Whether customers are coming to your salon for a relaxing facial, or a toe-curling hair removal session, it’s safe to say they have put their trust in you and your business. With that in mind, you need to be aware that your salon presents as a safe place, where only good things happen. So there are certain things customers should never see.
Mess
Cleaning the salon isn’t a once-a-day job. In fact, ensuring the space – from the front desk to the treatment rooms – are spotless is the all-day responsibility of every staff member. Ensure that every therapist cleans the treatment room down after every appointment – used wax strips, towels, even spots of talc, should be removed. Ensure that any water glasses are removed from waiting areas, and that surfaces re clean and free of dust.
“Your salon says exactly who you are and what type of establishment you are operating,” says Jeff Grissler, author of The Salon Building Bible. “It’s better to manage your salon with a bit of OCD, than one who is lax with keeping the salon tidy. People notice things, some more than others but for the ones that do they will feel good that when they know they come to your salon. The last thing you want is your customers feeling they have to go home, take a shower, throw their clothes in the wash after a visit in your salon.”
Tension
As with any workplace, some colleagues may not get on. It’s human nature and it happens. That said, this drama and conflict must not be witnessed by customers. If staff members can’t work around their differences, consider placing them on different shifts, or have a sit-down chat with a mediator present. People come to your salon to switch off, not to find themselves among someone else’s dramas.
An employee being berated
Employees should never be spoken to in a disrespectful manner in the first place, let alone in front of customers. The way you treat and speak to your staff speaks volumes about the way in which you run your business, and customers will notice. If you do need to speak to a staff member about their performance, do it in private, in a respectful manner.
Unsatisfied fellow customers
We’re a society that values a review, and the most glaringly obvious of those is witnessing an unhappy customer in the very place we’re planning on spending our money. Always treat your customers with respect and if you do find yourself in a position with an unhappy customer, move the conversation to a private space to work it out.
An exhausted therapist
Working in a salon is hard work. The hours can be long, and most shifts are spent standing up. That said, being greeted and treated by an exhausted employee isn’t a good look to a customer. “A tired and burned out therapist will not be able to give his or her best, and understandably so,” says Sonal Uberoi, founder of Spa Balance Consulting. “The irony of it is that we promote wellbeing, we preach work-life balance, but we don’t practice what we preach in our own business!”
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