my medspa | my salon desk - Business of Beauty #Business

3 Ways to Operate your Salon or Spa without a Front-Desk Receptionist

Sat, 12 Mar 2022 00:07:40 -0500

Learn how salons + spas have successfully ditched their front desk.

How My Salon Desk Phone Answering Service supports Modern Salons + Spas

Because of this virtual call center, I personally have experienced a RETURN ON MY INVESTMENT by converting all new clients who are calling and freeing up my time to work on growing my business as opposed to being on the phone all the time with people and answering questions.

- Current Client

Staffing the front desk is proving to be an enormous challenge for salons + spas post-Covid 19. Many would-be receptionists have opted to pursue higher education or advanced training in other fields, while others have transitioned into full-time gig workers. This leaves many beauty businesses at an impasse that may redefine our industry in perpetuity - do we simply move forward without any front desk support at all? How will that impact client retention? Will new clients feel unappreciated?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions, but one thing is clear: many functions of front-desk staff can be fully automated WITHOUT causing a reduction in service quality, thanks to recent innovations in salon + spa software. Clients will not mind checking out virtually using mobile card-readers and apps, and competent salon + spa staff should be perfectly capable of greeting + upselling their own clients. Cleaning tasks should already be evenly divided among the entire team. However, this does leave one critical function unaddressed: who on earth will be responsible for answering the phone?

While some smaller, established suite renters may be able to get away with a text-only business, up-and-coming + mid-large businesses will certainly falter without instant customer service. Today's consumer is more entitled to immediate contact than ever; if you don't get their call, they'll simply keep calling other businesses until somebody actually picks up. My Salon Desk's skilled remote Receptionists have successfully supported hundreds of beauty professionals across the US and Canada since our initial launch, and we've proudly earned a following of loyal salon, spa + medspa brands.

How to Run and Operate a Salon Without a Receptionist - outsource, Outsource, OUTSOURCE!

Any MBA grad can tell you the importance of the following quote: "If it's not your core business, OUTSOURCE it". It's always a bad idea for a growing business to over-extend itself with tasks that aren't adding true value directly to your clients. Our clients have found that they couldn't justify the $50,000+ a year price-tag for a receptionist, especially since providing reception is not the core business of a hair salon! Seeking out an external + remote live call answering solution, they've ultimately chosen My Salon Desk often after poor experiences with other services.

Outsource Your Call Handling

Outsource General Tasks via Technology

Outsource Business Processes

Outsource Your Call Handling

My Salon Desk can answer your calls, texts, emails + webchats remotely! We integrate seamlessly into your current tech stack to answer your client's questions and book appointments directly into your software without interrupting your typical workflow.

Appointment Booking

We can book + reschedule appointments directly into your booking software.

Quick + Timely Service

We answer most calls within just 1 ring - and say "goodbye" to your callers being placed on extended holds.

White-Glove Service

Our associates are all required to hold at least 2 years of experience in high-end client service.

Free Follow Up

We relay messages from your clients at no extra charge. Select a phone call, encrypted SMS or email-based delivery.

Beauty-Trained

Our US-based Receptionists are licensed estheticians, students, or beauty professionals.

Custom Integrations

The My Salon Desk platform is fully API-enabled, powering an unlimited range of integrations and supporting advanced automations.

Small Cohorts

Our Receptionists work in small cohorts, enabling them to become more familiar with your business practices.

Reliable 7 days / wk

No more flaky, "sick" employees. We are open for business almost everyday 8 am to 9 pm!

Outsource General Tasks via Technology

Selecting high-powered and advanced software options can help alleviate your task-load immensely. A good booking software will automate:

- Online booking

- Appointment reminders

- Confirmations

- Arrival notifications

- Client check-in + forms

- Marketing outreach

- Inventory management and re-ordering

- And more!

💡 Some software even help you greet + manage the flow of clients arriving to your business via an iPad app that you can place in your lobby. Ensure that your staff receive arrival notifications and can quickly meet clients shortly after they arrive. Use the newly opened lobby space to showcase retail offerings - consider setting out samples + testers to keep clients busy!

