The New Normal in the beauty services industry sees clients stretching out the time between appointments, and choosing to DIY some services to minimize time spent in high-touch hair salons and esthetics studios. And you’ve responded. You’re selling root touch-up kits and nail polish on your website, curating how-to videos on your social media channels and offering customers socially distanced in-store treatments. What more could you be doing to move clients in and out of your salon or spa safely, while still giving them the pampered feeling they came for?Make every visitor comfortable

• Maintain a buffer between clients to allow time for cleaning

• Eliminate the waiting room, or move it outdoors

• Implement virtual check-in via your mobile website to eliminate front desk visits

• Communicate your new policies in store and on all your digital channels, i.e. website, social media, email newsletters, Yellow Pages listing, and Google My Business profile

Deliver products or services differently

• Start offering virtual consultations

• Consider removing higher-touch services from your menu, at least temporarily

• Offer your full in-store lineup of retail products for sale online, and add new brands and products

• Design branded merchandise with your salon logo to create an additional revenue stream

Rethink your salon’s policies

• Enable self-service appointment booking online

• Scrap cancellation fees so customers who aren’t feeling well can cancel without penalty

• Offer contactless payment so customers can pay—and tip—by smartphone

• Incentivise customers to pre-book their next appointment by offering discounts

• Use software to enable customers to confirm, reschedule or cancel appointments via text or email

• Create a loyalty club by offering your best customers new perks, i.e. promotions, booking priority for peak periods, free product samples, pre-order privileges on high-demand products etc.

Open your salon, and thinking, to customer-driven enhancements that will add comfort, and value, to your in-salon experience.