How mobile hairstylists can run house calls with Miali

Mobile stylists do more than hair. You're also a logistics expert, a travelling salon, and an independent business owner.

When your "salon" is wherever your client is, you need a system that's as flexible as you are. This guide shows how to use Miali to run a mobile business, from setting up your services to planning a day of house calls.

A booking page that travels with you

Your client shouldn't have to call or message you while you're driving.

• Booking link on WhatsApp: Most mobile stylists use WhatsApp as their main channel. Put your Miali link in your WhatsApp Status and business profile.
• Professional without a salon: Your booking page works like a digital suite. It shows your services, prices, photos, reviews, and live availability, so clients trust you before you knock on their door.
• No app for your clients: The page opens in any browser. Clients pick a service and a time without creating an account.

Setting up home-visit services

This is the part most mobile stylists rush, and it's the part that saves the most headaches later.

1. Add a travel fee to each home-visit service. It's set per service, so a quick trim and a five-hour install can carry different fees if you want. The fee shows up front, so there's no awkward "and there's a travel charge" message later.
2. List the towns or areas you serve. Clients see them before they book, so you don't get bookings from the other side of the country.
3. Pad your durations. Include a 15 to 30 minute buffer for packing up, driving, and setting up at the next location. If a sew-in takes three hours in the chair, list it as three and a half.
4. Set hours you can actually keep. Your hours are when you're willing to be at a client's door, not when you're free to answer messages.

Not sure what to charge? Our guide to pricing mobile beauty services walks you through it.

Protecting your time and fuel on the road

Travel time and cost are the hardest parts of being mobile. A no-show hurts more when you've already spent the fuel and the time.

• Automatic WhatsApp reminders: The first goes out 24 hours before by default (you can set anywhere from 1 to 72 hours), and Miali sends one more 2 hours before the appointment.
• Deposits for long services: Ask for a fixed amount or a percentage upfront. Clients pay you directly by M-Pesa, Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, Revolut, PayPal, or bank transfer, enter the payment reference, and the booking stays pending until you confirm it.
• "Running late" messages: Traffic happens. Send a running-late WhatsApp message from your dashboard so your client isn't left wondering.

A worked example: is the travel fee covering you?

Say you charge $90 for a silk press at the client's home, plus a $15 travel fee. The round trip is 40 minutes, and fuel and parking cost about $8.

• Service plus travel: $90 + $15 = $105.
• Minus travel costs: $105 minus $8 = $97.
• Time spent: 90 minutes of work plus 40 minutes of driving = 130 minutes.

That's about $45 an hour (97 ÷ 130 × 60 ≈ 44.8) before products. Without the travel fee: $90 minus $8 = $82 over 130 minutes, about $38 an hour. That $15 fee is worth about $7 an hour to you on every home visit.

If the client doesn't show, you lose the $8, the 40 minutes, and the slot. That's why the deposit matters more for mobile work than for anyone else.

Using client notes on home visits

When you're in a client's home, personal service is what sets you apart.

• Client notes: Save notes on a client's profile, such as "gate code is at the back" or "prefers no music." Read them before you arrive.
• Formulas and allergies: Save colour formulas, product mixes, and allergies so you can repeat the result safely next time.
• Appointment history: See what they've booked before, so you can suggest the right maintenance service on your next visit.
• Due for a rebook: Miali flags clients who are due back and nudges you about clients who have gone quiet, and you can send them a rebook message on WhatsApp in one tap, before they find someone closer.

Planning a day of house calls

A good mobile day is planned the night before:

1. Check tomorrow's bookings in your dashboard and the daily summary.
2. Read each client's notes. Address details, parking, allergies, what they had last time.
3. Pack by appointment, not by habit. Check you have the right hair, colour, and tools for each booking.
4. Leave gaps you can use. If two clients are on opposite sides of town, the padded duration is what stops you being late to the second one.
5. Send an "on my way" message from your own WhatsApp when you leave.

Pro tips for travelling stylists

1. Show the travel fee on every home-visit service. It keeps your costs clear and easy for clients to understand.
2. Share your link everywhere. Business cards, Instagram bio, WhatsApp Status. The share kit in your dashboard has a QR code for your booking page that you can print.
3. Add a personal touch. Miali's reminders handle the day before, but for long trips a quick "on my way" WhatsApp message 30 minutes before you arrive is appreciated.
4. Post your open slots. A weekly Status with your free times fills gaps fast.

Common mobile stylist mistakes

• Hiding the travel fee. Clients forgive a fee they saw upfront. They don't forgive one they hear about at the door.
• Listing durations with no travel time. You'll be late all day, and it'll feel like your fault.
• Skipping deposits because "they're regulars." Regulars cancel too, and you've still spent the fuel.
• Keeping client details in your head. One busy month and you'll forget the gate code or the allergy.

FAQ

Can I charge a travel fee in Miali? Yes. Add a travel fee to a service. Each home-visit service can have its own fee.

Can I set a maximum travel distance? Instead of a distance, you list the towns or areas you serve. Clients see them on your booking page before they book. Many mobile stylists put the same list in their Instagram bio and WhatsApp Business profile, and use the travel fee to cover longer trips.

Do I need a paid plan? The free plan covers 10 online bookings and 10 reminded appointments a month. Pro is $4 a month for unlimited bookings and 100 reminded appointments. See pricing.

Can clients book more than one service at once? Yes. A client can add several services to one booking, for example a wash, a silk press, and a trim.

Read more about how Miali works for mobile stylists.

Key takeaways

• Put a travel fee on each home-visit service and list the areas you cover.
• Pad durations for packing, driving, and setting up.
• Use deposits and WhatsApp reminders: no-shows cost mobile stylists fuel as well as time.
• Read client notes before every visit and plan the day the night before.