Is your receptionist losing you business?

[Sassy Hassy]

Well my gob is well and truly smacked today by an encounter I had with a nail salon that I pass on my way to the gym. I suddenly thought that they may be okay to recommend to my clients when I skidaddle to Spain, so I pootled in to have a chat about what they have to offer.

I was greeted by a very amiable lady who when I asked do they do gel nails asked if I could come back tomorrow as their nail tech wasn't in today. Okay I thought not a real problem. Then I saw they were selling Creative solar products so asked if the technician used Creative products for enhancements. Again she didn't have a clue. So I then told her that I was an emigrating tech looking to recommend a local salon to my clients. OMG I couldn't believe it when she promoted the local NSS !!!! Where was the loyalty with her own salon? And then she recommended somewhere else ! Do they actually want clients in their place?

If I'd been a client I would not have gone back there because the tech is only there at odd hours, and yet they call themselves a tanning and nail salon. I've walked past so many times and never seen a nail client and I can't say I'm surprised when the nail tech is rarely there.

So the moral of this story is if you employ a receptionist for goodness sakes spend some time training them so they can talk with a certain amount of authority and give you confidence in what you have to offer ... and not send me to the worst salon in town.

 

[juju]

How do they run a salon like this?It baffles me.Surely a receptionist should be able to give out loads of info thats what they are for aren't they?

 

[naturalnails]

I had a similar situation - I had a client who was moving and I looked through Yell.com to find her a salon, I called a couple and one beauty therapist said she didnt do nails but recommended a salon along the road - she said they dont speak English but they must be good because they are always busy.

If people are going to give recommendations, they should do it from personal experience not assumptions.

 

[Portia]

Blimey Sass, that's appalling

Perhaps you should go back tomorrow and speak to the Nail Tech, I've got visions of some poor lurking Geek paying to rent a table in this salon and wondering why she's not getting any clients and should she jack it all in and go mobile instead :irked: Totally not realising this woman is losing her clients hand over fist.

It's possible the Tech is not great, but give her the benefit of the doubt, how many of us renting tables actually know what the staff say/do about us when we're not there?

Hope you find someone soon

 

[VHunter]

I would have been umm "gobsmacked' as you all say, too!

EEKS, what kind of staff support is that? And not only does she hurt the tech's business BUT the salon's business as well!
1) the salon obviously generates some kind of revenue from the tech being there
2) new nail clients could become hair clients

What a space cadet!
Clearly not the smartest of the bunch.

Sassy.. do you really want to send your clients to stupid people? LOL
I know I know, it's not the tech's fault, but YIKES

 

[lotus blossom]

i have made a point of informing all the staff about nail services offered, im employed by the salon, but say im with a client i havent got time to go and discuss nails with a walk in , so whoever goes to the desk, knows what services we offer, what products we use, what is the difference between tips and scuplts etc, im proud of them as most people book after speaking to them!!
receptionists are the front of house, so they need to know everything about the services of the whole salon, as you say, a receptionist can make or break
first impressions count!!!!

 

[Sassy Hassy]

Well the tech in question I think is quite senior in the company as she is also the company educator (it's a franchise) and the receptionist did say that they are getting someone full time quite soon. I am going to pop in and mention it to the tech, I think she was trying to help recommend various places to my clients, but an NSS for crying out loud! She couldn't quite understand my reaction when i said I'd never step foot in a place that butchers your nails.

But I do think it is very short sighted of the company not to train this lady, and that's not her fault.

 

[Katmoz33]

well i know its not the same thing but i used to go to a well known gym where the receptionist was constantly eating mac donalds ....! i dumped the gym now the lady who does my facials has rented a room in the same gym so off i trot for my appointment at the gym there she is sat eating her big macs and i say hi ive got an appointment with joanne (the therapist) at 2pm ...she looks at me baffled WHO? she replies .....
so i say your therapist that works upstairs ......(a few moments past) then she says oooooh yes i forget she works here ...so she lets me through the turnstyle thing and i swear she still had no idea who joanne was or why i was there?!