Outsource Business Processes

Is your current receptionist responsible for performing general business processes? Consider outsourcing tasks like bookkeeping, social media management, advertising, photography, and even salon cleaning. Other smaller tasks can be divvied up among your current staff; you can even designate a staff member to receive any requisite additional training.

Our Salon + Spa Specialty Virtual Answering Service has proudly supported salons + spas as they've sought to eliminate the front desk position from their businesses. Why would a salon or spa seek to go front desk-less? A few reasons:

✓ New + Modern Salon Software options make it more feasible

Many salon software allow staff to checkout clients from the apps on their phone or using iPads strategically located at the front desk. Online booking has also significantly reduced the call volume, which makes it less cost-efficient to pay for a full-time staff member.

✓ Controlling Expenses + Payroll Costs

A decent receptionist will likely cost around $4500+ a month when factoring in fringe benefits, payroll taxes, absenteeism + training. To make matters worse, few receptionists remain in the business long enough to make the HR + training process worth it. While a Receptionist can also help with small tasks + cleaning, it doesn't justify this high expense.

✓ Staffing Challenges

Does anyone want to work anymore?? Gig jobs and remote opportunities ave removed a LOT of young workers from the traditional workforce - which means it's even more difficult now to find good staff who will stick in for the long haul.

✓ Retail Opportunities

Eliminating your front desk area will help open up your salon or spa for more strategic retail placement, which could boost an important source of revenue for your business.

How a Salon + Spa Specialty Answering Service Can Help You!

✓ We know the ins + outs of the beauty industry and provide white-glove service.

✓ We are OMNICHANNEL- we support voice calls, texts, emails, web-chats and more!

✓ We can BOOK APPOINTMENTS for you, helping you capture new leads.

✓ We provide affordable month-month Plans.

Many beauty businesses are now seeking alternatives to the traditional front desk model for these aforementioned reasons. It can be nerve-wracking to outsource the function of your business to a third party, but our skilled Receptionists and advanced training requirements should put your mind at ease: all receptionists are required to have at least two years of experience within a luxury beauty services industry and must undergo an additional 3-Week Internal Training prior to handling any calls. We've seamlessly supported high-end and luxury salons + spas across the region without ever damaging the branded client experience they seek to provide.

The greatest part about our service is that we can answer treatment + service related questions without needing any follow-up from you! We don't just answer calls and pass-along messages - we HANDLE them. 85% of Missed Callers will NOT ultimately book an appointment with you. Missed calls literally translate into missed opportunities for revenues - new clients are often reluctant to book appointments without connecting to a human on the other end (ESPECIALLY for new Med Spa clients!).

Did we mention that we can also book appointments DIRECTLY into your chosen salon or spa software? Yes, we absolutely can! Here are a few of our compatible software options:

MindBody
Booker
Square
Acuity
Fresha
Gloss Genius

Vagaro
Aesthetic Record
Aesthetic Pro
Envision
Orchid Spa Software
Salon Iris

Zenoti
Boulevard Salon Software
Mangomint
Phorest (in some cases)
Jane App
And More!

The 1st Virtual Receptionist Service Custom-Designed for Salons, Spas, Medical Spas, Massage Therapists and more.

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Developing a Budget & Financial Business Plan for your Salon or Spa

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 02:04:27 -0500

"Even if you are already in operation, it never hurts to review your budget."

How to Create a Salon + Spa Budget

Even though you're probably already in operation as a salon or spa business owner, it never hurts to review your budgeting. If you're like most stylists, you probably don't have a set-in-stone budget - you buy things as you need them, and on good days you might keep the receipt or log the purchase. You might think this strategy is working for you now, but without a concrete budget plan you may be unintentionally hemorrhaging profits.

There are two primary phases of business for which you'll likely need distinct financial plans. We'll be discussing both of them within this article: both the Startup Budget and the Ongoing Budget are two important financial roadmaps for your salon or spa. Keep in mind that a complete budget will need to contain details regarding both your expenses and your revenues in order to determine your true profits - the money that's left for you at the end of the month.

profit = revenue - expenses

Startup Budget and Business Plan for Salons + Spas

The SBA recommends that you anticipate overhead costs prior to commencing any business venture, but we're going to go ahead and check that off the list now (better late than never). If you're a super-boss who's already completed a formal budget, feel free to follow along and cross-reference your existing itemization with some of the budget items we will be discussing.

