I am pretty sure that a lot of thought went into the planning of your salon. From the products and services you will offer to the salon's decor and hours you will be open, you can envision the entire experience in your mind. You know exactly what impression you want customers to have of your salon.

Everything contributes to the feeling a client gets when she walks into the salon — from the furniture and decor to the sounds and smells. But ultimately, the first impression is created the second someone steps inside or calls on the phone. So assuming your salon has the look and feel that you were going for, all that is left is the greeting.

And once again, you know exactly how you would like your customers to be greeted. The only problem is when customers walk into your salon, you can't always be at the front desk to meet them. When the phone rings with a potential customer on the other end, you can't always be the one who answers. So how are you making sure that your salon is being portrayed the way you envision it from the minute that customer comes inside?

It is the job of the front desk — whether that is one person or many— to create the atmosphere that you are striving for in your salon.

Let me give you two scenarios. 1 need a manicure at the last minute and I call two salons that are close to my house to see if they have any open appointments. The dialog goes like this:

Salon #1

Front desk: "Hello, can you please hold?" (After being put on hold for five minutes.) "What do you want?"

Potential client: "I was wondering if you have any openings for a manicure today."

Front desk: "No, we are all booked up." Click.

Salon #2

Front desk: "Hello, welcome to Nail Salon X, how can I help you?"

Potential client: "I was wondering if you have any openings for a manicure today."

Front desk: "Actually, all of our technicians have full books today, but I can check to see if anyone is available tomorrow if that works for you."

Potential client: "I really need to see someone today if at all possible."

Front desk: "Let me take your name and number down and I will call you if we have any cancellations. Thank you for calling Nail Salon X, hopefully we'll see you later today."

Just the little bit of difference at the second salon would make me, as a consumer, want to call that salon again -- even if they can't get me in for an appointment that day. The difference is the first person was just answering the phone, while the second person was actually interested in helping me get an appointment.

According to Terri Cowan of Professional Salon Concepts in Joliet, Ill., what you want to do is "WOW" your guests. Cowan and her husband, Steve, have set up a training program to help salons create this "WOW" experience for their guests (or clients, as many of us still call them). And one of the first things that they preach is the importance of the front desk staff. A well-trained front desk staff has the ability to create a wow right when the client walks through the front door. By offering more than your guests expect, you create a wow experience, according to the Cowans. And once you do that, those guests will tell their friends and family how great their experience was and before you know it, you will have increased traffic and revenue in your salon.

Most salons don't think they can afford a front desk person for any number of reasons — they think they're too small, they cannot afford it, they can handle those responsibilities themselves, etc. But this person can do much more than answer the phones, accept payments, and book appointments. Think of this person as the "customer service gateway" to your salon. Chances are she is the first and last person your customers will interact with in the salon and the only one who will have the time to answer questions and suggest retail products. She can also set up and move around displays, book appointments and suggest add-on services, cross-market services, and make reminder calls. Remember this is your salon and you can turn this position into anything you want.

According to Margo Blue, owner of The Spa at Margo Blue in Charlotte, N.C., the front desk is the "most crucial point of contact" at any salon. "The front desk staff begins the appointment, and ends the appointment," says Blue. "They have the power to create an amazing experience just by how she communicates with the guests."

Empowerment Is Just the Beginning

As a salon owner, you need to realize the importance of the front desk position. You can start changing the perception of your front desk employee by changing her title. Instead of calling her a receptionist, why not try concierge, salon coordinator, or guest service coordinator? You can come up with your own title that best fits your salon, but make sure that it reflects all of the jobs that she will be holding. And you want to empower her to act on this higher level.

You have to create a passion for the front desk position. Don't just hire someone and tell her to answer the phone. This person needs to be given real responsibilities and she needs to be taken seriously by you if she is going to be taken seriously by customers. The first step after changing her title is to implement a training program for your salon coordinator.

This person needs to know how your salon operates. She needs to know how long it takes each tech to perform each service and she needs to understand what those services are so she can speak intelligently about them. By experiencing each service personally, she will be an expert on what you offer. Just think of the service up-selling that your salon coordinator can do just by understanding the services that you offer.

"In addition to knowing the entire menu, our front desk staff must be knowledgeable about every person who works in the company," stresses Blue. "They have to know the techs' and stylists' strengths and weaknesses. We actually encourage the front desk staff to have complimentary services so they can explain to clients what each service really feels like.

Rosemary Weiner, owner of The Brass Rose Spa & Salon in Blairstown, N.J., trains her front desk employees on policies and procedures, as well as services. They even have to take a "service comprehension exam" after studying the manual that describes the salon's many services. "The check-in and check-out positions, as well as the booking staff must be able to speak articulately on the services we provide. And they must be able to talk on subjects such as MMA and answer clients' questions," says Weiner, who runs her front desk a bit differently than other salons.

