How do you manage your reception??

[JoSu]

I have the opportunity to lease a small salon in a nearby town which will be staffed soley by me.

I can't help but wonder though, how I would manage the reception area as well as carry out treatments, as I would not want to interrupt the flow of treatements to run back and fore to reception for enquiries or to answer the phone.

Also there is the issue of security, with retail products and cash as anyone could just walk in off the street and help themselves.

If you are a sole trader/one man band, how do you manage???

 

[Martin Duffy]

I now work on my own - after years of working on manned salons I decided I wanted the peace & quiet! I run my own reception with no problems. The phone is on answerphone and I set the ringing to a very low level to avoid it interupting treatments. I make a point of getting back to callers ASAP. During treatments I put a sign on the door saying I'm in a treatment & to feel free to phone & leave a message, I also lock the door when I'm in a treatment.

Some worry about loss of business, but to be honest when you have no work on you'll be around the majority of the time to take messages there & then, and by the time you have a full clientelle it won't matter so much if you lose the odd client who cannot bear to wait an hour or so for a reply! All of my client's know how my business runs & so book their next appointment there & then to save faffing about with the phone anyway!

If you're very worried about it, why not see if you can find someone who wants a few hours a week regular work experience who can come & sit on reception for free. Years ago we had a girl who came in one day a week & helped out on reception & in return she got experience in a salon (we also helped her improve her treatments with one on one 'training'). As a result by the time she went for a job she knew how to run a salon better than we did!

 

[RedAdmiral]

Mature beauty students or back to workers are perfect - find out when your reception is most busiest and have soemone do those hours, other than that when I call my waxers i have no problems leaving a message as I know they are in treatments.

 

[champagne]

Same as above i have a treatment in progress sign for the door & I advise clients that i may have to anwer the door ....(i dont do massage so its not a relaxing treatment they are interupting).

My clients are fine about it, the answerphone is on so i can pick up any messages after treatment,,,,your clients will get to know how u run so its usually not a problem...

 

[xAnnaBannAx]

I have been wondering the same sort of thing for home-based salons as well.....Im turning my spare bedroom upstairs into my nail room and was thinking the other day...what do I do if there is a knock on the door? (I rarely get anyone knocking on the door but obviously occasionally the postman, someone collecting for charity or whatever...oh and my sons mates of course!)

If I was to go answer the door would my client think I was being rude to her, or if I ignored the door....would my client think im being rude to the person knocking! lol

Does anyone working from home actually put a 'do not disturb' type sign on there front door to avoid these kind of interuptions??