Safe-Tanning: How Salon Tracker can help you to maintain maximum client safety

Hello there and happy month of Spring (hopefully). Now, as we enter the fresh daffodil season, it is likely that you will see an increase in footfall in your tanning salons due to the fact that people are wanting their glowing base-tan prior to their spring-break. Still, many of you will know that there remains to be lots of contrasting opinions surrounding the use of sunbeds and their potential dangers to people if they over use them. So as a salon software company that specialises in tanning, we just wanted to discuss with you how we have designed and built our software to ensure that sunbed clients are tanning as safely and legally as possible. So, without further due let’s chat sunbed safety.

First off, a few things about Vitamin D. Your body creates Vitamin D by using sunlight or UV rays. Therefore, it is essential that over a lifetime, every single person is exposed to some form of sunlight, with the current recommendation being 5 minutes 2-3 times per week on average for a person to sustain the amount that they require to produce enough Vitamin D all year long. In some countries however, and especially in the UK & Ireland, we are prone to much longer Winter months, meaning that this 15 minutes per week average can prove to be difficult, as the sun is not strong enough to produce the UV rays needed for our skin to absorb enough to make Vitamin D. This was therefore the start of sunbeds and also the vitamin capsules that you will find in many supermarket or pharmacy stores. 

Believe it or not, some medical experts have been known to advise a little bit of short-term sunbed use to clear up certain skin conditions. For example, eczema or psoriasis. Vitamin D is associated with healing up conditions such as these, in which if a sunbed is used in moderation and protective UV sun lotion is applied beforehand, this is similar to someone spending 6-9 minutes outside in the summer sun.

The Vitamin has also been linked to improving other medical conditions such as auto-immune diseases including Diabetes and Arthritis. It is also proven to improve the general mood of people’s mentality, especially those who suffer with SAD syndrome.

However we are very aware that a lot of people abuse sunbeds and spent far too much time on them, essentially burning their skin due to the over-exposure to sunlight. This however can also just as easily happen if you spend a day in the sun on holiday, or even out side in the Summer for too long without relevant UV protection.

Therefore, to manage and stop the over use of sunbeds, this is where the government stepped in and made it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to use a sunbed at all. In which now, any salon who isn’t compliant with this rule may find themselves subject to a fine as big as £20,000.

We understand as a company that it can be hard to ensure that all of your clients are telling the truth when it comes to their age, and that’s why when we developed our tanning salon software we created especial tanning rules, to ensure that we keep your clients and business as safe and compliant as possible with the current law. In 2010, we also followed the recommendations of the sunbed association, to ensure that any client that is using a tanning salon that has our software will be tanning as safely as possible.

So, what are our tanning rules and how have we implemented these to keep tanning clients safe?

Forbid a client to book a sunbed if their date of birth field shows that they are under 18. 

We are aware it is easy for a client to lie and make a date of birth up, but not so easy if you have the relevant checks in place. With our software, we have fields on their digital client card that prompts a client to have a photograph added to it so that this can be matched up with a form of their ID before they are allowed to book on to a sunbed. We have also introduced fingerprint recognition, which again means that a client's perhaps younger sibling can’t try and pass as their elder brother/sister as the fingerprint will have to match. And we have also implemented a signature pad so that a client has to sign a disclaimer stating that they are over 18 and that they will comply with your salon T’s & C’s before using a sunbed. Protecting your business from any lawful damage.

Warn a customer if they have not set a Skin Type. 

To advise clients on how long they should be using a sunbed for, we have implemented a field that asks the customer to state which skin type they are. This is because if the customer describes their skin type to be sensitive to the sun, or fair, it is recommended that they do not tan for longer that 6 minutes every 48 hours. Therefore, if your salon staff are aware of this, it gives them the option to advise the client appropriately when they come to book a sunbed.

Warn a client if they have had a sunbed in the last 24 hours (or last 48 hours if they have skin type 1 or 2/sensitive or fair.) 

