
Welcome to the Salon Ownerโs Podcast, Phorest FM Episode 55. Co-hosted by Killian Vigna and Zoรฉ Bรฉlisle-Springer, this show is a mix of interviews with industry thought-leaders, roundups of our most recent salon owners marketing tips & tricks, all the latest in and around Phorest and what upcoming webinars you can join. Phorest FM is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off.
Phorest FM Episode 55
At any time of the year, thereโs probably nothing more frustrating than clients booking appointments in the salon only to never turn up. Coming up to Christmas, however, no-shows are the last thing you need. December is stressful enough as is โ having to cover costs and gaps in the agenda is not fun for anyone. Today on the show, Killian and Zoe invite industry expert Helen Devenney to discuss the different options salon owners when facing no-shows and how to keep on par with your customer service standards at the busiest time of the year.
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Transcript
Killian Vigna: Welcome to the Phorest FM Podcast Episode 55. Iโm Killian Vigna.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And Iโm Zoe Belisle-Springer.
Killian Vigna: Following on from last weekโs countdown to Christmas, we discussed the issues with no-shows and how to effectively manage your salon over the festive madness.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: As always, we top off the show with our upcoming Phorest Academy Webinars.
Killian Vigna: This podcast is produced every Monday morning for your enjoyment with a cup of coffee on your day off. Now, letโs get into the show. Good morning Zoe.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Good morning, how are you?
Killian Vigna: Iโm good now. So we kicked it off last week with the countdown to Christmas. We had Chris Brannen on. And now today we have another Phorest staff member. We have Helen from the training team.
Helen Devenney: Hello!
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Is this your first time on the show? I canโt remember.
Helen Devenney: No. I was on before, we were talking about staff meetings and managers together-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Oh, yes. That must have been six months ago, easy.
Helen Devenney: Yeah-
Killian Vigna: Ah, this is going back.
Helen Devenney: Early days.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Miss us?
Helen Devenney: Yeah!
Killian Vigna: So yeah, the reason we decided to bring Helen in, for anyone that has listened to the previous show, where Helen has spent a couple of years working in the salon industry before coming over to Phorest. And we were just trying to think of a topic this week and we were like, โOh, what will we discuss this week?โ because weโve covered a lot of Christmas stuff. And then we were directed to a post that came up on, what was it, Facebook or Instagram, which-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: I believe it was Instagram.
Killian Vigna: Instagram. And it was about no-shows.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: But it was actually shaming people.
Killian Vigna: Well, it was shaming people and to be fair, youโre running a business, so you can see how you would get frustrated and stuff like that. But, basically, it called two people out that agreed to a book in last night, and still didnโt turn up this morning.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And I think the full names were there as well, which, that I personally donโt agree with.
Killian Vigna: Well yeah, I mean, I know it can be frustrating and itโs emotional. But at the same time, youโre trying to run a business and when itโs Christmas, like December, your book is essentially full.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Of course, yeah.
Killian Vigna: So youโre refusing people away and the guys who you have committed a booking to are turning around and going, โWell, actually, I just wonโt bother turning up.โ We get that people are busy and stuff like that. So thatโs why we decided, well, letโs bring Helen in and kinda see her point of view and I suppose youโd have experienced stuff like this before, so-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Probably first hand as well.
Helen Devenney: Yeah. Thereโs probablyโฆ at Christmas time, itโs so mental in salons. Theyโre doing absolutely everything they can to accommodate people. People start booking Christmas appointments in September. So, I guess the earlier they get people in, grand. You can understand maybe coming weeks up theyโve forgotten the time and things like that. And maybe wanna reschedule it. But literally, everybody wants to get in and get their Christmas stuff done. And there is nothing probably more frustrating on any normal day when people donโt turn up or cancel or anything like that. But Christmas time, when you have a long list of clients waiting on that, itโs just not like on as such, because youโve built up such a good client base and when you canโt accommodate people in, itโs very frustrating. Not even for the business owner. Itโs so frustrating for the staff member because theyโre kind of just left with their gap in their day. And its-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: โCause I mean, at least if they had a heads up, they could probably get someone in on the waiting list or anything like that.
