The salon and spa industry are primarily a service-oriented business. The overall bottom line depends on how productive the employees are and how much they can achieve. With that being said, we cannot overlook the fact that every salon or spa experiences slow days. The slump in the business may be caused by myriads of factors. It can be quite disheartening for a salon owner to notice a fairly empty appointment sheet. What your employees do when there are not too many bookings is their downtime. While every employee needs a breather periodically, too much downtime can hurt your business. To reduce staff downtime, and enhance productivity and profitability, it’s best to use salon staff rostering software.
Tips to Increase your Salon Team’s Productivity
- Enable Online Booking
In the ever-evolving hair and beauty business, it’s time to shift gears. Manual scheduling and paper and pen appointments are something of the past. It’s time to embrace new-age salon scheduling tools. Salon software can automate even the most tedious tasks.
With online booking and real-time availability, clients can book appointments 24/7 and see available slots without picking up the phone. With the reins in the client’s hands, they can check your schedule anytime and book an appointment. This ensures your stylists are productive at all times. The main aim over here is to fill the gaps and reduce downtime. You can also make an announcement on your Instagram story regarding the number of available slots for that day. Further, to ensure that your employees don’t get burnt out, set a buffer time in between each appointment so that there is no overlapping of slots.
- Make the Most of Staff Rotation
In your appointment booking system, let the names of all your stylists and technicians show up. You can even give a write-up and each employee along with their skills. This helps ensure no team member is left unused and every client gets to choose the right professional according to their need and budget. When you assign services based on staff skill and availability, downtime is significantly reduced. On an employee’s day off, make up with the number of stylists you have available.
- Use Waitlist on Salon Scheduling Software
Salon software usually has a waitlist feature. Use it to your advantage. Gone are the days when cancelled appointments meant your staff would sit idle. By investing in the right technology, you can turn every cancelled appointment into a revenue-making opportunity. The feature automatically fills cancelled slots with clients on the waitlist. This keeps your schedule full throughout and minimises wasted time. You can also enable notifications by which your clients will get alerted when their preferred slot becomes available.
- Enable Marketing for Slump Periods
The software’s built-in marketing feature can be used to promote last-minute deals on slow days. It’s better to announce on social media regarding your available slots than letting your staff pull out a deck of cards. This is a major booking driver. Everybody loves deals, and if a client can make it during that particular period, they’ll surely book an appointment immediately.
- Setup Client Communication
While servicing clients is the best and most profitable way to make use of downtime, there are other ways too. Downtime can also be used for the betterment of your salon or spa. For instance, time can be used to deep clean, organise and declutter, or to refine client communication. Using salon staff rostering software, you can set up automatic SMS/email reminders for a client’s upcoming appointment. Instead of sending a pre-set template, the time can be used to set up personalised messages. Go over past client interactions and see where there is room for improvement. Spare time is the best way to reach out to your clients. You can even intimate them regarding upcoming offers.
- Track and Analyse Data
When you run any business, data is your best friend. In the beauty business particularly, there are busy and not-so busy phases. Churn out reports on the software regularly to identify underperforming times. When you draw out booking patterns and downtimes, can accordingly manage shifts, promotions and services based on demand. This helps you keep employees busy throughout.
- Train your Staff
Lastly, training goes a long way. Your stylists, technicians, front desk managers and cleaners must all be able to meet client expectations. Identify the areas they need help or guidance in. When all your employees are on the same page, you can offer standard, consistent service. Enable employees to see their schedules in real-time on the salon staff rostering software. This helps them prepare for their upcoming service and also enables them to accept shifts remotely.
Final Words
The secret to keeping your salon running smoothly even in slow seasons is Salon360App. Using our salon software, you can turn staff downtime into a revenue making opportunity. Salon scheduling tools work best when used to their full potential. Reducing staff downtime is not rocket science. All you need is a smart tool to create an efficient and profitable beauty business. To find out why so many users trust us, schedule a demo today!
