Given our current and seemingly ever-changing environment, you’ve likely hired some new employees, and as a result have implemented a structured training program that each individual is required to undergo upon hire. Once your staff has completed initial training, is it a necessary aspect of their job responsibilities to participate in ongoing training?
If you don’t offer any sort of recurring training for your current staff, you may want to consider implementing a program sooner than later. Sure, it takes some effort, but the time and investment will definitely be well worth it.
There are many reasons to retrain your employees that will prove beneficial to you, to your staff and ultimately, your salon guests. Perhaps you’re rolling out a new product or service promotion, changing a policy, or planning a system upgrade that will include new features. Regardless of the reason, the first step and arguably the most important, is to clearly communicate the purpose and value of the training to your employees. If your team understands the reasoning behind the training, there is a good chance that you will keep them engaged throughout, producing the most effective results.
Regular re-training will help you set expectations for your team and provide consistency in the services you offer your guests.
As we enter the heart of the busy season, are you planning to launch any new product or service with the goal of both retaining existing customers and attracting new ones? This would be an opportune time to conduct training, so that your team can improve their sales skills, truly understand the product or service that they will be selling, and how to best entice customers to make a purchase using the promotion.
Changes to operational processes or your company policies are also tremendous reasons to re-train staff, especially when the changes might directly affect your customers. For example, maybe you’ve implemented a “tan line” protocol that your salon management system supports in order to promote social distancing within your salon lobby. You want to make sure that the process change is clearly defined and that your team knows how to place a guest in the tan line, should their preferred equipment type be in use, and politely ask them to return outdoors or to their vehicle where they will automatically be alerted when their tanning system has been disinfected and is ready for their use. In addition to the standard classroom-type training session, a great way to accomplish these goals is to create an environment in which your staff can get hands-on practice at their own pace with a dedicated training database, so as to not affect your live customer data.
When developing staff training programs, be sure to remember that everyone learns a little differently, and that it’s important to adjust your methodology based on the individual. Following training, the best way to ensure that staff retains the material is to enlist their feedback via an anonymous survey. This is especially important when training on procedural changes; when they are able to candidly express their opinions, they may even offer some great suggestions for additional improvements that you may not have initially thought of. And if your staff feels that their opinions are valued, they will be more inclined to remain an employee for the long-term, which is so important right now.
Regular re-training will help you set expectations for your team and provide consistency in the services you offer your guests. Well-trained staff will flourish with their enhanced skill set. With heightened confidence, they will sell more and create stronger relationships with your customers, all resulting in expanded success for your business.
