Reception dilemma!

[makeupartistzoe]

Heya Geeks,

I've had my salon just over a year and all is going pretty much to plan but I haven't been able to work out what I should do with reception...

we don't have a receptionist and as I'm still building my reputation, the salons reputation and getting all my stations full I can't employ a receptionist. All my staff rent their stations for £25 a day and run their own mini businesses. We all get on well and pitch in cleaning etc but now we are getting busier I feel when I'm not in things aren't done at all how I would like them. We have a 'perfect client experience' kind of training manual printed and in the staff room we have a 'daily housekeeping' check list...but I cant stand any of the following...

-getting in after a docs appointment or not being in to the salon open but our a board not being put out
-the magazine rack being messy and the blinds not pulled back neatly
-clients sat in their coats as nobody has offered to take it for them
-clients waiting without a drink
-dirty cups on the stations
-running out of soap, milk, loo roll, tea and coffee
-drips of coffee on the floor
-being told 'i couldnt find it' when client orders, price lists and everything has its place

but most of all i hate it when the phone is ringing and no one answers it!

what would tempt you as working hairdressers and therapists and nail tech to cover reception for a day or half a day at your salon. Rent reduction? free days to work? an allocation on products... please any views and pointers would be appreciated...

 

[Rhiannon1408]

What puzzles me is that they are not answering the phone! How do they expect to make profits (as well as yours) when they are ignoring possible clients on the phone?!

I'm not sure what to suggest to overcome this but your suggestion of 'free' days or reducing the rent slightly to get one to cover reception would definitely be good if I were working with you.

However I think you should have a staff meeting. Discuss all of these issues and come up with solutions together. I'm sure once you point out about how they could possibly be losing business by not answering the phone, they will understand as it benefits them too!

Hope this helps
Rhiannon x

 

[makeupartistzoe]

Thanks hun, don't let it puzzle you! I've been puzzled for months! Once I got in after a networking brekkie at half 10, nail tech and two hairdressers in and with their clients, the door is propped open coz it's hot but the a board is propped up against the reception desk where it goes a night, right in front of the front door as you walk in...right in the sodding way!

I had to ask our therapist and massage man, who were just having a chat and a cuppa in the beauty room to do so in reception because again the nail tech and the hairdresser were back to back and my lash ext lady had arrived, and the phone had been ringing all day! Aparently they finished having their chat 20 mins after I asked them!

I'm going to have a think x

 

[meme!]

where i work we dont have a recptionisht but we still manage to get everything done busy or not!!!!annnnd as for chattion and doing what was asked 20min later seems tome like they have no respect for you and your business!!which mean there not helping as an emplyee to help the business grow...id toughen up and set ground rules and let them no consequences if they havent done as they told in a subtle way....if there renting a station they probably feel like its not there job to doit maybe..but thats not true!!!

 

[Melanie86]

Do you do any sort of appraisal with your staff? I haven't got my own salon so I can't speak from experience but I'm doing a Uni degree in salon management. One of the things that they really drill in to you is appraisals/staff meetings. This way you can get your concerns across to them and you can ask them if there is anything that's bothering them, and what would motivate them personally to work harder. Maybe set targets/incentives for them to meet? Although I have to say, if they work for themselves then I would think that they would be fighting over answering the phone. They may feel like cleaning etc isn't their job so you may have to sit down and chat with them about what they should be doing. Other than that could you hire an apprentice and try to get government funding to pay them? As I said I'm not a salon owner so some of these things may not be practical for you for whatever reason, just thought I'd try and help Hope you get it sorted.

 

[KGsalon]

Defiently have a staff meeting and bring everything up in that. They have always helped me. Sounds like they are 'getting lazy' when it comes to not hanging coats up/making tea ect.

When it comes to a receptionist - I have had my salon 3 years now. Its a busy little salon but I wouldn't have a receptionist. There is three of us in salon and we work round it. If the phone goes we still answer, even if I'm doing a set of nails. Clients understand. Why pay out another lot of wages for something you could just do, work together and do it yourself.