SALON + SPA START-UP COSTS and BUDGET

Licensing	Individual Stylist/ Aesthetician licensure + Salon or Spa Business Licensure
Business Formation	Costs will vary depending on whether you opt for an LLC or a Sole Proprietorship.
Accounting Management	You can manage your own finances or opt to have an accountant / bookkeeper assist you. You’ll need to make sure you are properly registered with your state treasury to collect and remit taxes on your services. Canadian pros will need to register to collect and remit HST or GST plus PST as needed.
Insurance	At a minimum, you should obtain both general and professional liability insurance. Depending on your locale, you may also need Workman's Compensation Insurance. You might also have monthly health insurance premiums.
Suite Rent	You’ll have costs associated with paying your suite lease and deposit, as well as any costs for modifications and moving expenses.
Devices + Tools	Obviously you need Pro Tools! Suites typically come equipped with a standard chair, mirror, and some counter space, but you’ll likely want to expand upon these offerings.
Product	You'll have to identify appropriate brands for both professional use as well as retail based on your unique service attributes and the economic background of your clientele.
Furniture + Decor	In order to support your primary emotive aesthetic, you'll need to tell a visual brand story through your suite decor.
Technical Expenses	You'll need a Website, Booking Software, Business Phone, Camera, Ring Lights / Lighting, and of course, an Answering Service such as the one we provide here at My Salon Desk!
Marketing	Social Media Templates, Social Media Management, SEO Services and Advertising Management.
Professional Development	You may have joined beauty business collectives or attended seminars to prepare you for entrepreneurship, or perhaps you might take advantage of a business coach.

Ongoing Budget and Business Plan for Salons + Spas

As your business ultimately launches, you’ll still have a similar set of expenses, but you’ll also have to factor in projected earnings and revenues. Each month you should be completing a Profit + Loss Statement (download a free template at the following link: https://wise.com/us/income-statement/profit-loss-statement) in which you detail all of your business expenses, assets, and income. Your budget for business expenses may vary month to month based on your available revenues – for instance, in a slow month you may have to cut your marketing budget.

This is an excellent opportunity to test out the mathematical logic of your pricing structure and your backbar / professional tool selections – you don’t want to end up offering high-end hair / skin products within a low-revenue business.

SALON + SPA ONGOING COSTS and BUDGET

Licensing Renewal	Depending on your locale, you’ll need to pay to update your licensure every year or so.
Business Formation	Costs will vary depending on whether you opt for an LLC or a Sole Proprietorship.
Accounting Management	Your accountant or accounting management software will likely come with monthly fees. You’ll also owe state and federal taxes on your business’ earnings.
Insurance	You’ll have to pay monthly or annual premiums for insurance.
Suite Rent	Your Landlord or Suite will auto-deduct your rent each month from your payment method on file.
Devices + Tools	Eventually your irons, drills, tweezers, etc. will need to be replaced!
Product Replenishment	As you use (or sell) product, you’ll need to replenish your stock.
Decorative Updates	You might want to set aside a budget for adding decorative items for holidays or other events, or even for replacing old items and renovating.
Technical Expenses	Your tech services and devices may have monthly payments or maintenance costs - learn more about our My Salon Desk Plans!
Marketing	You might opt to maintain ongoing marketing costs in order to maintain a high digital visibility and grow your clientele.
Professional Development	As a beauty pro, you probably already know that beauty school never really ends - you can always afford to learn more.

Revenue Strategy for Beauty Businesses

In addition to expenses, you'll also have to anticipate revenues for your business. Many beauty professionals often get confused between revenues and profits - what you "make" is actually considered your profits.

Let's consider the various sources of income a.k.a revenue that your salon or spa will bring in, so that you'll know how to allocate your budget appropriately.

Services and Gratuity – The bulk of your earnings will likely come from your service costs in addition to any tips your clients opt to provide. This may also vary depending on how many hours per week you plan to work.
Retail Sales – A solid retail sales strategy can have a significant impact on your bottom line – you’ll need to select merchandise wisely!
Endorsement + Education – Those of you with professional followings may have opportunities to earn extra income via brand ambassadorship and education, or you might even develop your own e-course.