The sunbed association recommends that no one tans more than once every 24 hours, and whilst this is not illegal yet, it is still a recommendation that we like to follow and would advise all tanning salons to operate with. If a client has specified that they do actually have a sensitive or fair skin type, the sunbed association recommends that these individuals don’t tan more than once in 48 hours and so our system will keep a track and record all sunbed use so that your staff can advise clients appropriately.

Maximum Minute Usage.

Another recommendation from the sunbed association is that unless a client is using a low-powered sunbed (such as the Sun Angel where we are aware courses are 21 minutes each time), no one should go on a sunbed for any longer than 15 minutes at a time. We have therefore set all of our sunbed configurations to a maximum usage of 15 minutes by default, in the hope that all tanning salons that are users of our software will stick to this recommendation to eliminate over-use from clients.

Therefore, if you currently have a tanning salon and want to ensure that you maintain the highest level of safety possible, get in touch with us today on 0113 350 8230 or send us your details at http://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx so that we can arrange you a FREE 2 week trial. Let's keep your tanning salon safe together this Spring!

Salon Tracker x

The Do's and Don'ts of a successful Salon Consultation

Whether you own a tanning, hair or a beauty salon, providing consultations for your clients is essential for their safety and overall satisfaction. Often it is during a consultation that you truly get to know your clients’ needs and good communication from your site will put them at ease before a treatment. So why are many salons skipping the consultation even though this could be fatal for your business?

Consultations are important for both your salons reputation and customer satisfaction, and additionally can help you in many other ways too. Get them right and it will contribute in positive ways, which can lead to re-booking's and client referrals. Overall, a successful and well carried out consultation means more business for you and therefore more revenue. As you can see, everyone is winning here.

When I go to the salon to get my hair done or my nails, I rarely see this put into practice though. Bear in mind though when you give consultations you back yourself up in case of claims and will have proof for the insurance company if something does go wrong. Therefore, it is important to get into the habit to provide consultations with all of your clients, whether they are new or attend for regular treatments. After all, your customers change, even on a regular level and often their skin can change too. Most people experience changes with their hair and skin affected by the outside temperatures. Therefore, anyone that is after a change should be provided with a consultation for his or her safety and satisfaction.

'According to the NHF ‘it is actually a legal requirement to 

perform a consultation before every treatment, even for 

regular clients.’ (National Hairdressers’ Federation 

Limited, 2017).'

Here are some tips on how you can improve your consultations to benefit your salon and what things you best avoid doing:


Things to do: 


-Saving client record cards and history is important. Therefore, make sure you keep records up to date and edit them accordingly. Not only do you have evidence of treatments and consultations in case you need it but also to reference back to it and see the client’s transformation journey. 


-Staff training: It is important that staff can cater for a variety of consultations and can carry them out confidently. Make sure everyone is on-board and happy with the procedure and attend additional training if necessary. 


-Catch up on all their visits. If it is a regular client that comes to the salon, make sure you ask them about their previous experience and if there are any areas of concern. Good communication will ensure you fully understand the customers’ needs and can deliver what they have asked for. Overall, this will build trust between you and your client.

-Advise them on products and aftercare. Take the time to explain the different products and advise how they can care for their hair/skin/brows at home too.


Things to avoid:


-Don’t ask at all. Under no circumstances should you skip a consultation. If you fail to ask and something goes wrong you could end up with a lawsuit that could cost you your business and get you into a lot of financial trouble. 


-Don’t talk to the mirror or avoid eye contact. It can seem to your client as if you’re not really interested. It can be easy when you are mid treatment to get distracted. However, make sure the consultation is personal and adapt to their body language. 


-Don’t skip important questions or try to rush it. Make sure you ask deeper and wider questions, taking the time to get to know your clients history. A good consultation should not be rushed, just to get it over with but rather for you to understand your clients' needs.

Steps to a successful consultation

The most important part of consultations are for you to get to know your client in order for a successful completion of service. Additionally, this also helps your business in other ways if the client is happy. For example, it can result in positive feedback, build trust and referrals to friends and family. All in all consultations makes a client feel valued and results in re-bookings, which will help your business grow. All of which, directly leads to an increase in your revenue.

As always if you have any questions on the topic, don't hesitate to get in contact with on of our team members via phone or email.

