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Long waiting times at the salon can be a real pain point for customers. That is why many salons are investing in new technology to improve efficiency and reduce wait times.
The impacts of long waiting times at the salon are many. First, there is the impact on the salon itself. Long waiting times create stress for the customer, who has to wait for a long time to receive their treatment. A more stressful atmosphere will lead to fewer sales and lower productivity.
Then, there is the impact on your staff. They may have to work overtime because they have little work to do during those long waiting times. This could make them feel less appreciated by their employers and create a negative work environment for everyone involved. There is also an impact on opportunities since you will need to turn down walk-ins and customer inquiries on your business phone.
Finally, there is the impact on your customers. If you don’t have enough chairs available for your clients, thhaveup having to wait longer than usual before getting their hair or nails done. This will affect their routines and make them less likely to return in future visits. Punctuality and good scheduling can be critical indicators. Remember, it’s not just about bringing clients back. It’s just as much about what they say about you after their treatment. Are they more likely to recommend you as their salon of choice over others in town who might offer faster service or more amenities than yours does currently?
The one thing all successful unicorn startups have in common is their obsession with customer experience. Long waiting times lead to poor customer experience.
The longer customers have to wait, the more frustrated they will get. Customers will start to question whether or not it’s worth their time to return to your salon. If they do decide to return, they’ll probably be even more frustrated because of the long waiting time. This isn’t good for your brand or business growth in general.
Go The Smart Advance Booking Way
Salon owners are busy people, so they domuch a lot of time to spend on customer service. It can be challenging to keep up with customers’ demands and ensure they get the best treatment possible.
The good news is that there are some ways you can use technology to help increase your profits and reduce your waiting time at the salon. Previously, it was common to see long queues of people waiting their turn for a haircut or a manicure.
Salon owners can use SimplyBook.me and let their customers book an appointment into reduce the waiting time drasticallyting time.
It is a smart booking system that helps ook your appointments quickly and easily, without any hassle. SimplyBook.me is a booking system that helps salon owners to sell out all their available appointment slots in a matter of minutes. You can also let customers choose from a calendar of your services to help them plan their schedules.
Salons should also provide more information about what they are doing at the salon. This way, customers can better understand their expectations and how to get the best results.
Upsell The Right Way
As a salon owner, you can budget your time accurately by avoiding last-minute customization to a client appointment by ensuring they book everything they need in advance.
The first step is to create a system that will help you track each client’s experience in the salon. This will help you see how long they stay and what they think of your services.
It’s also impotrack track of how long your stylists take to do their jobs. So you know when they need additional assistance or when they finish with clients that have already been waiting for quite some time.
It’s also essential to be able to tell how many people are waiting at any given time and how busy it is on certain days or times of the week. This way, you can anticipate when things will get busy so that you can plan accordingly and hire more staff members if necessary.
You should also make sure that there are enough chairs and stylists available for everyone who needs them, as well as those who just came in late or left early without being seen because they were waiting for the next appointment.
It sounds simple, but it can be tricky. You need to know how much time you have in advance, and what works best for your business model.
If you are a small salon owner with two stylists who only work on their own clients, you don’t have much room for last-minute customization requests. You need to be able to book everything the client needs before they come in the door.
This means that appointments should always be scheduled ahead of time and confirmed at least 24 hours before the serviMany A lot of salons try this — but it doesn’t work as well as most people think!
Please note that an appointment-only booking system does not let you upsell during service(s).
Two Ways to Do It
- The first thing you can do is upsell services only during non-peak hours so that you can fill in idle time. For example, if you are booked for two clients at 11 am and 12 pm, don’t let them leave the chair until 1 pm. If they need a shave or cut, book their next appointment after they leave, and fill in the empty time with a manicure or pedicure. You can even book another client while they’re having their hair cut/shaved/colored if you want to avoiding time altogether.
- Another trick is to route all walk-in/customized/upsell orders through a dedicated salonist — this way, you avoid waiting time for other services as well. The good news is that most salons have one person who works on all of these things, so it’s not difficult at all.
Managing Long Waiting Time Like A Boss
The beauty industry is notorious for being slow. People will often wait in line for hours to get their cut or color from a favourite stylist. You may have experienced this yourself at the salon or have heard about it from friends.
If you have a salon business, the chances are that you’ve experienced the frustrating feeling of keeping your customers waiting. Either your stylist is late for the appointment or your receptionist is too busy to answer the phone.
The root cause of this problem is simple: things get delayed all the time. One way to make it less painful is by keeping clients in the loop.
Integrate your appointment scheduling app with your business phone IVR system so that people can call in to discover any scheduling delays
If you have an app, you can also integrate with a chatbot that informs customers of when sessions are running late or if there is an opening for a walk-in. This will help reduce confusion and frustration for your clients and keep everyone on the same page about when appointments are happening at your location.
You can’t help delays dues to emergencies or extenuating circumstances. However, you can keep in your client’s good books by letting them know. If there’s no wait time estimate available, ask them if they’d like to be notified when their appointment starts (and ends). And if you can predict how long your wait will be, based on experience (i.e., “It usually takes me an hour and 15 minutes to get my hair done”), tell them upfront what that timeline looks like.
You don’t want clients feeling frustrated and disappointed — especially if it’s an advance booking.
Bring Down Long Waiting Time Effectively?
If you’re trying to get more customers, here are some tips that will help you bring down waiting time at the salon:
- Make use of technology. Use technology like tablets and computers that help manage appointments, bookings, and scheduling tasks in real-time. You can also hire a software developer to build a simple app for this. This will ensure that you don’t miss an appointment or booking made by one of your clients while they are waiting for their turn in line.
- Have multiple stylists working at the same time. If there is only one stylist in the salon, it’s best to have multiple stylists working simultaneously. This will allow them to finish their work in less time with fewer clients waiting for them.
- Have a good relationship with your stylists. Ask clients for recommendations and feedback. Moreover, pay attention and listen when they tell you about other clients who have had good experiences with you.
- Keep up-to-date with trends in beauty and hair care products and styles. So you can provide the most “on-trend service” to your clients without worrying about whether they will work. This will also save you time in training new stylists who will be responsible for making those recommendations themselves!
- Improve customer service. Providing excellent customer service and being responsive to client needs is the best way to reduce long waiting times. This means answering any questions they have about their hair or skin care needs. It also means making sure that they feel welcome and comfortable while they’re in your salon.
- Offer convenient hours and flexible scheduling options. If you share premises with another business — such as a retail store or other stores — consider sharing it with clients who want to get in on your services when it’s most convenient for them. Such as after work hours. You could also offer early morning and evening hours. This way, people who work regular hours don’t have to leave work early or take time off to experience your services and buy your products.
In Summary
To bring down the waiting time at the salon, you need to understand what causes the long waiting period. Going to the salon is more than just getting a good haircut. It’s about relaxation and pampering, even if only for a little while. You should keep the waiting time to the absolute minimum. However, your customers shouldn’t feel rushed at the counter. Remember, winning the hearts and minds of customers will take you farther than making profits.