Bonus: How Much Money do I Need to Open a Salon or Spa?

Generally most business financial planners will advise that you have all necessary startup costs plus at least 6 months of overhead costs saved up – this means costs that are unavoidable like rent, basic utilities, product replenishment, your website, perhaps some essential marketing, etc. Having overhead saved up is important for 3 major reasons:

1. In the event of an unprecedented emergency – like a global pandemic

2. It gives you flexibility to try new strategies or ideas without being overly concerned with financial obligations

3. It gives you the confidence to say “NO” It gives you the confidence to say “NO” to undesirable clients and hold true to yourself as a businessperson.

Even if you have difficulty amassing 6 months of savings, stock up as much as you can. You should also consider maintaining a 2nd job or side hustle until your business takes off – consider a work-from-home position, or maybe you could work a day or two each week as a contractor in somebody else’s business.

Also, bear in mind that it is generally financially prudent to maintain an emergency fund containing 6 months of living expenses (residential rent, healthcare + insurance, food, transportation costs (car +insurance, public transportation, etc.), clothing, debts (loans, credit card payments, etc.), and other personal affects. You should have an emergency fund regardless of whether or not you are pursuing entrepreneurship.

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we handle them.

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The Best Professional Voicemail Greeting Examples for Salons and Spas

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 21:09:01 -0400

"The salon or spa voicemail greeting can make or break whether someone decides to stay on the line, or hang up and call another salon for an appointment."

It's not a surprise that the first impression you leave on your client is often through voicemail. A professional greeting can make your clients feel at ease when they call in to book their service appointment but are unable to speak to a live person. The greeting can make or break whether someone decides to stay on the line, or hang up and call another salon for an appointment. Greetings require professionalism and friendliness at the same time – it's essential to know your clients and create messages specifically for them. Think about their demographics, preferences, and the way they talk. Voicemail greetings should be created for your unique consumer cohort – be it seniors who buy your beauty products at discount prices or modern millennials who call to book a hair removal appointment.

Keep reading below for effective examples of voicemail greetings for your salon or spa.

How Can an Effective Voicemail Greeting Help a Salon or Spa?

When a client reaches your voicemail, it's usually for one of two reasons: either your business is closed, or you're too busy to answer the phone. Regardless, in this day and age clients expect instant support. Online search indices have made it easy to simply locate another nearby salon or spa if you are unable to provide support in a timely fashion. An effective voicemail greeting can go a long way toward ensuring clients that they are still being cared for. Always keep in mind that the primary function of your greeting should always be client retention, particularly for new clients - you want them to give you a chance to get back to them before trying their luck with another business.

Thinking of Voicemail Greetings as Part of Salon or Spa Marketing Strategy

Voicemail greetings can be used in several ways: to convey information about the salon (hours of operation, services offered), as well as to promote daily specials or upcoming events (promotion of sale days, for instance). Voicemail greetings are a great tool to improve your business and to add value to clients. If you want to stand out from the competition, this is a very effective way to ensure that your clients still maintain interest in booking.

Voicemail greetings are also an opportunity to promote your salon, especially if you have a team of stylists or estheticians. Leverage the opportunity to provide information to your clients that might boost your revenue down the line.

What Makes a Good Business Voicemail Greeting?

The most important part of creating an effective message is knowing what you want your clients to hear in the first place. What are they looking for from you when calling? That will help you write a greeting and determine its tone, so make sure that it fits their needs.

Things to Include in Your Greeting:

Start by warmly greeting your client and thanking them for their call.
Include any information regarding salon or spa updates, such as service specials or closures due to inclement weather. Make sure your greeting is updated on a regular basis.
Explain why their call might be going unanswered, and apologize for the inconvenience.
Provide alternative methods of contact if applicable.
Suggest that the caller leave a message.

Example Salon + Spa Voicemail Greetings:

Here are a few Voicemail Greetings samples modeled from current My Salon Desk clients.