Salon Tracker x

Thinking about pushing your line of retail products? Here’s how to do it the right way!

I know you’ll want to bury your head in the sand when it comes to talking retail products… let alone actually doing something about them! Not to worry, we’ve got a long enough list of tips and tricks to help you get your salon retail sales flowing and the dust on those shelves no longer showing! 

The right Reception

You may not think that your Salon Reception is that big of a deal and therefore doesn’t need that much attention… wrong! It is the hub of the Salon! It is important that it looks the best it can be as this is where customers go to when they enter the Salon and when they leave, making it the perfect place to sell your retail products. The way you organise your products is more important than it seems. Firstly, when placing the products you should aim for the customers eye level. You know the saying: “eye level is buy level!”. Aim to group your products together, e.g. shampoo & conditioner, styling products together, and then place all your new products into their category shelf but at the front with a “new” label on, do the same for your best sellers. If you’re unsure on how to monitor your new products and identify your best sellers you can use our impressive stock management feature and save your own valuable time!

Get Savvy

You need to get technical when it comes to pushing the sales of your retail products. Do your research and establish a really well selling product (preferably something which is fresh to the market) which you think would sell well in your salon. Aim to order a new product once every month or so to keep your customers intrigued and then place this product on a shelf-like pedestal surrounded by accompanying products that go well with it. When a customer asks about the product this is your opportunity to sell it and the products that go well with it. Offer the products in a special price bundle such as "buy 2 and get another half price". Not only will this increase your retail sales short-term but also long-term as it will encourage repeat buys from your clients.

Simple yet effective

It has been proven that clients don’t feel comfortable asking the price of a product in a Salon which often results in the client not purchasing any retail products. To avoid this, make the price, size of product and the name of it clearly visible so the client can read it. This will stop any awkwardness there was before when the client didn’t know whether to ask the price or not and then just ended up leaving without a product they may have really wanted.

Basic yet important

Obvious one, but keep it extremely clean. Nobody wants to purchase a product with a two-inch layer of dust on it. Yuck! Make one employee responsible for the cleaning of the retail shelves and do it on a weekly basis. Alternatively, you could create a cleaning rota between all staff members and then if it isn’t up to standard you can easily pin point the blame and ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Educate

Make sure all your staff are full of knowledge about your line of retail products, new and old. They need to know each product inside out because I’m sure you’ll agree, who wants to buy a product the seller doesn’t even know the effects of? On top of that, time spent between the client and therapist is valuable time. Yes, it’s a time for the client to offload and relax but whilst they’re loving the scent of that new shampoo you’re using it is your perfect time to market your retail products and encourage them to buy it! For example:

Client: Wow my hair feels so soft!

Therapist: That would be our new Matrix range shampoo, we offer these in our retail line and you get 10% off them because you’ve had a treatment today!

Client: Wow that’s brill, I’ll have one of those please

Therapist: Of course, we also offer the conditioner and heat protection spray if you’d like to take a look…

See! Easy marketing done all in a day’s work! No overtime and no sweat, perfect!

Get personal

Get to know your clients, find out their routine and their preferences so you can determine the product you will be able to sell the most to them. E.g. “how would you usually style your hair?” and “do you use heat on your hair often?” are normally good pointers to get you started. Getting personal also allows the client to trust you and trust your opinion therefore encouraging them to purchase the product you recommend.

Step by step you will notice a satisfying difference in the sales of your retail products and your salon income will be higher than ever!

Don’t forget we offer stock management within our software, don’t be afraid to enquire at info@salontracker.co.uk or call 0113 350 8230.

Salon Tracker x

Feature of the Month - Permissions

Happy Valentines day everyone! For our feature of the month we are focusing on permissions, a feature beloved by our clients, mainly down to the fact that it is as simple as ticking a box. I don’t know if this applies to all of you, but not all salon owners would be 100% comfortable with leaving their salon for a ‘relaxing’ vacation knowing that their staff have full access to their system. So, by having the permissions feature it just gives owners that peace of mind that staff aren’t accessing anything they shouldn’t be.