The Brass Rose has a check-in and check-out desk much like that of a hold. The check-in employees greet clients, pull their appointment itineraries, and bring them refreshments while they are waiting. After the service, the check-out employees take the client's payment and book future services. Since no phones ling upstairs in the salon and spa area, there is a separate booking room where the phones ring. These employees work the phones, answering service-related questions and booking appointments. They can speak intelligently on all of the services offered at The Brass Rose and they can also "prescribe" and suggest additional services to clients.

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Even if you don't have separate booking and check-in employees, take Weiner's advice and train your front desk employees well. "We offer intensive training and pay a training wage until they have had time to master their job duties and take a test on services," she says. "And I take it to the extreme — the front desk staff members' hourly wages depend on how well they do on the services test."

In addition to understanding the services, the salon coordinator needs to be knowledgeable about the products. The salon coordinator should be able to name and describe what products you use and carry. She could become your best retail salesperson if you give her the tools. When distributors and manufacturers' educators come in to talk to you and your nail techs about new products and do product demos, the salon coordinator should be included in this training.

We all complain that nail techs don't retail enough, well isn't it because often they are so closely booked that they don't have the time to spend with the client after her service? The salon coordinator does. She can help techs retail to clients when their polish is drying or when they are paying for their services. But make sure that you don't take the salon coordinator for granted. Make her want to sell by offering her incentives or commission on retail items sold.

Blue says, "Our technicians often don't have time between services to close the sale on retail items, so it is up to the front desk employees to have that product knowledge so they can close the sale. And they definitely get commission on retail sales."

I'll Be Happy to Help You

OK, I am getting a little ahead of myself here. (It's just that I get so excited about the thought of empowering the salon coordinator to sell services and products that I jump ahead.) Your front desk employee needs to be trained on properly using the phones. She needs to understand what the atmosphere of the salon is and she needs to be able to relay that over the phone. This is the first impression that you will make on a new client, so you want to make sure that it represents your salon. You want the voice of the front desk to be equal to your promotional material, your web site, and any other elements of your salon. The front desk staff at The Spa at Margo Blue always answers the phone with "Welcome to The Spa at Margo Blue, how may we nurture you?"

Create a script. Have the salon coordinator rehearse it. Set up different scenarios and teach her how to respond to everything that might come up. She already knows the services that you offer and the products that you use, right? She knows how long it takes each nail tech to do each service and she can upsell for you right over the phone.

One great idea from the Cowans is to keep a Rolodex at the front desk that can be used as a cheat sheet. In it you can keep service descriptions, tech specialties, and directions from major highways and intersections. You can customize this Rolodex to include whatever you can think of that would be useful to your salon coordinator at a moment's notice. Weiner keeps a product knowledge book behind the front desk so the staff can look up information to better serve clients.

An Integral Member of the Team

So now we have a salon coordinator (not a receptionist) who has been trained on the phones — she can handle any caller's requests and she represents the voice of the salon. She has been trained on the services, the products, and the techs. Why not go one step further and let her in on the goals and expectations you have of the salon? The salon coordinator sees every client coming in and out of the salon. She hears the compliments and the complaints. This person is probably your best person to ask: "How's business?" By knowing what your daily, weekly, or monthly goals are, she can tell you how close you are to making them, or how far over them you already are. And by knowing how close you are to making those goals, she has the power to cross-promote services and send clients home with retail items that can help push you over that goal.

One of the biggest obstacles that the front desk employee encounters is the lack of respect she receives. Often, nail techs and stylists don't take this person seriously, which transcends down to clients not: taking her seriously. And in the end, she doesn't even take herself seriously because she is overlooked and left out of meetings. Don't let this happen. By incorporating the salon coordinator into your training, your meetings, and your team, you, as the salon owner, are making a statement that the front desk is just as important a position as any. You must endorse this position. If the rest of the staff knows your feelings on the front desk position, it will carry on clown to them.

"They need praise and respect," says Blue. "And often they don't get it. I encourage my techs and stylists to treat them well, respect them, offer them complimentary services, and generally to make them feel included."

According to Terriand Steve Cowan, it is every team member's responsibility to create a "WOW" experience. And it all starts with the front desk — properly answering the phone, greeting guests when they walk in, helping them with their coats, getting them beverages, and making sure they are comfortable until they sit clown with their technician. And after the service, it is the front desk employee who asks, "How was your experience today? Can I offer you this great product to take home to help maintain your manicure until your next visit? Would you like to schedule your next nurturing experience while you are here?"

As you can see, there are many things that your "salon coordinator" can do to help you meet your goals. Now, don't you think it is worth the extra time and effort to turn your receptionist into an empowered salon coordinator who is happy to come to work each day because she is an important member of your team?

 

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