MISSED CALL During Open Hours:

"Hi! Thank you for calling Spa Bella in San Francisco, where Coolsculpting® treatments are now 25% off! We are currently experiencing high call volume and apologize for missing your call, but we'd still love to provide you with support. lf you are in need of urgent assistance, please send an email to spabella@mysalondesk.com. Otherwise, kindly leave a message after the tone and our front desk team will return your call within 2 hours. As a token of gratitude for your patience, mention this message when you book your appointment to receive a 10% Off coupon. Thanks again for your call, and we look forward to connecting soon!"

MISSED CALL After Hours:

"Hello, and thank you for calling Salon Bella at 7th Street in San Francisco, where we are excited to now offer Keratin Complex semi-permanent hair straightening! Unfortunately we are currently closed, but we will be open again tomorrow from 8AM to 5PM at which time we'll be happy to provide further assistance. In the meantime you'll find the answers to many common questions on our website, spabella.mysalondesk.com. If you'd like to leave us a message, our front desk team will certainly return your call in the morning. We appreciate your interest and we look forward to connecting soon!"

Important Things to Keep in Mind When Developing a Voicemail Greeting:

Voicemail greetings should be short (under 20 seconds) but friendly and professional. Go through several voicemails that give an idea of how you want yours to sound like – then create your own unique message.
Voicemail greetings can be recorded on a digital recording device or in professional studios – whatever works best for you! Just make sure there is no background noise that might call attention to unprofessionalism.
Voicemail greetings don't have to be boring, so spice them up by adding different background tunes or sound effects. After all, you have to follow the old saying "a little humor never hurt anyone".
Take advantage of the opportunity to market any upcoming sales or promotions to your clients. Implement suggestive selling techniques to encourage clients to upgrade their services when you eventually reach back out to them.
Consider adding a special offer within the greeting as a token of gratitude to your clients for their patience.
We at My Salon Desk frequently develop custom telecommunications solutions - an after-hours automated text message is a common offering amongst our business clients. It's a great way to remain engaged with younger clientele who may not wish to leave a voicemail.

Final Thoughts

Voicemail greetings can make a big difference in market penetration and client retention, so make sure you consider them as an integral part of your entire salon strategy. If you want more Voicemail Greeting examples, check out this link to get them for free.

And if you really want to provide white-glove customer service and omni-channel clientele management to your salon or spa guests, consider implementing a salon and spa virtual phone answering service. A virtual receptionist answering service can help you prevent the issue of missed calls altogether by providing phone coverage during peak call times. We at My Salon Desk can take client calls between 8 AM and 9 Pm everyday of the week - additionally we offer a voicemail service for the occasional call after our regular business hours.

Amazon Now Has a Salon - How Will It Impact The Beauty Industry?

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 09:48:10 -0400

"Amazon is leveraging its name-brand recognition to launch a deep data-dive into the beauty sector."

Recent business news stories have released the surprising news that Amazon plans to add a surprising new industry to its portfolio - beauty salons. The first Amazon hair salon opened up in London in April of this year - the company tapped a successful stylist-owner of a nearby location to serve as the artistic and creative director. The 1500 square-feet location will feature Amazon Fire tablets at each station for content streaming, as well as multiple advanced interfaces for product education and retail. VR technology will allow clients to try-on different hairstyles and colors before taking the plunge, and point-and-learn screens will save you the hassle of searching for product information on your smartphone. Interestingly, little attention has been afforded to the quality of the stylists or the workflow of the salon - as a leader in salon + spa virtual reception, we certainly think Amazon has overlooked many opportunities to implement AI and other modern technologies within its service offerings as well as its omni-channel clientele management strategy.

Amazon is no stranger to the professional beauty industry - many amateur cosmetologists take advantage of Amazon's robust beauty catalog prior to obtaining the requisite licensure for professional vendor accounts. The company leveraged this market stream a few years ago when it launched its Wholesale Salon Distribution + Beauty Supply, enabling licensed beauty businesses to obtain professional salon product at wholesale pricing. Why the continued interest in beauty? The money doesn't lie - American beauty retailers have collectively been bringing in $90 billion annually as of late, with the industry expected to see exponential growth into the clean beauty. The beauty service sectors is slated to experience interesting growth trends according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - while job prospects are bleak for traditional cosmetologists, specialty personal care providers will experience a wave of opportunity; barbers are expected to see an above-average increase in job openings (7% between 2019 and 2029), while skincare specialists and nail technicians will see growth at 17% and 19% respectively within the same time frame.