Good luck xxx

 

[Steph86]

My opinion (not right or wrong) I would get all of the staff together and say:

"Ok, so now we are all getting busy (woohoo well done all etc) I am thinking of employing someone to do the jobs we aren't getting chance to ie answer phone, taking coats/payments/refereshments/keeping salon tidy inbetween appts etc, to do this, we are all going to have to chip in x amount per week to employ someone to work the busy hours/days to nake all our lives easier, clients to have a pleasuable experiance, and to book more appts (when the phone rings etc) and if you had a junior u could prob fit more clients in"

I worked as a junior from sat girl at 14, and just by watching u learn how to actually work in the industry. And I did all of what I said above and more! Xx

 

[AcidPerm]

I think you had a good idea suggesting that one of the existing therapists covers reception etc. in return for reduced rates.

However, I would carefully choose the most business savvy person to offer the deal to and designate that person the senior therapist so that they take responsibility for ensuring things are done properly when you're not around.

If you allow anyone in the group to volunteer, you might end up with someone who isn't really capable of persuading colleagues to do the right thing. e.g cleaning dirty stations etc. and then you won't be any better off, and in fact worse off, as they will be paying you less.

 

[Angelaznailz]

You could suggest that they accepted reception/ cleaning duties on a rota system. That way it would be fair if everybody took a 'duty day'.

 

[classixuk]

The above advice is excellent, apart from one major problem.

These people aren't your staff, they are your tenants renting space from you for £25 per day.

You can't (in law) tell them how they should be working, what times they should be working or expect them to carry out duties in your business. It's one of the things you give up all rights to when you give up being an employer.

You need to ask yourself if £125 per week is a good enough return on your investment for each station, and if you are willing to run a salon without any legal control over it's standards.

By the sounds of things, you'd be happier (and financially better off) as an employer, where you could lay down the rules for everything and ensure they are adhered to.

Trying to do that whilst keeping the team as self employed contractors could get you into a very sticky mess with the HMRC. They are fully aware that many hairdressers etc. lately seem to be "self employed" and they are clamping down on it.

If they ever investigate you, and they deem that by the looks of things your team were actually "employees" and not true self employed businesses, they will do all of the following:

1. Lump all of your incomes together as one for the purposes of VAT dating back to when you all first started and charge you the VAT as if you had collected it

• Investigate you for avoiding paying the National Minimum Wage to your 'renters' and force you to back-pay for every hour they were with you since they started, and;

• Force you to pay all of the employer's NI contributions that would have been due.

You need to make the decision now, do you want complete control of how your business is ran (employer) or are you OK with being a landlord (self-employed). If you blur the lines at any time, the HMRC will assume you wanted the former and charge you accordingly.

 

[Josie*]

We are all self employed at our salon and have been talking about getting a receptionist. If us just accepted that we will all be chipping in. I think you need to just sit down with them all, have all the costs worked out and see what they think. Depending on how many work there it may not cost them much just for busy hours.
Josie x

 

[vitality]

Have you thought about taking on a college student in return for some free coaching sduring busier periods? I understand you concern, If you don't answer the phone it is like turning away business.:Love:

 

[makeupartistzoe]

Thanks guys. I have asked 3 of the 7, so far to help out and effectively give up a day. In return I give them £50 off their rent a month, so two have picked up an extra day on alternate weeks which really helps them both out and £100 product allocation every quarter.

We are going to do a two hour training sesh in where everything is(gift vouchers price lists) and how long treatments take and have a staff meeting where i will get things off my chest. I'm really aware I can't dictate what hours they work but after not getting my lunch til gone 3 today (and i have a dog that needs to be taken out its not coz i have to eat) because two people went into town for over an hour each is not playing fairly as a team. At no point did I ever say im the salon skiv! They all clean up their own mess now coz i told them i would need £5 a day more rent to cover a cleaner!

If they are quiet and dont answer the phone and its for them, they have lost out, if they dont answer the phone and its not for them, they have missed the opportunity to bk them in for a hair/beauty treatment with themselves after the appt the already wanted! Duh!

thanks for all your help x