As the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly changes each day, we understand how much uncertainty you might be feeling right now. We wanted to collate some thought-provoking business tips that can give you something to focus on, form a strategic game plan, and hopefully progress your business at a time where you may feel it might try and run in the opposite direction.
Prepare for the immediate future (like TODAY!)
If clients are starting to call in with their concerns or even cancel, don’t start to panic. Instead, channel that energy into making the best of a less than ideal situation.
Here’s some things you can do today to turn that frown upside down in COVID-19 times!
Increase online revenue
If you have an online store or offer online gift cards, now is the time to remind your clients of it. It will help drive revenue for your business even if the client can’t visit your salon. Online gift cards also ensures future business with the immediate benefit of revenue.
You can check out Shortcuts’ Online Gift Cards right here!
Be an expert in what YOU know
In times like these, there’s so many “fake news” pieces floating around, designed to breed fear. It’s pretty safe to say that none of us are infectious disease specialists. So – try not to feed into media hype and beware of fake or unverified news. This kind of news can cause hysteria (see – panic buying toilet roll) and that’s the last thing we need right now! Approach the current pandemic with facts and a calm, level approach. Being at ease with the situation will help you put your clients and staff at ease and help business keep ticking along. Instead, remember what you ARE an expert in – your trade. Think about posting some easy hair or beauty tutorials to break up the endless cycle of coronavirus news.
Update your Online Booking
Add notes to your Online Booking to ask that any clients who are feeling unwell, have come into contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, or have recently travelled to a compromised area to kindly reschedule their appointment – or book at least 2 weeks from that time. You can do this via your company settings in the Shortcuts Console.
Communicate with your clients
Approach any communications with your clients, either via person or marketing materials, with a positive, upbeat manner. We’re already feeling so much fatigue and overwhelm from the media, that the last thing clients need is some of their favourite businesses feeding them this same fear. Acting as a positive source in this time will only increase your online engagement with your clients, which will be crucial if the situation worsens over the coming weeks.
Become a hygiene genie
Up your hygiene game! We’re sure you’ve all been client hygiene pros since the day your business opened and have since stepped that up to a new level since the pandemic outbreak. However, it’s so important to maintain this to an exceptional standard and actively communicate your sanitation practices with your clients. Put away any reading materials, bring back disposable cups, and don’t accept cash anymore. And remember to offer hand sanitiser everywhere for your clients and ask that they actively use it while in the salon.
Raphael Veron, General Manager of Franck Provost Australia, told news.com.au that “Hygiene is already a big part of our concept, however we have been extremely transparent about the additional measures we have taken.”
“We always disinfect tools before and after every client, but we have added extra measures, such as disinfecting the workstations regularly throughout the day and replacing our usual dishes (glasses and coffee cups) with single use recyclable paper cups.”
Prep a game plan
Have a game plan for any quiet days you may experience. What productive things can your staff be doing with this time? Create a list and circulate it with the team. This could be some professional development, brainstorming marketing ideas for the salon, or doing some team bonding. But remember to keep 1.5 metres from each other 😉
What’s your worst-case plan?
Take a leaf out of a Doom’s Day prepper’s book and form a game plan for the worst-case scenario. It’s better to be prepared than sorry! A worst possible scenario could be a city–wide lockdown much like Italy is experiencing right now. Hopefully we never reach that point and the measures England have in place will be enough to avoid that, but you never know in this unpredictable time. Each day brings new revelations and progression in the COVID-19 crisis.
- Make sure you have enough stock – particularly colour stocks – to get you by for a few months to safe-guard yourself in case your suppliers are impacted in any way.
- Prepare your communications and marketing for if you need to do the worst and close your doors for 2 weeks. Have these ready to go, so if your salon does come into contact with COVID-19, or if it becomes a government requirement, that you are ready and prepared to act. We prepared these handy email and SMS templates for a variety of COVID-19 updates – including temporary closures should they happen. Check them out here.
- Communicate every day with your staff and reassure them that you have a plan in place. Hear their concerns and try and formulate a strategy that has everyone’s best interests in mind.
And if you do have to close your salon temporarily, like some of our counterparts overseas are experiencing – keep an eye out, we’ve working on a plan for you for that as well. Remember – over the next few days, weeks, however long it takes, we’ll keep our COVID-19 Resource Hub stocked with all the latest information for our clients.
