Client Card Template for Salons: What to Write Down

A client card is a one-page record of who a client is, what you did for them last time, and anything that affects their safety or comfort. A good one holds about a dozen fields, takes under a minute to update after a visit, and can be found in seconds. Notebooks, index cards and chat history are quick to write in, but hard to search.

What should a client card include?

A client card should cover four things: who the client is, what you did for them, what they prefer, and what could go wrong. If you only ever write down five things, make them these:

The full client card template

Copy this into a spreadsheet, a notebook page or your booking software. Twelve to fifteen fields is enough; more than that and nobody keeps them up to date.

What should you write down after every visit?

Write three things: what you did, what you would change next time, and when the client should come back. It takes under a minute and turns every visit into context for the next one. "Mid fade, #2 on the sides, scissors on top. Wants the back a little shorter. Rebook in 3 weeks" beats a paragraph of general impressions, because you can act on it.

Do it right after the client leaves, while the details are fresh. Notes written from memory on Sunday night are the ones missing the one detail you needed.

Which details are safety-critical?

Allergies, sensitivities, skin or scalp conditions and the date of the last patch test are safety-critical. They belong at the top of the card, visible before the appointment starts, not buried in a long note. If a detail could hurt the client, it needs to be where you will see it before you pick up a tool.

Collect only what a service actually needs. Under laws such as the EU's GDPR and Brazil's LGPD, health information counts as sensitive personal data, so it should live somewhere with controlled access, not in a shared group chat or a photo of a paper card. This is general information, not legal advice; check the rules where you operate.

Intake form or client card: what is the difference?

An intake (or consultation) form is filled in once, at the first visit, to capture health and preference basics. A client card is the living record you update after every visit. You usually need both: the form starts the card, and the card keeps it current.

Why paper cards and chat history stop working

They break in three places: search, sharing and turnover.

• Search. Finding the client who wanted the copper tone in May means scrolling a chat or flipping through a box of cards.
• Sharing. When two people serve the same client, notes in one person's handwriting or on one person's phone do not help the other.
• Turnover. When a stylist leaves, the records on their phone leave with them and the business keeps nothing. Client records should belong to the business.

A spreadsheet fixes search and ownership, but it is slow to update between appointments and does not build visit history by itself.

How Pronto handles client cards

In Pronto every client has a profile. Visit history builds up on its own as bookings and checkouts happen, and you add notes and tags yourself, such as "allergic to ammonia" or "prefers Maria for color". You can search your clients by name, phone or email in one place and import an existing list from a CSV file (here is how switching works). Client profiles are included in the free plan, which supports up to 100 clients; paid plans remove the limit.

Because the history is already there, it does other work too: win-back messages can reach clients who have stopped coming, and a loyalty program runs on the same client records. If a client has missed appointments before, note it, and let automatic reminders do the chasing.

What to record in different kinds of business

• Hair salons: color formula and timing, previous chemical services, scalp sensitivity, products used.
• Barbershops: guard numbers, fade and beard style, preferred barber, how often they come in.
• Nails and lashes: shape, length, curl and style, product or adhesive sensitivities, fill schedule.
• Spas and estheticians: skin type, products and treatments used, reactions, contraindications, treatment plan.
• Massage: pressure preference, areas to avoid, injuries or limitations the client mentioned.
• Tattoo and piercing studios: placement, design notes, aftercare given, touch-up date. Consent and release forms are a separate matter; follow the rules where you operate.

Mistakes that make client cards useless

• Writing too much. A card nobody reads before the appointment is a card that does not exist.
• Keeping it in your head. It works until the day you are off sick or a colleague takes the client.
• Writing opinions instead of facts. "Difficult" tells you nothing; "prefers no small talk, wants exact time" does. Write notes you would be comfortable with the client reading.
• Never updating it. An outdated allergy note is worse than none.
• Keeping health details in open chats. Put them where access is controlled.