Boulevard Reviews

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.

Alternatives Considered

Booker, Acuity Scheduling, Mindbody, ZENOTI and Phorest

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

The software I inherited was over 10 yrs old on a Windows 7 machine. It was not connected to the internet for management outside the salon and generally the data was not accurate. We needed a cloud based solution and one with built in payments and online booking. I reviewed 6 solutions in depth with demos and by far Boulevard was the best.

Switched From

DaySmart Salon

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

No Legacy software. Built from the ground up for the cloud. Plus built in messenger was huge.

Pros

Boulevard's scheduling function is simple and easy. Its POS is intuitive and is streamlined to make check out quick and easy. It presents stylists with easy to digest reports of their own performance, while also providing in depth reports to management without throwing in useless data. The reports also create little to no confusion as to what is actually being reported.

Cons

Most of my issues with Boulevard are missing functions, however, I understand that the development team is always working on improving the platform. My biggest complain is that the professional app doesn't let management view all reports. The desktop site is also not mobile friendly.

Alternatives Considered

Meevo and Phorest

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Vagaro is a terrible software that functions very poorly and is not very user friendly. Regular discrepancies in transactions and deposit payouts drove me to look into switching.

Switched From

Vagaro

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

Boulevard seemed to have the best bang for its buck. It was the nicest to look at without sacrificing any of the functionality I needed.

Pros

Online booking and clean calendar and client history (including appointments, payments, and services).

Cons

Quickbooks integration is terrible, time consuming and confusing and you have to do it on your own.
Appointment metric reports are sub par.
If you offer inhouse financing, you will not be able to input payment plans into BLVD. You will have to run payments manually each day which is time consuming. Onboarding people will tell you you can manage this via memberships, but this is not accurate because BLVD will take any membership payments as a new sale, so this will mess up your accounting.

Alternatives Considered

Meevo

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

For online booking features, and CRM integration.

Switched From

Mindbody

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

Basically for the ease of online booking, without being aware of the difficulty or impossibility of integrating with Quickbooks effectively.

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.

Alternatives Considered

Meevo

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Booker just became more expensive every time and we had issues with the system crashing often.

Switched From

Booker

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

Cost and the overall look just was more user friendly.

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.

Alternatives Considered

Booker, Vagaro and DaySmart Salon

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Mindbody customer service was awful. I disliked there online booking platform.

Switched From

Mindbody

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

It seemed user friendly and I liked the online booking and smart booking option (which ended up being false information, so yes...i was very bummed to realize that one of the reasons I switched was not a reality)

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.

Alternatives Considered

Meevo

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Booker was purely unreliable. Period. So many issues and downtime.

Switched From

Booker

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

They allowed a trial where I could clearly see it's benefits. Meevo doesn't allow this at all. How can you trust a software company like that?!

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.

Pros

Ease of use. Minimal issues with the platform. Updates often. Significant amount of resources to understand the capabilities of the system, onboard staff and build out the program with the growth of the spa.

Cons

Sometimes confusing when adding more services and products. Regarding to what page to initially build these services and products on. Sometimes a bunch of clicking back and forth.

Alternatives Considered

Jane

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Ability of use. Aesthetic Record was time consuming and difficult for staff to use.

Switched From

Square Point of Sale

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

More functionalities of the system and easier to use.

Pros

The simplicity of Boulevard was my favorite. Everything is pretty self explanatory and you never have to dig to hard to find an answer to something.

Cons

Certain things for our spa could be kind of tidious, that was all to do with our company and not Boulevard though.

Pros

Scheduling is easy, text messages from the software platform, text reminders, helpdesk

Cons

Cost per text and email, Initial set up I didn’t receive all the information that I needed, and some charges and dysfunction were revealed

Pros

We like the ease of use from the Front Desk Associate's perspective, excellent performance metrics, and the outstanding customer service.

Cons

Limited options for selecting our own merchant services provider for credit card processing. We understand additional providers will be made available soon. That said, the credit card processing fees are very competitive already.

Alternatives Considered

Booker, Vagaro, Square Point of Sale, Meevo, Mindbody, ZENOTI, Phorest, talech and DaySmart Salon

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Boulevard software is much more intuitive and easier to use for Customers and Front Desk associates. In addition, they have introduced easy to read reports that capture the essential performance metrics every salon needs in order to manage for profit. They continue to make reports even better.

Switched From

Meevo

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

We have actually used several different products to manage our hair salon business since 2005. These included Intuit POS 9, Booker and Meevo 2. In addition to these, we did a comprehensive trade study of many different Salon Management software products against our criteria which emphasized ease of use by Customers and Front Desk, easy to read / useful reports and excellent customer support. Boulevard was the winner of this trade study. They deliver what they promise and have been introducing new functionality seamlessly over the last year.

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!

Alternatives Considered

Square Payments

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

instability, unreliability, lack of necessary functionality

Switched From

Booker and ZENOTI

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

group booking features, tip splitting among several service providers, excellent interface

Pros

The ease of using for our team. The intuitiveness of it, which results in less time having to train new employees. Allows for a better operational flow within the business.

Cons

Waiver forms to be utilized to be tied into the system. Example, Joe comes in, fills out a waiver, and all his information auto populates into his profile. Also, if there was an app or something for easier signing up for appointments for clients.

