How Important Is the Front Desk to My Salon’s Success?

Why is Your Salon’s Front Desk Important?

The front desk is the first thing a client sees when walking into your salon. It is also the first point of contact that a client has with anyone on your team, so making it a positive experience is a must!

The front desk area of your salon encompasses a lot. Clients are greeted here, checked in here, browse your retail selection here, and wait for their appointments here. They also complete their transaction, rebook services, and say their goodbyes here. A client’s experience with your salon begins and ends with the front desk, making it an overlooked, but crucial aspect of your business.

Skillset of a Front Desk Associate

Before you assign a handful of responsibilities to your front desk team, it’s important to question who fits the job. Below is a list of skills that any front desk associate should have before tackling the position.

• Being able to multitask; there will be multiple tasks at hand while also dealing with clients, and the right front desk employee will be able to do both.

• Physical stamina; not all salon front desks have chairs, and a receptionist might have to be accustomed to being on their feet for long hours. Likewise, body language is also a big part of this, as there shouldn’t be any slouching, etc.

• Complete understanding of the rest of your salon

• Telephone etiquette

• Being personable, respectful, and friendly

Basic Front Desk Responsibilities

If it’s utilized properly, the front desk is capable of being a key part of your salon’s success. That being said, there is a basic list of responsibilities that every front desk should be tackling. Before we dive into what extra steps your front desk could be taking to grow your revenue, it’s important to make sure that the basics are covered.

• Greeting clients upon arrival

• Confirming or booking appointments, especially if online booking isn’t available

• Answering calls about hours of operation, services, booking appointments, etc.

• Processing cash and credit transactions

• Organizing client contact information for future appointments

How Your Salon’s Front Desk Can Earn You More Money

The primary areas that your salon could be focusing on at the front desk are gift cards, referrals, upselling, pre-booking, and retail products. However, if you’re fortunate enough to have a front desk associate that is willing and capable of going above and beyond, consider yourself incredibly lucky! Here are a few extra responsibilities your front desk can take on to help grow your salon exponentially.

Cross-selling retail products and answering any related questions

Encourage your front desk associates to take note of what customers are buying. If you know that a particular product would go hand-in-hand with what they’re already purchasing, suggest an additional product.

Keep note of client purchases

Taking note of what your clients are purchasing, particularly repeat clients, can be incredibly beneficial for improving your retail sales. If a client has bought a product from you in the past, it’ll be easier to upsell them on making the purchase again. Likewise, if you have any automated SMS software, you could potentially use this information as a way to send re-stock reminders, recommend similar products, and sell more in the future!

Leaving samples

Leaving samples at your front desk is an effortless way to promote your retail selection. As long as your front desk team is confident in answering any product-related questions, leave a rotating selection of samples at your front desk that will (hopefully) encourage your clients to purchase in the future!

Using any downtime or slow periods to capture content for your salon’s social media presence.

Outsourcing social media management for your salon can definitely take a hit on your budget. It is also difficult to locally outsource someone who can physically be inside your salon, capturing the content that should be shared the most. Your salon’s social media presence is much like your salon portfolio, therefore it’s crucial to have someone from within be in charge. What better way to utilize your front desk associate and their knowledge of your salon than to have them capture content in their spare time?

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Encouraging clients to leave Google reviews after their visits

Reviews are crucial. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations! Catching your clients when they are straight out of your salon chair is the perfect time to encourage leaving a review. Our top recommendation is to have a QR code linking to your Google Business Profile located somewhere in your front desk area. You can read more about how to get more online reviews here.

Key Takeaway’s for Your Salon

1. A client’s experience with your salon begins and ends with the front desk, making it an overlooked, but crucial aspect of your business.
2. If you’re fortunate enough to have a front desk associate that is willing and capable of going above and beyond, the position can grow your salon exponentially.
3. Before hiring a front desk associate, be sure to confirm whether they have the skillset for the position.

Salon.Marketing aims to maximize the return on investment for salon and spas’ digital marketing budgets. Schedule a free consultation call with us today!