Permissions have been around for while now, you’ve probably seen them on tablets or phones with restrictions and parental controls, and it’s a very similar thing that we have designed on our Salon Tracker software. For those of you that are salon owners, you will have access to the administrator user log in, which allows you to access every part of the system. And then it’s up to you what information and features you want to share with your staff. Within permissions you can add different user levels, so if you have apprentices or part-time staff, you might want them to be able to access less than your regular full-time staff. And with permissions we have made it as easy as possible, it’s just a simple tick and untick tool that allows you to specifically decide what your staff can view. By default, there are 3 permission levels set up, administrator, managers and staff, all of which have features pre-ticked from salon research we have done, however these can be edited and changed to your liking. If you have our Siteview or Multisite feature then you can also set your permissions for this. For example, with Siteview, if you only want your staff to be able to access their upcoming bookings and not any reports or charts, then this can also be set.

If you have any further questions about our permissions feature, don’t hesitate to contact one of our team on 0113 350 8230 or email on info@salontracker.co.uk. The permissions feature is available with our professional and enterprise packages. And don't forget, we will be at the Professional Beauty Show in London on the 25th and 26th of February, so make sure you look out for our stand (W16)! You can get your free tickets for the event here!

Professional Beauty London 2018 - New Features and how you can prepare for the event!

Less than 3 weeks to go until the big event! It’s time for #PBLondon again, we can’t wait and as always, we’ve got a few new features in store for you this Feb! So, what can you expect from us and also how can you ensure that you get the best out of this year’s show.

Professional Beauty London is always the biggest of the PB shows in the UK, with the event being held at the Excel the floor space is so much larger than other venues, meaning that there is a lot more room for increased exhibitors to attend. Saying this, you only have the exact same time at PB London that you would have at any other event, as the show only runs across 2 days like it does at all other locations - so you have to plan accordingly to ensure you get around all the stands that you want to see.

Before I go on to talk about the new features that we have in store, lets just re-cap on a few preparational techniques that you can put in to practice before you arrive in to London.

Download the map. Plan out where all the stands are that you wish to see (plus highlight where your coffee breaks are going to be). We all know that trade shows are long, busy days and so you want to make sure that you keep re-fuelling throughout the day. It’s also a nice little stop gap to run over the information that you have gathered so far up until each point over the course of the day. That way it’s not like information overload at the end of the weekend.

Have a list of relevant questions for each exhibitor. What goals are you hoping to achieve from this years’ show? Sometimes, if you go to a busy stand where there are lots of other visitors, its easy to just pick up leaflets and not really get the actual information that you were requiring. If you’re already prepped with a couple of questions then it will be quick-fire stand stops for you and no time wasted hanging around or getting information that’s not necessarily too relevant to you.

Take a large bag with you! Everyone loves dressing up for the PB London event, and rightly so it’s a fab day out! But, make sure that you’re not teaming your outfit with a little clutch bag, as you’re going to be flooded with information booklets & flyers, you want to make sure that you have something substantial to carry it all in (also to make sure that none of it ends up getting lost!) Tote, bucket and duffel bags please!

Bring a pen and notebook. Sometimes, believe it or not, stands can be limited with pens and especially so when they are busy. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to jot something down and end up forgetting the information at a later date.

Get yourself a few ideas. As much as we mention planning and identifying the stands that you definitely wish to pay a visit, there may also be companies that you didn’t necessarily plan on visiting but catch your eye in some way. It is important to be open minded at a trade show, as there are so many different businesses exhibiting that there may just be a new product opportunity or supplier that could actually help you out! Plus, the majority of companies also have some fantastic exclusive deals running, which again are not to be missed out on if you’re looking for something new.

Now we’ve had a little run through of our main 5 planning points, what can you expect from Salon Tracker?

GDPR. Well, some of you may be aware that the law is changing this Summer regarding data protection. GDPR will replace the current data protection act, in which we have altered the way in which some of our software features work in order to meet the guidelines for the new laws, enforcing on 25th May 2018.

We have ensured that the marketing consent boxes that salon clients can tick in order to be included in mailing letters are now un-ticked by default, meaning the client has to opt in to marketing and wouldn’t be included in a salon mailing list under false-impression.

