Opening after COVID-19: Strategies for Success

Apr 6, 2020

As we prepare to come back to our salon suites, we must keep in mind that creating a healthy environment for our clientele means more than just carrying the proper equipment, products, etc. to ensure a safe visit.

Communication will be key to making sure your clientele will be coming back to you in a healthy state and you will be providing them a safe environment to service them of their beauty needs. Since our industry is one where we come into contact with our clientele in a close space, we need to take all precautionary measures to adequately protect each client and their families as well as ourselves.

Here are some things you can do to communicate with your clients on new procedures that you are setting in place as you prepare to open up your business:

Vet your clientele

Reach out to your clients and ask them if they’ve been in contact with anyone who has been sick or was exposed to the COVID-19 virus. If they answer yes to any of these questions, ask them to take the proper precautions, to quarantine, and to reach out to their primary care physician. This vetting process of each client will ensure that you will not be allowing someone who is in a sick state to receive a service that may cause an outbreak in your suite or the salon as a whole. This is also the time that you should also let your clients know if you’ve experienced any symptoms or were exposed to the virus and the steps you’ve taken since.

New arrival protocols

As our salons reopen, be aware that new procedures will be put in place to ensure the safety of all who walk into our shared spaces. Let your clients know that they will no longer be allowed to wait in the hallways. Once they arrive for a scheduled appointment, ask them to call you to make sure they are able to come into the salon. If you are still with a client, ask them to wait in their vehicle and that you will let them know once it is okay to enter the salon. This will ensure that we are abiding by the “6 feet apart” rule.

Deep clean your suite

Prepare to deep clean your suite prior to re-opening. Make sure you have all the proper products to disinfect after each client. You will need to a lot time after each service to properly clean all surfaces thoroughly, as well as your chairs, door handles, etc. Taking this extra step to ensure you are taking every measure to sanitize will be appreciated by your clientele. Consider sharing these extra steps by video or stories to provide visual confirmation to your clients and create a sense of comfort and safety.

Work with your Concierge

Your Concierge will continue to be the first point of contact for all who enter the facility, exactly like they have in the past. When reasonable, your Concierge should try to open the door for customers. Realistically, this won’t be possible every time, but it is a good practice as it will limit contact transmission on door handles at the entrance. Furthermore, as often as possible, your concierge should care to properly clean and sanitize all touchpoints used by clients entering and exiting the salon. Your entryway should provide hand sanitizing stations to all your customers, as these products become available. Once entering the suite, each suite owner should likewise, offer hand sanitation to each client if these products are available for owners to acquire. We also encourage you to place signage at the front of and throughout your location instructing anyone who has a temperature or may even just feel unwell in general, to reschedule their appointments and consult with their primary care doctor as soon as possible and to self-quarantine until that time.

Now is the time to prepare to reopen and with a different outlook than before. Our business will be focused on offering the top service with the most sanitized and safe environment for our clients. To provide even more evidence of the steps you are taking, here is a link to a certification you can do online on infection prevention and control. Simply click here.

Taking these extra safety steps will ensure we are doing everything we can to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus and give confidence to our clients, suite owners, and vendors that Salons by JC is a safe place to continue to visit and get your services done. While there may be some frustrations with the new procedures, we’re positive that the large majority of clients will abide by them and champion you and the salon for taking extra measures to keep them safe!

We encourage you to visit our blog and to reach out to your franchise owner for more information, helpful tips, and for any other questions you may have.

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