Consultation forms

[millytint]

just wondering how many of you actually complete these with your clients? I am working in a salon at the moment and have only been there 5 months but am getting clients asking why they need to answer these questions and that they;ve never had to do it before! i usually explain its because you may have somthing eg an infection that may prevent me from doing the treatment as i wouldnt want to catch it and pass it on to all my other clients and then i say i am a professional for doing so and cant understand why none of the other therapists dont do them. I have been a beautician for 5 years and have always gone through a consultation form with every single client every single time.... just cant understand why i seem to be the only one that ever does them as they are so important in my opinion...

 

[Ruth Mills]

The lady who does my waxing always asks me verbally if anything has changed health wise each time I see her for a treatment; am pretty sure I went through a more thorough consultation the first time I saw her too. She also always asks if I have any creams on, etc, that would affect the waxing (even though I never do on the day of a wax; I just have a bath in the morning)...

But a more formal process using a form with specific questions sounds like a great idea. I guess the nature of the questions would vary for each type of treatment?

 

[loubylou]

Your not the only one hun, most if not all us from here fill them out,
but you are right, most clients have not been asked to do this until meeting a true professional :hug:

 

[leonnib]

we do consultation cards for hair,tanning and beauty.

its mainly to have for your record.
You may need to look back at a previous appointment etc. and you cant do this without any record of when they came.
And as you said to check that there isnt anything to cause any problems to the treatment you are going to give them so if anything goes wrong becuase they gave you wrong/false information its not your fault.

i havent been in the industry very long. but in anywhere else ive worked ive always had to fill in some sort of record/client card.

 

[jes]

Yes, I know what you mean, I get lots of people, from other salons (NSS?), who've never seen a Client Record Card. I even get people who've never had a patch test before eyelash tinting etc.

Every single person who come into my salon fills out a client record card without exception. It's in the clients interest, with regards to health and safety and it's a requirement of my insurance policy... and basically that's what I tell them if they ask.

In my experience, the vast majority of clients appreciate this attention to detail and I've found it a good selling point.

Jes

 

[Ruth Mills]

Would people say that there are some questions that should be asked at every time the client comes for a particular treatment, and conversely other questions that only need to be asked the first time that a client has a new treatment? Or should the full set of questions be asked every time? Or does it vary from treatment to treatment?

 

[leonnib]

Would people say that there are some questions that should be asked at every time the client comes for a particular treatment, and conversely other questions that only need to be asked the first time that a client has a new treatment? Or should the full set of questions be asked every time? Or does it vary from treatment to treatment?

there are certain questions we ask for first treatments. e.g.allergies: we ask on that the first time they use that treatment and not every time.
but most of them except maybe two we go through every time.

my consulaton cards only have a few questions
you'l always get people moaning about things ive come to realize..

 

[Ruth Mills]

there are certain questions we ask for first treatments. e.g.allergies: we ask on that the first time they use that treatment and not every time.
but most of them except maybe two we go through every time.

my consulaton cards only have a few questions
you'l always get people moaning about things ive come to realize..

Excellent! And would you say that there are general questions common to all treatments, and then other questions that are specific to particular classes of treatments (e.g. waxing) or specific treatments (e.g. Brazilian waxing)?

 

[LADY STARDUST]

I use a general form for most treatments if its a new client but then have separate forms for IHM, reflexology, tinting etc just so you can ask specific questions relating to that treatment. When i see the clients again i just check if anything has changed since last time (medication, illness etc) and carry out the treatment accordingly.
When i was working at my last salon i was the only therapist that ever used the forms and i had to design my own as the owners and manager didnt feel it was necessary!!!:irked:
Apart from getting info from your client it is also vital for insurance purposes and so if anyone asks what the purpose is with the forms this is how i explain it to them, that it's to protect them and also the therapist...xXx

 

[Ruth Mills]

Apart from getting info from your client it is also vital for insurance purposes and so if anyone asks what the purpose is with the forms this is how i explain it to them, that it's to protect them and also the therapist...xXx

Definitely - it provides a verifiable audit trail that you could use as backup in the case of an insurance claim - and would give documentary evidence that you have shown "due diligence" in the unlikely case of any action being taken against you.

 

[leonnib]

i got my cards from capital so not sure about other consulation cards from other companies.
But the questions in my opinion are pretty much basic and general but some are tailored to that specific treatment.

i have a seperate card for spray tanning and sunbeds, one for hair that is basically to keep a note of colours used etc for repeat appointments and one for beauty.
i have one card for beauty but we only do waxing and facials (waxing we just started this week).

Some beauty treatments may need different cards but alot of questions would be similar due as some of the same questins would need to be asked.
I dont know alot about the beauty side but i would have thought this was the case.

e.g if you go to the doctor,dentist or opticians. You fill in a form and majority of the questions are the same but maybe 2 or 3 are tailored to them specific.

not sure if thats a good example but only one i could think of.

 

[millytint]

same here hun i am also our main therapist in our salon, i am eomplyed but we have 2 others who r self employed-one of them has 10 years exp i have 5 and she doesnt even do them, and the other has only just qualified and she doesnt either- they are both a bit older than me as well! We work in a hairdressers and i also had to create all of my consultation forms! if i didnt do these things no one else would!

 

[Sharkster]

When I set up my own salon a few years back I went to every other salon in town for a treatment so I could have a snoop (not so I could copy them but so that I could ensure that I was going to be different and use different brands and have different decor and also check that my prices were on par and not stupidly undercutting anyone!)

Anyway, out of 12 salons only 3 asked me to complete a consultation which I found quite shocking! Aside from all the issues previously mentioned (contra-indications and as a member of BABTAC the terms state that they should be completed etc.) what about the marketing side of things? Without client contact details how can they be kept in touch with offers or promotions to generate repeat business?

Perhaps it's just where I live as most geeks on here seem to agree that they are carried out all the time? Anyway, I made up my own forms and complete them with every new client and keep them regularly updated as I thought I don't care what they're doing (or not in this case!) I'm doing it properly!

Em x

 

[TheBack&Beyond]

I firmly believe that going though a consultation with new customers is the right thing to do not only for insurance reasons, but it also sets a professional tone for the customer. I have a customer clipboard that I can hand the form over to new customers to read and sign if he is happy.

For returning customers it's so simple to ask if anything has changed since last time.

I printed my own forms up on stiff card, and on the reverse I have a client record card which I note date, treatment and cost for each session. Being able to refer to the last treatment and price is brilliant - and I cunningly printed my price list at the foot of each customer record card so I can tot up without thumbing through price lists and uhming and ahhing at the end of the session - and it keeps it all on a single sheet of paper!

Please email me if you would like a PDF copy of my form. I'd be more than happy to de-brand it and email it to you. (you'll have to substitute your own price list of course).

Cheers, Jason.

[email protected]