There is also a lock-down on clients’ data for anyone that has a user level lower than manager, meaning that there is extra authentication for staff members to access clients contact information and addresses. There is an audit report for every time a client’s details are accessed by a staff member without reason, meaning that a salon owner can keep an eye on this and follow it up accordingly, evidently protecting their clients’ data further.

There is also a master delete button to ‘forget’ a client’s details at their request. However legal information such as the signing of disclaimers and patch test/treatment consent can be stored securely external to our software if the salon owner requires this for legal purposes, they however may need to be in touch with a solicitor regarding this matter.

For more information on the latest GDPR regulations visit https://www.eugdpr.org/

Deposits. Other advanced features that we have improved on are how we manage deposits, meaning this can now be setup as a percentage or value based on the price of a treatment rather than having to be a set amount. This is now built in to our permissions section and we will be offering live demos of this at the show.

Staff accessibility. We have also introduced a new drop-down menu on the calendar page for each staff column. Meaning that if a member of staff is off for a day, rather than the calendar 'greying' this column out, you can use our new menu to ‘hide’ that staff members column or to ‘transfer appointments’ to another member of staff if the rota staff member is off sick. This just speeds up the appointment management and the aesthetics of the salon calendar, meaning staff columns that don’t need to be visible on a particular day no longer have to be.

If you wish to take a look at our software before the show, please head to http://www.salontracker.co.uk/FreeTrial.aspx and leave your details for a member of our team to contact you with a free 2 week run of our software.

To visit us at the show, sign up for your free complimentary ticket with us here https://registration.n200.com/survey/3njgxhgn3h7vy?actioncode=NTWO000545GPV – we are stand W16 and can't wait to meet you!

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Salon Tracker x

How can you stand out this Valentine’s Day

Many want to treat their loved ones on Valentine’s Day to something special. Whilst chocolates and flowers are still a popular choice, more and more people are looking for something special and a little bit different. Therefore, salons and spas can take a significant role in the decision making process if you play your cards right. Valentine’s Day also means that Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and with two gift-heavy holidays, there are plenty of opportunities to boost retail sales as well as appointments. If you are still reluctant whether your business should participate in the hype and need convincing, let me tell you what a commercial opportunity 14th February is. 

“In 2015 The Mirror estimated that people in the UK spent £1.6 Billion on the day of love; and the number is increasing every year. Meaning, there is a huge opportunity for businesses to join the bandwagon and offer something special for your customers.”

To get started, you can position your salon as a Valentine’s Day gift destination that is offering a variety of options, from treatments, workshops and retail items. This will remind people Valentine’s Day is coming soon. 

It’s a great opportunity for you to promote your offers and campaigns. If you are not quite sure where to start or don’t want to push your brand in people’s faces, we’ve come up with some ideas on how you can stand out without being too salesy.


Social Media Competition 

Getting your fellow followers involved in an engaging campaign is always a good idea. Social Media thrives from interacting with customers or those you might still have to convince. Therefore, offering them something that is fun and will benefit them often results in more profits for you, then you only posting sales heavy content.

Ideas such a selfie competitions refer a friend or competitions are great to get started. For example, you can think up a fun contest and entice your followers to give them a chance to participate. As prices, you can then give either treatments or retail gifts away (or both). Customers love getting things for you and therefore you’ll encourage them to come to the salon and potentially become a loyal customer to yours.


Show some love to your salon staff too

Whilst the love for your customers is important, it’s important to show your employees some love! While you’re on it, show how much you appreciate staff members for their contribution. This can be easily arranged and can contain anything from little chocolate kisses to vouchers.

However, you can also take things further and use the month of February for annual awards. Nothing shows your staff members more love than an award for their contribution. Sit down, think about each person’s individual achievement and come up with a fun way to present the awards. Linking this to gifts will motivate your staff throughout the year to give their best and work towards theirs goals.


Do something interactive

Run a workshop! Whether it be make up classes, beauty such as nail art, or something else. Activities people can book together with their friends, relatives or loved ones make a great group activity everyone can enjoy. You can run this throughout the month of February and March to give everyone an opportunity to take advantage. Obviously right after Valentine’s Day there is Mother’s day coming along, which is also a great opportunity to offer these activities.


