Business phone system for beauty salons in Illinois

The beauty salon industry in Illinois

Illinois had 3,346 beauty salons in 2023, according to Census County Business Patterns (NAICS 812112, Beauty Salons). They employed 16,713 people in mid-March and reported $541.7 million in annual payroll. That is the 7th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Beauty salons make up 1.0% of the 322,415 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Illinois has 26.3 beauty salons, 6.4% above the national rate of 24.7. The average establishment has 5.0 employees against 4.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $32,413, 2.2% above the U.S. figure of $31,717.

Illinois's largest markets for beauty salons

Census published beauty salon counts for 32 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Illinois. The largest is Chicago, IL-IN, with 2,935 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 13% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at beauty salons in Illinois

69.6% of Illinois's beauty salons with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 68.7% nationally. 86.2% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

Calls a beauty salon in Illinois has to catch

Salons book appointments by phone and text, and stylists are usually with a client when the phone rings. Missed calls are often missed bookings.

A few of the calls that come in to beauty salons in Illinois:

• A bride calls about wedding-party styling.
• The salon calls a client to fill a cancellation.
• A client calls to book a cut and color.

What beauty salons text about

Salons text appointment reminders and confirmations.

Texting from a local number in Illinois requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for beauty salons in Illinois

Beauty salons in Illinois average 5.0 employees, so the comparison uses a 5-person team. Priced per seat, 5 users would run $150.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $124.75 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $99.00 a month for 5 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $612 less than RingCentral for a beauty salon in Illinois of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Illinois

Illinois has 17 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a beauty salon can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for beauty salons in Illinois

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Illinois is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.