Alternatives Considered

Mindbody

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

They were not customizable to our needs.

Switched From

Booker

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

There were a few details we preferred. Also, the personal touches boulevard had and not the “big corporate” feel of it all with the other company.

Pros

I like how customizable everything is. With running a medical spa & a facial bar we have a lot of specific times / treatments. It’s so easy to create and edit everything! I also love that there is a place to submit requests for changes and new ideas!

Cons

The only thing I wish I could change is to make the appointment service modifiers assignable to employees! This is such a specific, weird request and it's in no way affecting how we operate on a day to day basis so I don't really care that much!

Pros

Easy to use platform that has most of the features we need to operate our business. The UX is very well designed. Reporting (beta) is super helpful and easy to understand. Incredible client support starting with the initial demos and sandbox followed by the flawless integration and absolutely the ongoing support of [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN], who is so incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Our company feels incredibly supported by the BLVD team.

Cons

I think we will always have some suggestions for the BLVD team because our infrared sauna business is a bit different from the salon businesses that the company has focused on.

Alternatives Considered

Mindbody

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

Booker was a complete dumpster fire of issues. Often experienced critical issues that were more than bug fixes. Terrible support, really non-existent and often confrontational by them. Features were lacking, horrible UX.

Switched From

Booker

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

Much better product and we were impressed with the idea of having a dedicated support person after integration.

Pros

We love all the advanced technology, features and ease of use.

Cons

At first we had issues with tech support but now things are much better.

Alternatives Considered

Booker

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

We had the legacy STX product and it was very outdated.

Switched From

Inspire

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

The technology

Pros

Boulevard is intuitive, myself and our staff picked it up quickly. The reporting is much more detailed and customizable than what we had worked with before.

Cons

Transitioning was slow and a bit tough at first, but all data was eventually added and correct.

Alternatives Considered

Mindbody

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

The previous product was stuck in its ways and getting behind in this digital age.

Switched From

Booker

Pros

The custom reporting allowed me to effectively look at areas we needed to improve tailored to our salon’s needs!

Cons

Not a con but would love more options for text marketing through the software.

Pros

I love that it is so easy to look up information and also add and customize for our business. Tech support is always there to help and notify's us if there is any changes due to holidays ahead of time!

Cons

I wish that I could customize the differences while making the schedule, i.e every other monday instead of first and third, etc.

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.

Alternatives Considered

Forest Admin, Booker and Vagaro

Reasons for Switching to Boulevard

It seemed like the most streamlined option and best fit for my salon.

Pros

We switched to Boulevard for our salon & spa scheduling and POS for a number of reasons, but the primary factor was the ability to have convenient online booking. Boulevard's online booking system is simple to use as both a customer and an administrator, and their customer interface is simple and modern. Additionally, they have phenomenal customer support and offer online trainings. The ability to text with clients in the software is a huge bonus as well!

Cons

Having come from a software with great reporting, Boulevard sometimes lacks the specific reports on product sales, services performed, etc. that we would like. However, we've been able to find workarounds or manually create most of the additional reports we need. We think that Boulevard is completely worth the cost, but if you are on a tight budget, do keep in mind that they are in the middle to top of the price range. You may also want to price out specific features - for example, Boulevard's in-house email client is much more expensive than many standalone emailing programs.

Alternatives Considered

Meevo

Pros

Boulevard is convenient and reliable, making the booking process a breeze. Mu clients always say how easy and user friendly it is. The customer support is also exceptional!

Cons

I like everything about Boulevard. I have no complaints.

Alternatives Considered

Mindbody

Reasons for Choosing Boulevard

You were not able to book an appointment with multiple stylists at once and they did not offer text reminders.

Pros

The ease of use, and how easy it is to learn things. We have very stubborn stylists who are resistant to change, and they all seem to be doing really well with the transition. Any hiccups that happen are always easily fixed!

Cons

Nothing seems to be very difficult to understand so far. I would, however, prefer to be able to customize parts of the checkout window. For example: being able to turn off the gratuity-only sale, or prompting the user to type in a client name from a new sale on the Sales tab. We have some stylists who strictly checkout on the sales tab and forget to add client names because it's not very noticeable. It might also be helpful to be able to assign clients to a 'regular/preferred stylist' so that maybe it could auto-populate that name as the sales rep, if they were to just walk in and buy product. But overall, love everything!

Pros

One of the aspects I liked most about Boulevard was its comprehensive suite of salon management tools. From appointment scheduling to client management and POS functionality, Boulevard provided an all-in-one solution for running a salon business efficiently. The user-friendly interface and intuitive design made it easy to navigate and utilize the various features.

Cons

One aspect that I found less favorable about Boulevard was the pricing structure, which might be prohibitive for small or independent salons. While the platform offers robust features, the cost could be a barrier for businesses operating on a tight budget. Providing more flexible pricing options or scaled-down packages could make it more accessible to a wider range of salon owners.

Pros

This has been the best booking system/P.O.S. that I have used industry-wide. Features are highly customizable and only getting better. The interface is more intuitive than others and easier on the eyes. Client-tracking is useful and loyalty program is very exciting.

Cons

The app isn’t as developed as the website— I wish we could check clients out on the phone app and that the message center was available through the app. Certain functions are only available on the web browser which can be clunky.