A feel-good experience at the beauty salon meets digital efficiency

A nail salon was facing digital challenges: unstable Internet, an outdated card reader and missed appointments because the phone line was too busy. With SME Ready Connect & Pay from Sunrise Business, the team is now embracing an integrated solution offering secure surfing, efficient appointment management and contactless payments. The result is less stress, lower fixed costs and satisfied customers.

Customer

The Nail & Glow* nail salon is a small beauty salon with four employees. The team offers manicures, pedicures and nail art – with top-quality service and lots of regular customers. Cashless payments are part of everyday life, as are requests for appointments at the last minute and enquiries over the phone.

Initial situation

Before switching to the Connect & Pay bundle, Nail & Glow was using separate solutions for Internet, phone calls and its card terminal. This led to bottlenecks: if calls were received at the same time, appointment requests were lost; the Wi-Fi was weak in the storeroom, where consumable stock is kept and reordered on a tablet; the old payment terminal needed to be replaced – entailing high acquisition costs from the previous provider. In addition, high, non-transparent transaction fees were putting pressure on the profit margin. So it was important to think about switching from the previous technology.

The salon owner lacked the time and IT expertise to get a feeling for the wide range of individual solutions on offer: instead of obtaining multiple quotes and working through various websites, what the owner wanted was a reliable complete solution that would work without any technical complexity and would include the right components.

Why SME Ready Connect & Pay from Sunrise Business?

Sunrise Business offers three carefree packages , suitable for beauty salons and health service providers, hotels and restaurants, and shops wanting to modernise their digital infrastructure with minimal effort, simplify processes and optimise costs at the same time. All packages are ready for immediate use, cost-optimised and come with local support in all national languages.

In addition to the basic S package with Internet, cybersecurity and a Nexi card reader for contactless payment, the M package also includes multi-line calls with up to five parallel lines and a Wi-Fi booster for comprehensive Internet coverage. The L package also offers Business TV Public for legally compliant TV service – perfect for public viewing and digital customer information.

Nexi’s integrated card terminal is provided on a leased basis and offers a future-proof alternative, especially in view of the imminent end-of-life phase of old card terminals. Technologically up to date – thanks, in part, to automatic software updates, it offers customers a contemporary payment experience with transparent and attractive transaction fees (0.95% debit/1.75% credit) – without any acquisition or rental costs. For the salon, this option is financially predictable, technically future-proof and ready for immediate use.

Solution and implementation

Two providers, one package and clear processes instead of an endless hunt for quotes. For the Nail & Glow nail studio, it was crucial for both the Internet and the payment solution to be coordinated – including simple installation and personal support, without requiring any special IT knowledge. SME Ready Connect & Pay combines the essential components into one practical solution.

To meet Nail & Glow’s challenges sustainably, Sunrise Business implemented the M version of the Connect & Pay package . This combines Internet with calls and a modern payment solution in an easy-to-manage solution consisting of:

• Nexi card reader – contactless and future-proof: Automatic software updates and full support for all contactless payment options with very attractive transaction fees (0.95% debit/1.75% credit).

• Fast Internet including Wi-Fi booster: Comprehensive Wi-Fi from reception to storeroom with integrated cybersecurity for sensitive data.

• Business calls: Up to five dedicated phone lines to avoid missing any calls – ideal for scheduling, callbacks and coordination with suppliers.

After an initial phone consultation, Sunrise Business worked with the salon owner to analyse the daily operating requirements and plan the entire migration process. Sunrise coordinated the integration of the communications technology; as is customary in the industry, the payment system is set up under a separate contract with Nexi but integrated seamlessly from a technical perspective.

Both solution partners coordinated the switch seamlessly, optimised the Wi-Fi with a Wi-Fi booster, set up the phone system with multiple virtual lines and delivered the payment terminal preconfigured. The terminal was onboarded within 15 days and the Internet was activated at the same time. A quick briefing – and the solution was ready to go.

Result

By introducing Connect & Pay M, the owner of Nail & Glow has elevated her digital infrastructure to a whole new level – and this is felt clearly every single day. The solution ensures smooth processes, greater planning reliability and a contemporary experience for customers.

And it is twice as attractive financially. The leasing model eliminated the high costs of acquiring a new card reader, the attractive transaction fees have a positive impact on profit, and the Internet plan is also significantly cheaper than it used to be with the previous provider, reducing the monthly fixed costs overall.

• Stress-free appointment management – Thanks to parallel lines, calls do not get stuck in a queue.

• Stable Wi-Fi right through to the storeroom – Take stock and reorder directly via a tablet.

• Fast, contactless payments – All payment options are available.

• Costs under control – No acquisition of a terminal necessary; the Internet bundle is cheaper than before; low transaction fees protect the profit margin.

• Always work securely – Data and internal information are protected; personal support in all national languages is very much appreciated.

The benefits for beauty and healthcare providers at a glance

1. Secure, fast payments with minimal transaction fees (0.95% debit/1.75% credit) – with the preconfigured Nexi card reader for all common payment options

2. Fast Internet for salons – stable, comprehensive Wi-Fi coverage right through to the storeroom

3. Business calls with no bottlenecks – for booking appointments with customers and communicating with suppliers

4. In-person support in all national languages (German, French, Italian)

5. Modular expandability – e.g., with upgrades to additional terminals or TV Public

6. Cost-effective – attractive monthly rates and transaction fees, with no high acquisition costs

7. Ready to use immediately – quick installation, preconfigured functions, easy to use

8. Future-proof infrastructure – thanks to the latest technology and automatic updates

* The example of the Nail & Glow nail studio has been anonymised but is based on a real customer case. The experiences and solutions outlined have been tried and tested in practice – and are very relevant to many SMEs.