Helen Devenney: Yeah. Yeah. And then salonsโฆ apart from having the ability to try different things like that, thereโs only so much really that they can do. Even myself. Iโve been messaged twice this week to confirm an appointment. So thatโs just what salons are up against and there are people who donโt take any disregard to whether they donโt turn up or donโt even let you know. So itโs just, salons kind of want to do away with that, shall we say.
Killian Vigna: Did you ever notice if it was kind of, would most of the no-shows be your own actual loyal clients or would they be kinda guys whoโve just booked in โcause they couldnโt get anywhere else? Or even coming from likes of Groupon or Treatwell?
Helen Devenney: Itโs probablyโฆ You can never say that none of your regular clients would not turn up. Itโs a busy period for anybody and I suppose when you think about it, if someone has made that appointment two months ago, sometimes there are genuine things that they just forget. They forget the time, they donโt read the message properly, they think itโs the week after. Itโs not. So thereโs always genuine things, I think if it was somebody whoโs been in business with you a long time, theyโre so apologetic because they know how hard it is for them to get in and they know that you probably have somebody there waiting. Youโll probably notice the difference between how they act as to somebody who, as you said, is coming from Groupon or is just making the appointment anywhere. Whereas theyโre not answering the phone, they have no intention of ringing you afterwards, theyโre not trying to rebook back in anything like that. So there isโฆ Itโs not uncommon that you wouldnโt see regular people, but itโs how they deal with it is you can really tell the difference between what kind of ways they kinda handle it.
Killian Vigna: And how did you deal with, I suppose, with no-shows?
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Did you have a policy in place in the salon?
Helen Devenney: Itโs very hard to enforce a policy like that unless youโre taking pre-payment, booking deposits, or you have some kind of charge facility like our online bookings. So, I guess for salons thereโs so many times you can tell people that, but whether they really take it on board isโฆ Youโre kind of just hoping that they do. We didnโt really have a policy but we, I suppose, we were maybe a bit selective with our cancellation list, because if there were people that we knew that were close by and things like that, long-standing clients, we tried to get them in. As opposed to people who we didnโt know and who were just trying to get in for the sake of getting in.
This time last year though, I remember having new salons coming and using Phorest and they thought: โWeโre only going to take our bookings, by online booking.โ They were getting bookings at like 7 in the morning on Christmas Eve. One year that they had 3 or 4 people not turn upโฆ When theyโre going into work early again, they want to be in bed too. And they were saying, โWeโll only book our appointments by online booking,โ because the salon is secure then, if they donโt turn up, at least they can charge them, which probably is a bit hard this time of the year. Itโs expensive, but-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: But at the same time, I mean, we had Alan Stewart from Rainbow Room International, he was saying he was doing that. Jenny Lawson from Mimosa Beauty was saying itโs a mutual respect thing. And obviously, if thereโs some sort of extreme situation, sheโd be understanding and everything. But if itโs just not turning up for the sake of not turning up, itโs just charged.
Killian Vigna: Thereโs no value in something thatโs free. If people keep giving youโฆ Itโs like when you keep giving someone free content and stuff like that, I suppose you get used to it. So if youโre like โOh, yeah, no, you can book over the phone,โ or something like that, youโre not doing a deposit charge or something, thereโs no commitment there. Where even if you wanted to go to an event and the ticket was two euro, because youโve paid that 2 euro, you feel like, well actually, Iโve contributed something to it, so Iโm going to be locked into it now. If it was a free registration, youโre just not going to turn up โcause you havenโt lost anything. So itโd be good to have a deposit system in place. It doesnโt even need to be much. Itโs just enough to say, weโve gotcha, I suppose.
