Tips to increase your beauty salon productivity
When evaluating a business, one of the most important factors to understand is its productivity. Productivity is an indicator of efficiency in operation or, more precisely, the return on production through company’s resources / assets.
Here we will see an example to make it clearer:
Hairdresser A, on average, serves 1 client per hour.
Hairdresser B, on average, serves 2 clients per hour.
Hairdresser B is more PRODUCTIVE than hairdresser A. Per hour worked, on average, he serves 100% more customers than hairdresser A.
This does not mean that one is better or more profitable than the other though. While profitability is about financial return, productivity is an indicator of efficiency or volume produced in a given period.
But, for this text, let’s simplify and consider that: higher productivity is always better for the business.
As we saw in the example above, productivity is the amount of results that we can extract from a resource, or work produced by a person. With this clear definition, we can act to increase the salon’s productivity in several ways, even without changing novice hairdressers for experienced ones.
If we manage to increase the average number of customers served per hour, without increasing the resources employed, we will increase our productivity. For that we have some alternatives, for example:
– Reduce the preparation time between customers.
– Use products and solutions that speed up services.
– Reduce team downtime without work.
Reducing lead time between customers:
One of the best scenarios that a salon can find is a busy schedule with consecutive customers. But this also means a challenge: if services take longer than planned, customer service will be delayed, customer satisfaction will decline and future business may be lost.
For this reason, it is important to anticipate the preparation of the waiting customer so that he is ready for service when the chair is empty. Just asking the type of service desired, the professional already knows if it will be necessary to wash the hair in the sink, if it will be necessary to bleach the chair, if it will be necessary to fractionate products in the stock. With this information, it is possible to prepare all the materials needed to perform the service without spending time with the customer in the chair.
Imagine that by following this tip you can save 5 minutes per customer. The impact is huge for the business.
If you serve 8 customers in one day, you will save 40 minutes with advance preparation. This can mean an additional cut, a quick coloring, a hydration service or even free time to communicate with the customers the next day to ensure their visit or schedule still available times. If an additional customer is served, think that the gain in productivity translates into 12.5% growth in the number of customers served.
Using products and solutions that accelerate service
Choosing your product portfolio is extremely important and has a direct impact on your productivity. Whenever you choose products with faster action and less complex application, keep in mind that you can probably free up time to perform more appointments or sell an additional service to the same customer, the so-called upsell, such as a manicure or pedicure service.
Faster products are not only more beneficial for the salon, but also for the customer who seeks more and more convenience and values the extra time they will have to be with family, leisure or an extra task.
Examples of products that speed up services and improve salon productivity:
For the hairdresser:
Quick coloring – BRALIZ 10 Minutes Sprezzo (https://prolab.ind.br/braliz/color/)
Express hydration treatments – BRALIZ Power Shock (https://prolab.ind.br/braliz/powershock/)
Artificial pigment remover – ILUMINATA Color Reset (https://youtu.be/n9j9TUqWP6g)
For pedicures:
Callus softener – SUPER FOOT Remove (https://www.superpe.com.br/products/remove)
For manicures:
Cuticle Remover – SUPER FOOT Cuticle remover gel (https://www.superpe.com.br/products/spray)
Decreasing team downtime
A feature of the service sector is that we cannot stock it. That is, lost time is not saved and does not recover. Therefore, it is necessary to seek to eliminate the team’s idle, idle and unproductive time.
It is natural and healthy to take a break for coffee, to go to the bathroom and to strengthen the relationship among colleagues. But it is important that these breaks are short and that they do not affect the salon processes or delay the customers’ conversion cycle, the time they spend in the salon.
Even more crucial is to fill the work schedule in advance and on a scheduled basis. Pre-appointments help to maintain loyalty and maintain the level of activity in the salon in a more stable way.
Create treatment schedules that encourage recurrence, take advantage of the client’s presence in the salon and set the date of your next visit for cutting, root touch-up, ask about events and parties she will attend and leave this appointment on your calendar. . Two before each visit, call to confirm the appointment, remind customers of the scheduled time and show that you will be waiting. This demonstrates professionalism and guarantees better rates of show rate, or real visit.
In summary, any activity that speeds up the customer conversion cycle or reduces downtime will help increase the salon’s productivity. And with greater productivity, you will ensure a better use of your business resources.