Whether you’re a new salon manager, owner or both, it’s as difficult to handle the salon workers as it is trying to make a bad hairstyle look good. Their innovative, high-spirited, frequently opinionated and independent personalities can make them a hard-to-manage community.
Aside from juggling the people, actual management requires you to learn and relearn various skill sets, from soft skills to new software. You have to learn how to handle scheduling software such as https://www.versum.com/m/scheduling-software/, use social media tactics to get the word out about your business, and hone your communication skills with clients and staff alike. Keep reading to find out how to be a great new salon owner!
#1: Learn To Communicate
In a hair salon, there is never a shortage of chatter. There are conversations between the clients and the stylists. Customers talk to other customers, and the receptionist responds to appointments by phone. All this chit chat at salons is a regular part of the atmosphere. You have to learn how to understand and standardize this daily communication with your workers at the salon.
Communication is key to dispute resolution. If any employee has an issue with another member of staff, a product line or the way the salon works, a good conversation will typically clear the air. Learn to have frequent but efficient conversations so you always know what’s going on.
#2: Learn to Use Salon Scheduling Software
Typically, salon designers and owners need easy-to-use salon software with a low price point, online appointment, employee scheduling, and inventory management. Budget is often a factor and some salons need an inexpensive option with basic functionality such as managing calendars, while larger salons need more robust options with POS processing and inventory management.
You can find whichever one works best for you by signing up for a learning course online. You could even have someone come in and teach you how it works. The added benefit to this is that you will get to see a live demo of the software, too! Softwares like Vagaro are a good bet, so read reviews and see what you want.
#3: Use Social Media to its Full Potential
Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your company and for creating sustainable customer relations. The partnership that you have with your customers is a major factor to success for any small business. No follow-up with customers outside appointments, particularly in the beauty industry, may mean the difference between a one-time appointment and securing a regular customer.
Using social media to track customers and provide valuable content is an effective way to promote the salon and deepen those ties.
You can easily learn how to set up your own social media pages and create your own online presence. Once that is done, you can start creating online promotions and other content such as behind the scenes footage, exclusive deals, follow up with them, find new clients online and much more! Social media is a great way to promote your salon to recurring clients and get new ones too.
