Why is Reception important in a salon?
How many times do we say that the first impression is the Alpha and Omega of everything?
And when we say everything we mean everything.
So? How important is it that the welcome and reception at our venue is a uniquely beautiful experience for every customer?
Customer reception is the most important business card of any business. And this is not me saying this, but a study by the Harvard Business School, which showed that first impressions are formed within the first 5 minutes.
It is the initial opinion that will influence the new customer’s first choices and represents the main strength of a quality service.
The professional figure that allows all this to happen is that of the receptionist, a mixture of skills, organisation, courtesy and great reliability. It is a key figure that follows the customer from the moment of arrival and assists them during their stay, allowing them to live a unique experience.
The receptionist’s work has a significant impact on many aspects of the activity, such as:
- Increase in product sales
- Improving customer confidence
- Attracting new customers
- Organisation of working days in a functional and flexible way
The role of receptionist can be considered a luxury.
But in fact it is the main marketing tool for a successful beauty salon. And because we, we are not everything and everything…we want and deserve our luxury!!!!
Below are the 15 best practical tips and ideas for receptionists, always bearing in mind that the real key to success is consistency.
1. Smile and greet customers
When a customer approaches the reception desk or crosses the door to the lounge, drop what you’re doing (yes, even the serious conversation with your colleague) and pay attention to the customer, smiling, greeting and asking if they need anything.
2. Never leave a customer alone at the reception
The phone rings and the receptionist is talking to a customer, he or she should never leave the conversation and answer the phone unless it is ringing non-stop and disturbing the dialogue. The customer in front of the reception comes before everything, even a phone call. You need to turn on the answering machine and continue the conversation. You can call the missed number as soon as the customer leaves the lounge.
3. The power of “Yes”.
You should always tell customers what you can do for them, not the difficulty of getting something done.
For example: “Laura is free on Tuesday the 19th from 3.30 pm or Thursday the 21st at 10 am. Are these options convenient for you as Laura is not working on Wednesday?”
This, as you can see, is more helpful and appealing to the customer’s ears than:
“Laura doesn’t work on Wednesdays.” End of discussion.
Using the word “Yes” and a positive attitude (even when you think you can’t help the customer) are the best ways to keep the customer and demonstrate your availability.
4. Don’t ignore the customer just because there are other customers at the reception
What is recommended to do when you are talking to a client and a newcomer enters the lounge?
Greet and acknowledge the client as soon as they enter the salon, smile, give a positive nod of the head and say, “I’ll be with you as soon as possible, please take a seat.”
On the contrary, if the client is ignored, he or she may quickly become annoyed and start the treatment or first experience in the salon by judging negatively.
5. Never talk about customers in front of others
And as a human being you too may want to comment gossiping to a colleague about something you said, did, saw and thought was strange to a client.
We never do this in front of the client, in front of other clients or in the salon.
And because, as we all know, the walls have ears…ideally you should not even enter the commenting process.
Talking in front of customers with colleagues about non-work related topics or other customers is not only unprofessional, but it also makes customers who may overhear the conversation wonder what you are saying about them behind their backs.
6. Adopt a positive body language
Almost 93% of communication can be non-verbal. So, paying more attention to the messages conveyed through body language can be helpful in achieving excellent results.
You need to make regular eye contact to show that you are sincere and interested in the conversation.
The arms should be relaxed along the body, never crossed, which corresponds to introversion.
Your posture should be relaxed, but your back should be straight so that you look confident.
Your head should be up and you should always smile. The right attitude is synonymous with “I am an expert”.
7. Use the right tone of voice
If a customer is grumpy or persistent, the tone of voice of the person at the reception should always be available, cheerful, sincere and enthusiastic. On the contrary, a sarcastic or aggressive tone can make things worse.
Body language should be in harmony with the tone of voice, which should be relaxed and pleasant.
8. Use the customer’s name
Once you know the client’s name, it is recommended that you use it from the beginning to the end of their stay in the beauty salon. That’s because everyone loves the sound of their name and reacts positively when they hear you say it. But you shouldn’t overdo it, because very soon it can seem insincere and silly.