Amazon currently doesn't have plans to open up any more salons, so on the surface it appears that this location may serve simply as a marketing ploy - but what ultimately is Amazon's agenda with this newest foray into the beauty industry? Clearly the company doesn't seem to be too interested in salon + spa education and training, and its own press releases did little to hype to talent of its own staff. Read below to hear our thoughts.

Understanding Sales Trends

This location will help Amazon learn what really makes customer tick. Beauty retail requires a tactile experience that is difficult to approximate within an e-commerce format, so Amazon will be able to observe customer movement and activity within its stores (cross-referenced with digital footprints and web/app activity) to better understand what drives sales.

Learning Our Workflow

Amazon likely understands the potential influence of salon + spa professionals, and would presumably love a way to integrate directly with smaller beauty businesses to add a novel revenue stream. Wouldn't Amazon just love to directly fulfill your clients' sales orders? Having its own team of stylists will help the company develop a tech-stack that will have utility to the average stylist (who may not be so tech-savvy).

Developing AR + VR Tech

More than likely, the primary function of this salon location is simply to fine-tune its AR / VR shopping experience. VR try-on technology is old news at this point, but Amazon undoubtedly has its sights set on the next iteration of high-tech shopping. Perhaps in the not-so-distant future, we might be using our own personal set of Oculus glasses to shop online, while we virtually sample products from the comfort of our beds.

4 Simple Tips to Improve Rebooking Rates in your Salon or Spa

Thu, 13 May 2021 13:25:37 -0400

"Specifically outlined protocols for retaining clients lead to success with rebooking."

We've all heard so many times about the importance of re-booking in the beauty + personal care industries. We all know how busy life can get - often times your clients may really want to come in but just don't have the time to even book! Think of times when you've wanted to buy something but just haven't had the time to Industry coaches and advisors often place target rebooking rates between 20-30%. However, many successful salons + spas boast rates in excess of 85% (Salon Today, "Be Our Guest: Successful Client Strategies for Retention, Referral and Prebooking").

Salons + spas with specifically outlined protocols for retaining clients experience the best success with rebooking - successful strategies include the provision of retail product discounts, subscription-based or pre-paid services, or even the deployment of "concierges" to schedule clients before their appointments have concluded. Omnichannel client communications can also be leveraged to boost retention and to avoid missed appointments - many salons still opt to confirm appointments by phone in addition to the dissemination of automated reminder text messages.

In this article, we'll outline 4 specific tips that will take you to the next level.

Have more questions about how a Virtual Receptionist can support your Rebooking rates? Get in touch with us now.

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4 Salon + Spa Rebooking Strategies

1. Follow-Up with Clients + Patients Post-Appointment

Sometimes people really do just get busy. Beauty is a non-essential service, so it can sometimes fall to the bottom of the priority list for an especially busy woman. Be sure to follow up by phone, text, etc. to check how your client is liking the results - sometimes those who don't rebook are simply unsatisfied with your work. My Salon Desk Virtual Receptionists are great for completing a task like this! If you use an API-enabled scheduling software, this can actually be fully automated.

2. Offer Incentives

Why not offer a discount on future service or gratis product to clients who rebook their future appointments while they check-out? You could even consider adding packages and memberships to boost client loyalty and return rates.

3. Ask BEFORE they leave!

Don't make the mistake of waiting until AFTER your client leaves to hope she rebooks! Many people call it "PRE-booking" for a reason. The best time to get her to commit to a date is when you have her full attention right inside the salon or spa. Some businesses have successfully deployed rebooking "Concierges" to float around and rebook clients while they're still in the chair and can easily pull up their schedules in their phones.

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

Let your clients know that spots go fast (even if they don't quite yet!). If your client feels that she'll have to wait a long time for her next appointment, she may be more pressured to rebook immediately. Also, let the client know the risks of waiting too long in between services. Outgrown acrylics can be dangerous, and going too long without a deep conditioning or bond restructuring treatment can spell disaster for color-treated hair.