Highlight potential Valentine’s Day Retail Gifts

Valentine’s Day isn’t always about flowers and jewellery. There are plenty of other options people can purchase that are linked to more thoughtful ideas. You can position what you sell as a potential Valentine’s Day gift. If you run special offers in February, customers won’t be able to resist. The trick is to promote it the right way. Try to cover for many price ranges to highlight the different gifts you’re selling. Another good idea would be to link retail gifts with the other ideas, such as workshops and competitions. Meaning, clients will be eligible for a prize draw for example if they purchase a retail gift during a specific period.



Valentine’s Day or not, it is important to make sure you’re delivering a great experience to your customers. We hope you’ve found these suggestions helpful and you’re well equipped for the day of love. As usual if you need help or have questions regarding this blog post please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us.


Salon Tracker x

How to save a penny or two without noticing a difference!

If you’re just starting out, going through a dry patch, or just generally wanting to save money in your salon, then keep reading! Here are just a few ideas that we came up with that you can use to save some money in your salon.

Reduce No Shows

One of the easiest ways to save money in your salon, or rather not miss any opportunities to make money, would be to reduce your no shows! Now, if you have Salon Tracker then I’m sure you know all about our SMS appointment reminders, and are hopefully using them. If you just clicked on this blog because the title interested you, then we suggest putting some sort of strategies in place to reduce your no shows, for example some sort of offer if they book another appointment. You could also take a deposit for bookings, in order to prevent clients booking appoints and not showing up. The last thing you want is 30 minutes or even a couple of hours free time when other clients could’ve booked appoints, so why not try a few different strategies and see if you can reduce those no shows!

Stock

Maybe you’ve been using the same supplier for the last few years, and would feel bad if you changed to another, but if there’s a cheaper option out there then maybe you should. Spend an hour or so doing some research online and see if you can find a cheaper option, it could save you a little bit of money each month! You could also sell off any old stock, that you haven’t used, to your customers, instead of chucking it out or just leaving it to rot in the cupboard. You might not make too much from it but its better than nothing. Finally, don’t buy too much stock! There’s no need to spend extortionate amounts of money on stock that you don’t need or won’t use. So, each month, if you’re not already, keep a record of how much stock you have bought and used, so that you can figure out a suitable value you should order. It might take you a few months to get sort of an average number but hopefully this should get you on the right track, and help prevent unnecessary amounts of stock piling up. You can track your stock count with our professional and enterprise subscriptions, giving you the ability to easily view all of your retail products and the amount you currently hold. 

Utilities

This might not apply to all of you, but if you’re spending say £30 a month on super-fast fibre internet in your salon but barely use it, then you’re wasting your money. Have a look online for the best deals, and downgrade your internet! Saving £10 a month on your internet may not seem like a lot, but if you did this for all of your utilities, like your electricity, telephone, gas, etc. then you could be saving a lot more money each month. Spend a few hours doing some research and see if you can find any better deals than what you have now. You could even get a smart meter and see if there’s ways that you can reduce the amount you are paying for your electricity.

Marketing

Social media is the perfect place for you to advertise and promote your salon to any potential customers, and the fact that it is free is an added bonus. Facebook is no doubt the biggest social media platform for salons, with the ability to create a company page it not only allows you to promote any deals or new services to your customers, but also allows your customers to leave reviews and engage with you and your salon. The more positive reviews and page likes your Facebook page has, the more likely a potential customer will visit your salon and not your competitor down the street! Think of it as sort of an online Yellow Pages book. Gaining Facebook reviews is made simple with our Salon Tracker software as you can send out SMS messages to your customers asking if they will leave you a review on your Facebook straight from the system!

These are just a few ways in which you can save some money in your salon, now it’s all down to you to start your saving! Don’t forget, Salon Tracker has a few features that can help towards saving you some money, so if you want your free demo and 2 week trial of our software, don’t hesitate to call us on 0113 350 8230, enter your details on our website www.salontracker.co.uk or email us on info@salontracker.co.uk.

Salon Tracker x