Salon Business Maintenance 101June 4, 2020Big or small, every business needs to follow certain ground rules for it to run smoothly. Even though it sounds pretty basic for a business that’s already up and running, business management will only cut down the risks of mishaps. Professionals in every field stick to a checklist of pointers that they need to focus on for the sake of their business. Even though you might already be doing all those things, a checklist helps keep things organized. Following a structure and adhering to a proper sequence of things always helps maintain order. And order and discipline are two things that can take your business places! Having a checklist not only makes the business function smoothly but also casts an awe-inspiring impact on competitors. How one salon may differ from another is not only based on the quality of services but also the management and organization of your team. How well your system is able to guide a new client from bookings to billing can get you more regular clients. Here are a few ways how salons can benefit from checklists for better business management. Ways To Make An Effective Checklist Having a checklist will save you a lot of time and money which goes into explaining each new worker the entire process from the start. Not only will it be useful for training new members of your team, but also make the present workforce more productive and organized. If you’re wondering how to make checklists part of your spa or salon, here’s how: Introduce a new employee to this system on their first day of training. The first thing that they learn should be that everyone follows a checklist. Introducing them to this early on will ensure that they adapt to your work culture quickly. Making policy changes later will only make it inconvenient for workers to switch gears and adopt a new way of working. Make adherence to checklists a part of salon rules; not a request. This will keep workers on their toes at all times and create an organized work environment. If you’re noticing a laid back attitude among your employees, it’s time to introduce a system of rewards and penalties. This will motivate workers to follow the rules or face disciplinary consequences. In order to keep your team in line with your business goals, make sure they feel rewarded every time they show exceptional commitment to the checklist. This will undoubtedly keep your workforce happy and also bring you regular clients. If your staff is treating them well and functioning in an organized fashion, it reflects well on your salon. If you think checklists are opposed to the idea of salon services because they’ll turn it into an assembly line, you’re probably mistaken. Here’s how better business management can help your business flourish. Better Management for Hair and Beauty Services The one thing that clients want from their go-to salons is consistent quality of service. Discrepancies in services reflect badly on the salon if the client feels the service doesn’t offer value for money. Having a checklist for hair treatments and skin care services can resolve this issue. Adhering to a checklist warns stylists from investing extra time and effort on days when they’re freer, and not staying consistent in future. For instance if you offer a client a creamy cappuccino along with a long relaxing massage and excellent manicure, they’re going to expect the same next time round. Failure to deliver the same quality of service disappoints clients who feel they paid more than they should have. Setting an unusually high standard the first time is not advisable if your salon can’t commit to maintaining it in the future. Salon policies and standard of services should be made keeping in mind long-term sustainability. This is where checklists come in. Following a pre-defined procedure gives each client equal treatment and ensures the service doesn’t deteriorate over time. Easier Task Delegation with Checklists If you’re trying to expand the scale of operations, you’ll need more man power to take up additional responsibilities. Unless you have a checklist ready, it’ll be very hard to organize tasks and delegate them to new people. For instance, if your salon expands from a home-based setup to a studio, you’ll probably need more people to handle the cash register. Finances are the backbone of any business and handling them is a highly-demanding job. To make the new receptionist or cashier adapt to their role better, having a checklist would help. They can refer to the price chart to see how much each service costs, follow the procedure while writing a receipt, handle payments and balances, and cash up at the end of the day. Clients come up with all sorts of queries regarding payments that can throw off a new receptionist. Unless they’re well-versed in the policies and procedures, they’ll come off as unprofessional and disorganized. Having a checklist ready, next to the till, boosts their confidence when dealing with finicky clients. Focus On The Smallest Of Things Running a successful business is not all about focusing on big contracts and dealing with large numbers. A salon business that aims to attract new clients and enjoy a large client-base of regular customers should also focus on the minor details of its services. This can even include things like the kind of refreshments clients are offered during services. If you want to revamp your system from ground level, you need to keep track of clients’ likes and dislikes. This can also mean remembering how they like their coffee, which drink they prefer or whether they’re diabetic or not! It’s not easy to retain all this information about all clients that walk in through the doors. Having a checklist will help record important details about each client. Workers who’re attending a client for the first time can also refer to this checklist to acquaint themselves with whom they’re dealing with. Minimize Uncertainty And Reduce Stress Working in a haphazard manner can induce stress in your salon team. Without any checklist, workers will be uncertain about how to go ahead with a task and most likely mess up. A common situation that every salon faces is when potential new clients call and the receptionist doesn’t know what exactly to say to them. This is a crucial moment because it can make or break a deal. If the caller feels the receptionist is unprepared for their questions, they might not bother calling again and that means one client lost. Having a checklist ready right beside the phone saves time and makes communication more effective and informative. Want to learn tips for better business management for your new salon? If you’re looking for business management experts or consultants for your salon, Salon Income Booster is can help. We help devise effective investment plans, business management tactics, and salon marketing strategies to increase salon income and improve sales. If you need our help, contact us now.