9. Use the words “thank you” and “please”
Gratitude has extraordinary power over people because it produces lasting positivity, as positive psychology shows. Feeling grateful allows you to approach a relationship, event or situation differently and appreciate everything much more.
The words “thank you” and “you’re welcome” should be said daily, they make a difference and have the ability to make work less stressful.
10. Help customers understand the rules of the salon or beauty centre
The man at the reception is often recognized as a simple coordinator of the beauty salon and the partners. In fact, it is important that whoever fills this position understands all the systems and logics of the beauty salon, so that they can answer all the questions of the clients.
A good example is the skin allergy test, known in the hairdressing world as the patch test.
Many customers find it useless and unnecessary. A prepared receptionist knows that this test is important for the health of the client and that it provides a satisfactory and comprehensive service. It is therefore necessary to explain to customers that this test can identify 90% of allergenic ingredients, so that they can then choose the paint with the most suitable formulation for them.
11. Manage reservations efficiently
In short, the figure of the receptionist highlights time, the most important commodity in the world. When managing reservations, you should avoid too many unnecessary gaps (e.g. 15-minute gaps) or overloading a colleague with overly demanding tasks. Often, if a client requests an appointment at 11.30am and the previous appointment ends at 11.15am, they may be asked to come to the appointment 15 minutes early so that there are no gaps.
For every 15 minutes lost, the coordinator or receptionist can lose up to €12,480 in annual turnover.
Consider the case where you have four 15-minute “gaps” in your daily schedule, for a total of 60 minutes of lost revenue. See how the company loses a significant amount of money:
– 1 lost hour per day for 6 days per week = 6 lost hours.
– 6 hours per week for 52 weeks = 312 hours per year, equivalent to 39 working days
Suppose in an hour you can put a service or a treatment for 40 euros:
– 40 euros for one hour per day = 40 euros extra profit per day
– 40 euros for 6 days per week = 240 euros extra profit per week
– 240 euros for 52 weeks = 12,480 euros extra profit per year
So, for “gaps” of just 15 minutes, a salon can lose more than €10,000 per year.
12. Treat employees like customers
The team of partners should not be underestimated, as they are indeed the internal customers of the beauty salon. So, the reception and salon coordinators have the task of helping them manage the working day and help them to deliver the unique experience that customers will experience.
You need to appreciate them, always be polite and respect their schedule.
To retain the customer, it is very important to leave a positive impression of the beauty salon by the time they cross the exit threshold. The receptionist is the last contact.
13. Give sincere compliments
Everyone loves a sincere compliment. Even if the customer is not satisfied with the new nail polish colour or the curly hairstyle, it is up to the receptionist to compliment something else, such as a handbag, a coat or a bracelet.
Honesty is everything when praising another person and in this case body language is of paramount importance. You need to make sure that you have the right posture and that your facial expression is consistent with what you are saying.
14. Smile as you greet
In activities with a very high volume of work, it is really common for the receptionist to accept payment from one customer and then quickly move on to the next. You should NEVER exhibit this behavior.
You should show each client how much you appreciate having them in your beauty salon and at this point you can greet them with a sincere smile and a thank you. This is the best last impression you can make.
15. The right tone of voice to answer the phone
You should answer the phone by the third ring and have a notebook handy for phone numbers, names and email addresses for those occasions when you can’t consult your calendar.
The customer on the phone is the priority. When you need to check something and thus “leave” the customer on the phone for a few minutes, can you simply say “would you mind waiting for a moment so I can check it”? and then thank the customer for waiting.
Customers on the phone can hear whether the receptionist is smiling or not. So, no matter how badly your back may hurt or if a client is particularly cranky, you need to smile, no matter what.
We want to be first and best for this secret tool, right receptionist, we take advantage of it. Because as we said above, the right first impression is the one that will indirectly help our marketing and our image and will always keep us in the first place of preference of our customers.
Print the text and leave it at reception discreetly, allowing or requiring everyone to read it.