Helen Devenney: Yeah, youโd be surprised, some places will ask you for like half the booking deposit. They might say full prepay a couple of days before. But if you areโฆ If a salon wants to take a deposit, even just to cover a small amount of their cost. It doesnโt have to be the full 60, 70, 80 euro. But some of the cost and what they need to keep the salon running. Youโd be surprised at how many people start to take it over the phone at this time of the year. โCause it is just insane.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: So apart from that, of course, that is a huge challenge but thereโs also the problem of trying to keep that standard of service at that busy time. Is there any tips, first hand, that you could provide, perhaps?
Helen Devenney: Well I suppose when you, throughout the year youโre building the standard of your business and you donโt want that to slip, just because you have extra bookings. Obviously thereโs certain things at Christmas time, everyoneโs coming in to buy vouchers. So, depending on how you package your vouchers. When anybody has five or ten minutes, thatโs all you do, is prep your vouchers. We used to have god knows how many bags of vouchers underneath the reception desk. And just have things prepped, ready to go so that your not fumbling around, trying to do it. Designate somebody whoโsโฆ Thatโs their job to clean up certain things when they get a free chance.
Even a lot ofโฆ We actually, one of the girls I worked with, her sister actually came in for a couple of days just to help out like that with front of house stuff. Iโm sure everybody knows someone whose in around that kind of student and that can help out doing minor things in the background, which normal staff can kind of focus on their work, their standard, their clients, because you donโt want just having extra people to kind of slip, that someone then has just a genuine bad experience when they have good experiences all the other times. So as much as keeping on top of all the background stuff, getting in extra staff anytime you have a minute. Even sometimes coming in a half an hour early or staying a half an hour late just to get all that prep done, it takes all the added extra pressure off the normal staff members.
Killian Vigna: I like what you were just saying now, youโre coming into Christmas period, the amount of students are finishing their exams and stuff now. I mean, itโs tough enough for them to get a job working in a shop or somewhere like that, just for a short couple of weeks. You throw them a few bob, let them stick their earphones in their ears. Theyโre not actually working for anyone, theyโre just kind of moving around your salon, cleaning up, sweeping, even setting up gift bags. Even driving tea so youโre notโฆ How do I say this without saying that itโs child labor or something. But weโre not saying bring in another professional to take on thatโs going to cost you a salary. Itโs just a kid thatโs doing nothing else now. I say kid, like 16 years and up!
Helen Devenney: Even like people that are training at a hair college, beauty college. Thatโs what theyโre aspiring to do after college and things like that. That looks good when youโre trying to go down that avenue as such, whether itโs hair, beauty, holistics, nails, anything. Even just a couple of days here and there kind of stands out to other people. A lot of colleges will look for your commitment for that and itโs handy that youโre kind of getting the good part of it. Youโre getting the extra hands on.
Killian Vigna: You could even maybe reward them. If theyโre planning on getting done up for Christmas you could say, โListen, do a couple of hours here and weโll do your hair,โ or something like that. And even after half hour and hour of work.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Is there anything that you need to know just before closing off for the holidays?
Helen Devenney: I suppose some of the things that you can do to get yourself prepped for January is possibly re-record your voicemail. Tell your clients that youโre going to be closed for this amount of time. If you have an online booking facility, say weโre not here, weโre off enjoying our time off. โCause it is the only probably time of the year that people in salons really get to switch off for a couple of days and relax. So advise you clients that youโre closed for that time. You can still book online. Weโll be back on this day. I know some salons open maybe for a couple of hours on some days, just any last minute kind of gifts or anything they havenโt gotten. And then make sure that you have everybody confirmed for the New Yearโs kind of appointments, because you might have a couple of days off and people like that trying to cancel. So maybe confirm all of them before you leave on Christmas Eve. I know some businesses have machines and stuff like that might be on timers, make sure to switch them off.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Itโs a lot to think of when you think about it. You start dissecting everything.
