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"We didn’t publish a phone number for almost two years… it was impossible for us to take calls and service our clients.”
About the Business
Allester Thomas is the owner-operator of Loc'd And Braided with his wife Felisha Thomas, a natural hair salon in Brooklyn specializing in locs and braids, with services spanning natural hair maintenance, blowouts, and coloring. The business has been operating officially for four years, but the team’s experience runs much deeper: the salon’s stylists bring 10+ years of experience each, and Allester’s broader team has spent two decades in the hair care industry.
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Locked & Braided is built around one simple idea: client experience comes first. That philosophy fuels a referral-driven business where relationships matter—and where the phone can make or break growth.
The Challenge
A busy salon is a constant flow: greeting clients, consultations, washing, styling, finishing, then immediately moving to the next appointment. Loc'd And Braided is appointment-based and often fully booked, which means the staff is rarely able to step away—especially not to handle phone calls.
“We’re almost always fully booked… so answering the phone is almost impossible for us.”
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The problem wasn’t just “missed calls.” It was the compounding cost:
- Interrupted service when someone tries to answer mid-appointment
- Lost opportunities when prospects need answers now and move on
- Stress and anxiety from a constant stream of notifications
- End-of-day overload trying to call everyone back after hours
At one point, the situation became so extreme the salon stopped publishing a phone number entirely.
Before Beside, Allester estimates they were missing 30 to 40 calls per day, turning the phone from a growth channel into a daily liability.
Sometimes those missed calls weren’t small. Allester recalls losing a serious opportunity—work for a movie set—simply because no one could pick up and route the request.
“On average thirty to forty missed calls every single day… there’s always missed opportunities.”
The Switch
Allester discovered Beside through an ad, tested it quickly, and felt the difference immediately. Setup was straightforward: basic business information, hours, and a crucial step—pointing Beside to the website so it could learn services, positioning, and policies.
"It was really easy to set up… I was able to point the website to it… and when I did the first test call myself, I was blown away.”
Allester also brought an unusual perspective, with years of experience working around AI and automation. That background set a high bar and made the impact of Beside immediately clear once it was live. Seeing how reliably the platform performed reinforced confidence in the solution. As a result, Loc'd And Braided felt comfortable doing something they hadn’t done in a long time: making their phone number public again. With Beside handling incoming calls, the team regained confidence in being reachable without worrying about missed opportunities.
The Transformation and Impact
Today, the salon operates with a simple mental shift: stop worrying about the phone.
“Since we started using Beside, I almost never answer my phone… I don’t ever think about the phone so much.”
Instead of constant interruptions, Beside handles the front line—answering questions, capturing intent, and creating clean summaries that can be shared with the team. Incoming calls no longer disrupt the flow of the day, and important information is never lost.
Two details matter here:
1. Summaries as operational memory
Beside doesn’t just log calls. It creates structured, usable records that function like meeting minutes, complete with context and next steps. This allows the salon to follow up accurately, coordinate internally, and avoid relying on fragmented notes or memory.
2. Daily recap to remove anxiety
At the end of each day, Beside provides a clear recap of what happened and what still needs attention. This removes the uncertainty around missed calls and replaces it with clarity, visibility, and peace of mind.
“At the end of the day it gives us a summary… it took away a lot of the anxiety.”
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As a result, the salon saves an estimated at least two hours per day—time that goes back into clients, team coordination, and running the business more efficiently.
How a day feels now
A client runs late. Instead of the front desk scrambling—or the message going unnoticed—Beside captures the information immediately and notifies the team in real time, ensuring the situation is handled without disruption.
A prospective client may call with questions about services, specialties, or availability. Beside responds confidently using the salon’s own knowledge base and website context, then produces a clear summary that can be routed to the appropriate stylist without interrupting scheduled appointments.
Because the voice experience is carefully trained, many callers don’t even realize they are speaking to an AI. Conversations feel natural and seamless, allowing interactions to flow just as they would with a human team member.
What this changed
- No more missed-call paralysis — the salon can publish a number without fear.
- Higher availability — clients can reach the business at any time and still feel taken care of.
- Better follow-up accuracy — summaries capture the details that matter, so the team can respond precisely.
- More bookings + stronger retention — fewer leads leak out when the salon is busy.
- Less mental load — daily recaps eliminate end-of-day chaos.
“We definitely have had an increase in booking and client retention.”
Working on the Business, not only in it
Loc'd And Braided doesn’t operate like a typical salon. The business is relationship-driven, built largely on referrals, and increasingly global, with clients traveling from across the U.S. and abroad to book appointments.
That level of demand is a positive challenge—but only if every opportunity can be captured reliably. Beside ensures the front door stays dependable, even when stylists are fully booked and schedules are tight. No inquiry is missed, and every potential client is handled with consistency.
Equally important, it supports what matters most to the team: delivering an experience where clients feel genuinely prioritized rather than rushed. From the very first interaction, the tone is intentional, personal, and aligned with the high-touch service the salon is known for.
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Personalizing Beside for a Salon Workflow
Allester uses Beside like a real receptionist, tuned for speed and service:
- Website knowledge — pointing Beside to the site so it answers consistently
- Knowledge base updates — hours, specials, high-volume periods, policy changes
- Voice training — making the experience feel familiar and human
- Summaries + recaps — treating them as the salon’s operational notes
“If we have to change the store hours… we just input that information… and then it’s like magic.”
The Human Story
Loc'd And Braided exists to deliver a different standard of care: to make clients feel seen, listened to, and confident. But when a business is always hands-on, the phone can quietly steal that quality—through interruptions, stress, and missed opportunities.
Beside doesn’t replace the salon’s personal touch. It protects it. It makes sure every conversation starts with Loc'd And Braided—even when the team is mid-service.
"It really took away a lot of the anxiety...it's like having an extra person."
At a Glance
- Business: Loc’d And Braided — natural hair salon (locs, braids, natural hair services)
- Team: 8 stylists (including Allester and Felisha)
- Before Beside: ~30–40 missed calls/day; phone number not published for ~2 years
- Setup: Website knowledge + business info + updates + voice training + summaries/recaps
- Impact: More bookings, higher retention, faster follow-up, less stress, ~2 hours/day saved
- Next: Expansion planning + multi-location routing / shared inbox workflows