Will it work with Vagaro, Boulevard, or Fresha?
There is no native one-click integration today, and we will not claim
otherwise. Alma connects to those systems through Zapier or, on the
Agency plan and up, a standard webhook. The bot records the booking request (service, stylist,
deposit agreement, contact), and your booking system still holds the
actual appointment. Most owners send the lead to the front desk first,
where staff enter it into Vagaro, Boulevard, or Fresha by hand. Others
send it to a Zap that creates the appointment for them.
Can it take deposits?
Alma does not process payments itself. Instead, it records the
client's agreement to the deposit in the conversation ("I understand a
$50 deposit holds the chair") and directs them to a payment link. This
is usually a Stripe Checkout link sent by a Zap, or an email from the
front desk with the link. The bot handles the conversation, and Stripe
handles the card payment. We keep these separate on purpose, because
payment processing is heavily regulated and Alma does not try to take
that on.
How does it handle stylist-specific waitlists?
The bot can ask which stylist the client wants, show the available
times you have set up (for example, "Andrea has Tuesday 2pm or
Thursday morning"), and record the request when nothing fits. The
waitlist template (hospitality/waitlist.json) is built
around that flow: name, stylist, service, preferred days, and
flexibility. The lead is emailed to your front desk so staff can
contact the client when an opening comes up.
Which pages does the widget show up on, and does it work on phones?
You decide. Most salons show the widget across the whole site, so it is
there whether a client arrives on the homepage, a service menu, or a
stylist bio. You can also limit it to a few pages, such as only the
booking page and the pricing page. On a phone the chat opens full
screen instead of in a small corner window, which matters because most
salon visitors use phones. The snippet is one line of JavaScript that
loads after your page content, so your pages load as fast as they do now.
What about no-shows?
There are two ways to reduce them. First, set a deposit requirement for
services with frequent no-shows (long color, balayage, injectables).
The bot records the client's agreement to the deposit and directs them
to your payment link. Second, connect CampaignCNX+ texting to the flow
so a reminder text is sent the morning of the appointment. Together,
the deposit and the reminder text reduce no-shows without you having to
follow up with each client.
Can each stylist have their own bot?
Yes, within the bot limit of your tier. Starter includes 1 active bot,
Growth includes 5 bots ($79/mo, the popular tier), and Agency includes
20 bots ($199/mo). A 4-chair salon usually runs one bot for the whole
salon and asks about the stylist inside the conversation. A
multi-location group runs one bot per location. The Agency tier
includes sub-account workspaces (separate account areas), which our
team turns on when the account is set up, for multi-location owners
who want separate data and logins for each location.
Can I remove the Alma branding from the widget?
Not on any plan today. The widget shows a small "Powered by Alma"
line. You can set the bot's name, welcome message, colors and
position so the chat matches your salon's brand. Contact us about
removing Alma branding.
What's the typical setup time?
Setup takes under 30 minutes from sign-up to the first inquiry, using
the templates built into the library. Most of that time goes to typing
your service menu into the question node and listing your stylists,
which Alma cannot do for you. Pasting the widget on a Squarespace, Wix,
or WordPress site takes one line of code. If setup takes you more than
an hour, please email us, because the problem would be with the
template rather than with you.