Helen Devenney: That used to be a big one we used to forget was to switch off certain machines that you have on timers or certain things like if youโre going to be gone for a couple of days do you have any rubbish that you need to leave out thatโs not been picked up until just after Christmas. So theyโre kind of the things that arenโt straight forward that people donโt think about. And then I suppose just kind of get yourself โฆ kind ofโฆ clients, try and get them maybe booked in for January, because you kind of know itโs gonna be a little bit quieter. Almost getting prepped for a quieter time of the year. Kind of stepping away from it for a bit.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And I suppose if there is some sort of gap in your calendar, at least in January, take that time to rethink your business strategy for the year to come and use that time, because after that itโs just, youโre back on it and itโs never gonna stop, you know?
Helen Devenney: Yeah. Once you hit mid-Januaryโฆ You kind of start to move into February, everyoneโs been paid after Christmas. Youโve got Valentineโs Day coming up. Itโs probably not too long thinking about it coming into Easter. People start to then, like that, come in to the holiday season again. So, we get a lot of people I know coming back, retraining and starting marketing. Having to think about what they can do differently. Whether itโs retraining and skills or retraining and, as you said strategy. Thatโs probably your perfect time to really go and do all those things, because the other times of the year, you donโt reallyโฆ You might have a day here and there, but you donโt have a block time to really set aside that time toโฆ
Killian Vigna: Yeah. โCause even though youโre only closing your salon for what two or three days, it might only feel likeโฆ Itโs actually the longest period of the year that you have off, isnโt it?
Helen Devenney: Yeah. Some salons reopen on the 27th, 28th, but a lot of salons will probably take a good, I would say four days off. And thatโs the only time of the year that hairdressers, beauticians, anybody get off. Apart from your normal kind of annual leave. Thatโs the only time that all of you are off at the same time and completely probably switch off from everything. And thatโs not to say that, you know-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Or hopefully switch off.
Helen Devenney: Yeah. Or thatโs not to say that youโre not going home and then on the 26th friends and family want you to do their bits while youโre not at work. So you never really fully switch off.
Killian Vigna: Well yeah. That pretty much summarizes it for, I suppose, that Christmas madness, anyway. Like we said, we only wanted to cover where you stand on thatโฆ with no-shows and cancellations. How can you keep yourself covered. Like Helen was saying, if you do offer a service like online booking, you are entitled to charge them for that no-show, arenโt you?
Helen Devenney: Yep. They agree to it, so you can charge them up to the full amount that they have left to pay, so, you know, itโs a busy year, obviously, especially with heating bills and things like that, so you can cover yourselves for the cost that you can.
Killian Vigna: And as long as thatโs made clear with the client, there should be no concerns, because if they really want that appointment-
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Theyโll turn up.
Killian Vigna: Yeah, theyโre not thinking Iโm going to block book this and maybe turn up. Itโs I need this done now, so yes, Iโm willing to pay to hold appointment now. Or the whole treatment now. So, Helen, thanks very much for that.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Cheers. Yeah.
Killian Vigna: Cheers.
Zoe Belisle-Springer: And so if we move onto the Phorest Academy Webinars weโre going to keep this episode short and sweet. Well first of all, we have the Salon Ownerโs Summit coming up real soon on January 8th. So, thatโs sold out. Thereโs a waiting list available if you go on our Facebook page into the event, the ticket section will get you straight to the waiting list. So you can go on there and then our next Phorest Academy Webinars are actually in January as well, so the first one will be โHow to Motivate Your Teamโ with Valarie Delforge. And sheโs also giving a talk at the Salon Ownerโs Summit, so as usual, you book in, save your spot on Facebook or if you go onto the Phorest blog you can find that webinar as well. The other one that we have coming up in Jan would be the Instagram Masterclass, but weโll talk about it more in depth in the next few weeks.
Killian Vigna: Cool. Yeah, so thatโs from us, from Episode 55 and thanks for tuning in!
Zoe Belisle-Springer: Thanks for tuning in. Next week will be our last episode of the year and then weโll catch you on the flip side in 2018!
Killian Vigna: All the best.
Thanks for reading!
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