You’ve heard the term “don’t sweat the small stuff.” During the busiest of seasons, and when demand for your time is at its highest, tasks and priorities should be accomplished in order of impact.
It seems that this time of year, there is war going on for the time of salon owners and managers; but, now is the time to rely on foundational operational processes that make daily business run with ease.
If you are lacking foundational processes for operations, personnel, customer service and reporting or other areas, then it is time to make those projects a priority. You may be an individual operator who handles all of these areas, or you might be an owner who can check in with managers in these areas and quickly assess the applicability, efficiency and necessity of policies and procedures.
The warmer months of summer are a great time to focus on core processes in each area of management in your salon or business and over the next few months, we will address each one individually, from operations, personnel, and customer service.
Core systems might not sound like the most interesting topic, but efficiency at the core leaves a business or salon poised for growth and will lead to achieving calm during the storm of season. It’s important to realize that the middle of season might not be the ideal time to implement new business systems or processes or take the time to train your employees; but it is the perfect time to look for areas that can use improvement. Where is customer flow slowing down? Is your equipment running efficiently? What areas of the salon are in disarray after a busy day and what areas remain clean?
Good systems begin with observation and a focus on the customer, regardless of what you are doing; whether it’s preventative maintenance, product order schedules or cancellation policies. If you are a customer-facing business, the priority should always be the customer. Before we explore core areas of management within the salon, spend some time, not just on the daily grind, but observing in your business. What areas are opportunities for improvement and where do you excel?
When underlying processes are running smoothly during busy season, your focus will be where it should be: your customers. If your business isn’t there yet and there’s a new fire to put out every day, then we will explore opportunities for growth, so you don’t have to be concerned with every minute annoyance.
You might think you don’t have time to codify customer processes, continue training your team, or complete preventative maintenance and inspections; but, these systems are the reason that businesses grow from one level to the next.
When underlying processes are running smoothly during busy season, your focus will be where it should be: your customers.