 

[1999judy]

As I work in a tanning salon I can definately relate to your experience Sass. When I first started to work there I felt a bit cheeky explaining things to the receptionists as I don't pay them, I rent a room and they don't actually work for me. I ended up having to explain things to them and educating them a little just for the sake of my business. If I'm not there when a client comes in they ring me straight away if they are unsure of anything and I speak to the client on the telephone. Sounds to me like there may have been a falling out between the staff there, that's the only reason I can think of that she would send clients to the NSS.

 

[Sassy Hassy]

I don't think so Judy as she did rave about her tech, but when I said I was looking for a local salon to recommend my clients I think she thought she was helping me by telling me where else there was. She didn't have the first idea about nails, what systems they used etc

 

[bombini]

Ive not got a receptionist myself as im mobile but at the two previous salons i worked at both had receptionists & they were like chalk & cheese !

Salon 1's receptionist all had to have a beauty background, most of them had either done a beauty course yonks ago or were senior therapists so time was split between reception & treatments. They also received 10% commision on retail same as therapists.

Salon 2, well if someone wanted to book a treatment they usually just took the name & tel. number & got one of the therapists to call back Also one of the receptionists used to paint her nails on the desk with Creative enamel but we used Jessica there so you can imagine how that looked. They had no idea who was qualified in what either, total nightmare !

If i had a salon myself then I would do mystery shopper checks

 

[grafxgal]

well i know its not the same thing but i used to go to a well known gym where the receptionist was constantly eating mac donalds ....! i dumped the gym now the lady who does my facials has rented a room in the same gym so off i trot for my appointment at the gym there she is sat eating her big macs and i say hi ive got an appointment with joanne (the therapist) at 2pm ...she looks at me baffled WHO? she replies .....
so i say your therapist that works upstairs ......(a few moments past) then she says oooooh yes i forget she works here ...so she lets me through the turnstyle thing and i swear she still had no idea who joanne was or why i was there?!

ooohhhhh that's got to be proof that too much junk food rots your brain. lol:lol:

 

[Jen Smith]

i have made a point of informing all the staff about nail services offered, im employed by the salon, but say im with a client i havent got time to go and discuss nails with a walk in , so whoever goes to the desk, knows what services we offer, what products we use, what is the difference between tips and scuplts etc, im proud of them as most people book after speaking to them!!
receptionists are the front of house, so they need to know everything about the services of the whole salon, as you say, a receptionist can make or break
first impressions count!!!!

It must be great working with such dedicated people.. well done on getting together the team spirit :hug:

 

[Katmoz33]

ooohhhhh that's got to be proof that too much junk food rots your brain. lol:lol:

yes and the memory too lol

 

[Minipig007]

Training is definately the key, and getting a receptionist that is a team player. As an ex-spa receptionist myself, product and treatment knowledge are essential. Basic customer services, and knowledge of the industry and how to generate business is very important.
I have worked with people i would never hire as front of house. :irked:

 

[blossom]

Every so often, to keep abreast of local prices, I do a ring round of our local salons and ask how much, etc etc, and I am always appalled at

a) the ignorance of receptionist/whoever answers the phone and
b) the couldn't give a damn attitude (mostly)

But it's all good news for me! I may not have a shop front but when they call to ask prices it's a rare one that gets away without booking! (I was a receptionist for years and it's paid off!!)

 

[rouge]

I popped into a local hair and beauty salon to pick up a beauty price list. (just to see what they offer.) They didn't even have one at reception at all! Not even one on the wall that potential clients could look at!

 

[JDs]

Was it a commission salon or a Booth'station rental salon? I use to have a menu with 'price ranges ' on it as we are a boothrental salon but they dissappeared so quickly that it ended up being too expensive and then I started to print them out at home on my one in all printer and I still couldn't keep up with them dissappearing, so now we have one at our stations.

 

[Nailtrix]

IMHO I think this is indication of todays customer service.
Last week I had a experience with a receptionist (not the nail industry), had I not needed the service of the company she represented I would have went elsewhere.

 

[gemsie1983]

I think most of them do it either as a stop gap or would rather be elsewhere

Ours here is useless and no matter how many times we tell her we still get messages like a lady from somewhere called about that thing, oh right no problem I will call her back to discuss the wotsit!

She always get numbers wrong too!!