Fresha launches AI Concierge globally to help beauty and wellness businesses answer calls, take bookings, manage messages and process payments
AI is starting to answer the phones, take bookings and process payments for real-world service businesses.
Fresha, the world’s leading AI-powered booking platform for beauty and wellness, has launched AI Concierge, a new assistant that can handle calls, messages, appointments, payments and reschedules for salons, spas, clinics, barbers and wellness businesses.
The launch is designed to solve one of the most common problems in beauty and wellness: customers are ready to book, but nobody is free to answer.
A client may call for a last-minute haircut, send a message asking about availability, or try to move an appointment. But inside the salon or clinic, staff may be cutting hair, preparing a treatment room, checking in a client or taking payment from someone already in front of them.
For businesses, those missed calls and delayed replies can mean lost bookings. For clients, they can mean frustration, slower service and missed appointments.
AI Concierge works as a digital front desk. It can answer phone calls and messages, respond to service questions, recommend treatments, book appointments, take payments and manage reschedules using live information from within Fresha.
That includes services, prices, staff availability, booking rules, client preferences and appointment history.
The assistant can manage multiple conversations at once across calls and chat, helping businesses respond during busy periods, after closing or when front desk teams are already dealing with clients.
Each AI Concierge is assigned a unique phone number, and businesses can tailor its tone of voice, communication style and accent so the experience feels aligned with their brand.
For more complex enquiries, calls can still be transferred to staff. Missed interactions are also captured as detailed messages, giving businesses a better chance of following up before the booking is lost.
William Zeqiri, founder and CEO of Fresha, said: “Anyone who has tried to book a last-minute haircut, facial or massage knows how frustrating it can be when the phone keeps ringing and nobody is free to answer. At the same time, salons and clinics are often doing their best to serve the client in front of them while managing calls, messages, payments and appointments at once.
“AI Concierge is designed to take that pressure off both sides. It helps clients get faster answers and easier bookings, while giving beauty and wellness businesses a smarter way to manage the conversations that matter most.”
The launch comes as salons, spas and clinics face growing pressure to respond quickly across more channels than ever.
Client enquiries now arrive through phone calls, Instagram DMs, WhatsApp messages, emails and booking notes. At the same time, internal staff updates often sit across personal phones, group chats and separate workplace tools.
That creates a fragmented way of working, especially for busy teams trying to manage appointments, payments, walk-ins, treatment rooms and client care at the same time.
Fresha Connect is designed to bring those conversations into one system.
The platform includes Team Connect, which brings internal communication into Fresha through direct messages, group chats and dedicated channels organised by location, team, function or workflow.
It also includes Client Connect, which brings client messages, booking history, preferences and notes into one workspace, giving teams a clearer view of each customer interaction.
Dani Alexander Lopez, head of product at Fresha, said: “Beauty and wellness teams are constantly moving. They are welcoming clients, preparing treatment rooms, taking payments, checking diaries and trying to keep up with messages at the same time. The way they communicate needs to work around that reality.
“With Fresha Connect, we wanted to bring client conversations and team communication into the same place as the booking itself. That means fewer missed messages, clearer handovers and a smoother experience for clients from the moment they make an enquiry.”
The launch also reflects a wider change in how people expect to book services.
Consumers are used to booking, paying and managing services instantly across food delivery, travel, transport and retail. Beauty and wellness is moving in the same direction, but many businesses still rely heavily on front desk teams, phone calls and scattered messages to manage demand.
For clients, the difference is simple: booking an appointment should not depend on whether someone can physically reach the phone.
James Hayward-Browne, Head of Brand & Content at Fresha, said: “The best beauty experiences do not start when someone sits in the salon chair. They start the moment a client tries to book, asks a question or needs to change an appointment.
“Fresha Connect and AI Concierge are about making that experience feel easier, faster and more connected. Whether someone is booking after work, calling during a busy Saturday or rearranging at the last minute, businesses can now offer a level of responsiveness that feels much closer to how people expect modern services to work.”
Fresha says early pilots have already shown commercial impact, with partners seeing increases in booking conversion, additional revenue captured from previously missed enquiries and reductions in no-show rates through improved booking commitment.
For salons, spas and clinics, the launch means the front desk no longer has to depend entirely on whether someone is free to answer the phone in the moment.
William Zeqiri added: “For too long, beauty and wellness businesses have had to juggle calls, messages, bookings and team updates across too many different places. That can be frustrating for staff and for clients.
“By bringing AI Concierge, Client Connect and Team Connect together inside Fresha, we are helping businesses create a front desk that is always more available, more organised and better connected to the client experience.”
Fresha Connect and AI Concierge are rolling out globally, with AI Concierge set to be introduced in additional languages over time.
