We have to question could there be further lock downs in future? Will salons have restrictions on the length of appointments, number of visitors, and how close you can be to clients? Will salons be required to know more about client and staff health before they enter the salon? Will salons be allowed walk-ins again?
These are the questions business owners need to be thinking about and preparing for. This time is giving us all the chance to revisit how we operate, and presents us with the challenge and opportunity to be more innovative and do things better than before.
We’ve put together the three ways that salon life will be better after COVID-19, and how business owners can make the most of it and can hit the ground running when the doors re-open.
1. DEMAND FOR YOUR SERVICES WILL BE THROUGH THE ROOF
Let’s face it, once lockdown is over the first thing most people will be doing is booking appointments for their much needed services; I know I will be! And to be honest, I would pay a premium to have them, and I’m not the only one.
During lockdown you can rest assured that your clients’ appreciation for what you offer has increased, which means so has your value! There will be clients willing to pay the price you deserve for their treatments, so now could be the time to think about your pricing strategy post COVID-19.
Tips for managing the high demand:
- Consider offering packages in the first few weeks after you’ve re-opened for things like a facial, eyes and brows and waxing. Using online booking and payments, you can ask for 100% upfront payment (or a % you’re comfortable with) to get some money coming in straight away.
- Consider charging a premium rate for your services in
the first few weeks of re-opening to make the most of the high demand. - Review your price list; it’s a good time to ensure you’re making the right margins on your treatments and services.
2. CLIENT AND STAFF SAFETY WILL BE EVERYTHING
It’s crucial that business owners and managers have client
and staff safety and wellbeing top of mind when they re-open
their salons. There will most likely be government enforced restrictions in place for various periods of time across many industries, so it will be important to be flexible and prepared to meet these requirements.
Keep your client records up to date
In some countries, contact tracing requirements have meant that businesses need to keep a record of all client contact details for
a certain period of time. Post lockdown you can expect this to continue, and businesses will need procedures in place to manage this. Using a good client management system will be key here, and keeping client records up to date will be crucial.
Limit the time clients are allowed to congregate
Salons that accept or rely heavily on walk in clientele will need to rethink their booking strategy. Allowing people to congregate in close proximity while waiting for appointments might not be acceptable anymore because of increased health risks, so using online booking tools to manage the volume of clients in your salon at any time and ensuring you are meeting the requirements for contact tracing is the smart way forward.
Communicate your health and safety policies
Pre COVID-19 we were all guilty of coming to work when we weren’t feeling 100%, or attended an appointment with a bit of a cold. No harm done, right? Wrong. We were putting others at risk, and I expect harder lines will be taken on this in the future.
Any sign of illness and you’ll need to stay away, and it’s worth communicating this to your clients once your business is back up and running.
Run consultations online before your appointments
A good tool to use to protect your business is Consult
by Timely; a free iOS app that allows you to create customisable digital forms and send them to your clients online. Using Consult, you’ll not only save your clients time and improve safety (because they won’t need to sit in the salon completing forms before every appointment), but it allows you to ask key health questions to ensure they’re not ill and putting anyone at risk.
3. AUTOMATING YOUR PROCESSES WILL BE VITAL TO SUCCESS
The salons that thrive post COVID-19 will be the ones open to innovating in this new environment and are quick
to adapt their operations to manage their businesses more efficiently. It’s important to use this precious time to review your business operations and look at what you can automate such as your booking processes and marketing to reduce your overheads and stay ahead of the competition.
Fill your calendar without all the manual effort
When calendars are open again how will you manage the huge amount of calls, emails, direct messages, and texts from all your clients that are desperate to see you and your team? How will you prioritise your clients’ needs with availability? You could be looking at days, if not weeks, wasted managing bookings manually and following up with clients if you’re not using online booking!
Clients prefer to use online booking to choose their appointment times, services and staff. Our data shows that over 51% of appointments booked with Timely are made outside of salon hours, so it’s crucial to have online booking set up to not only provide an exceptional booking experience for your clients, but to maximise your time as well.
Those businesses offering online booking and payments, with controls like minimise the gaps will be well ahead of those on pen and paper. Online booking provides many efficiency gains for businesses that can no longer be ignored.
When calendars are finally open to appointments once again, businesses using online bookings will be able to
sit back and watch their calendar efficiently fill up, and relax knowing that every minute of bookable time will be used productively.
Using online booking, you don’t have to pay staff to manage your appointments, and if you choose to use online deposits or take full payments online, you can generate
revenue straightaway. At the end of their appointment they can leave without having to wait around to pay – it’s like Uber for your salon!
Sarah Flutey is the Head of Marketing at Timely.
Visit the #BEAUTYSTRONG hub at https://www.professionalbeauty.com.au/beautystrong/
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