use in January.

Katie

Overall I'm very happy with the software. It's easy to use and training desk staff to use it is super slick. I love all the how to guides. Also, [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN], our managing partner has been amazing, always quick to respond and goes above and beyond with helping us.

Pros

I love how easily it sends comfirmations and takes care of the busy work we usually need to hire staff to complete, like pulling reports, custom timing for clients, and easy for clients to use for online booking

Cons

It's more small things that I'd like to see updated: for example when I save changes to services or products that I'm editing the page only lets you do one service then it auto refreshes to the top of the page, instead of saving and letting me continue where I'm at. That means I have to scroll all the way down to find the section, remember the next service that I have to edit, it's time consuming and for larger salons who have lots of employees with unique booking needs its not quite as fluid as I'd like. I'd also like to work off of more than one tab, so I can be checking clients in while also pulling reports. I'd love to be able to have a tab for each location open for easy booking during busy seasons like the holidays when we are searching for any open appt and comparing options for clients between all the locations. I'd also like to do more filtering for client emails. As of now I don't see a way to email upcoming appts for selected dates, which would be helpful as covid continues and brings us many updates we need to send to just upcoming appts, not all clients and not just clients who have had an appt with us before. Also woul dlove if the app view of the calendar was more zoomed out so you can get a better idea of whats happening for the whole day, now you have to scroll quite a bit and its confusing visually.

Wonderful for spas and salons

Boulevard solved our business problems of accounting and streamlined our sales & package tracking. They also helped us see multiple staff members' schedules at once. They had many cool features however many werent applicable to our healthcare business.

Pros

Boulevard is the payment processor, so it made checking out our clients & selling/redeeming packages, and processing refunds a breeze. It was an upgrade from our previous software in that we could see all staff schedules on one page and click anywhere on the schedule to make a new appointment, regardless of availability. The help team got back to us relatively quickly with guidance on any issues. There are features on it our company did not use, like inventory and product sales, processing and finishing time, etc. These functioned excellently, we did not have a need for them thought.

Cons

We could not require clients to complete their forms before finalizing their first appointment booking. And when clients received the confirmation email, it sometimes went to junk and other times the layout of the email was not clear to them as to how to find the forms to complete. It would have been nice to have a direct link to the form we could send the client. Also would have been better if we could download the forms after the client completed them. We also would have liked more follow-up email customizations, like being able to send more automations depending on if a client scheduled again, or immediately after their appointment with after-session care instructions.

Finally, a software that makes my business run better!

Love the customer chat in real time. Love the training they provide for new employees no matter when the hire is. They hold our hands throughout the entire boarding process and never let go. I feel as though they care about my business as much as I do. Consistent in every way. Worth every cent. I will never ever leave Boulevard. Partners for life.

Pros

Boulevard is completely intuitive and the software is simple yet detailed in all the right places. I own a hair salon and have been doing hair for 23 years, let me with all honesty say that Boulevard has 100% made my life so much easier. The experience for my clients is second to none, they are all raving about how much better this software is than any of our previous ones. I can not say enough positive things about them! The customer service is absolutely extraordinary and they respond to any of our questions immediately. It has a feel like you are asking a friend to help you, so patient and there was always a familiar quality throughout the entire customer experience for us. We love supporting small businesses however we do not want to be someone's guinea pig...with Boulevard we can completely trust in their expertise and never worry.

Cons

Seriously we love them. The only issue is that we have is we wish we could see what source each stylists clients pay for services for example: who pays cash, check or credit card and how much of each. It only shows sales and does not break it down. Other than that we have nothing negative what so ever to say!

Best POS Software!

Overall the experience has been outstanding. The team is always attentive & responsive. They come up with alternatives & suggestions to help improve your experience! The software is great as it can be easily accessible on multiple devices & internet!

Pros

Boulevard software is very user friendly, easy to use & convenient! It has reduced the duration of front desk trainig. It has also made the managers that are behind the chair, have a very enjoyable experience. I

Cons

Some of the items that seem like they should be easy to customize, are in face a little more. It makes sense when you realize that the interface is for all users and not just your specific location (s).

Welcome to the future or Salon/Spa booking!

Pros

Moving to BLVD has made every aspect of our business streamline and easy. Its so hard to name just a few aspects of what we love about this software because... well... we love it all! BLVD has offered us access to clients ability for easy, smart online booking, the software is very easy to learn and navigate, product inventory management is better than ever, ability to text with clients, touchless check out, protection to staff with client cards saved on file making it easy to enforce our cancellation policy, new features are updated and added to the software frequently which I love. Its clear that BLVD likes to keep ahead of the latest trends. I love that myself and my staff are able to view their schedule from any device and can also schedule appointments remotely. You can also disable features of specific staff which is a blessing as well. They have a help chat box in the corner so that any of my employees can reach out with questions or concerns. The staff is VERY responsive. Another thing that I absolutely love is that this software does NOT crash or experience delays.

Cons

Honestly it is very hard for me to list off what I like least about BLVD as we truly love it. Our only issues have been with some of the detail summary reports being a bit off but we have been working with BLVD to get this issue solved.

Great Software for Salons

One of the best things about Boulevard is customer service. Any time we had questions or issues arise, our problem was dealt with swiftly and resolved. Whether we emailed the rep assigned to us or used the Help Chat or the Support Center, we always felt that our problem was addressed very quickly.

Pros

Boulevard is the 3rd scheduling software we have used in the salon, and is by far the best one. Boulevard is very user-friendly. We have had very few problems with it (business interruption or faulty software or the system going down) like we experienced with the other two programs we used in the past. We love the app the stylists/barbers can get on their phones to se e their schedules, be alerted when a client checks in and see client notes right on their phones.

Cons

The negative about Boulevard is that it doesn’t easily connect with any email marketing programs.

Snappy cloud solution that improves over time

A fun, fast, and growing company that definitely puts its end use at the focus of the product. Nearly a one software fits all type solution.

Pros

I enjoy that the cloud solution quickly sifts through what must be massive amounts of data that my business creates. It leans towards simplicity that my lay staff don't seem to have much issue with.

Cons

I admit the onboarding and going live schedules we're a bit aggressive and lacked true understanding that my data was going to be used properly the first time. Many edits and back and forth work was needed to get things running to the point I personally didn't have to troubleshoot things between my staff and the product support team.