Photo courtesy of Freddy Guerrero
The future of salons is computers doing everything for us except cutting hair. Salon Magazine recently did a spotlight on the Eikonic House of Barbers that was built around the use of the salon management program Shortcuts. The owners talk a lot about how the program has helped them become successful with its comprehensive data collection and automatic messaging. It cuts down on no shows, gives them easy access to information on areas they can improve, and appointments and billing happen almost without effort.
The article makes the point that this works so well for a barbershop because that men crave ease and convenience, but that’s not exclusive to men. Everyone craves ease and convenience. This isn’t just something that affects barbershops. It’s a rule of thumb that the easier you make it for people to do just about anything, the more they’ll do it. That’s the beauty of modernizing your salon. It simplifies and automates so it’s easier for you and your clients to connect and communicate. In theory.
Remember the Human Element
While it’s hard to overstate the usefulness of management software, you can get carried away with it. If there’s any danger lying in these paragons of convenience, it’s that they can encourage us to become lazy when it comes to interacting with other people. When a computer is handling so many aspects of the business, including reaching out with special offers, you might be tempted just to let the thing run and watch people stroll through your doors, but that will eventually create a disconnect between you and the clients outside. Here are a couple things you can do to avoid that disconnect.
Automatic Messages: Don’t Let Robots Talk for You
While it’s great to have a system that automatically texts and emails clients with reminders and special offers, it detracts from one of the key components of any salon: human interaction. Once you get the hang of setting up schedules for promotions and reminders it’s easy to walk away and forget what it’s doing. But just because something is automated doesn’t mean it doesn’t need your attention. It’s always important to personalize your messages in some way. For one thing, never use the stock copy that’s probably filled in the system. These are usually voiceless statements with over enthusiastic exclamations as if receiving that text message is the highlight of that person’s life. Always send out your own words. Just because it’s a robot sending the messages doesn’t mean it needs to be a robot talking.
Remember the Stylist Behind the Statistics
One of the handy features of Shortcuts is that it shows you statistics on client retention and makes it easy to log complaints. This is great data for finding areas you people need to improve, but it can also lead to a certain coldness in problem solving. When a computer program tells you a stylist is having trouble bringing clients back, don’t simply show them the numbers and tell them to fix the problem. Use the information to start a conversation with them. Ask them how they handle clients, or see if there’s some personal issue affecting their customer service. Or you might just find they need a little additional training in customer care.
Your Personality is Part of Your Business
Despite fears of robots taking over all our jobs over the next few decades, these programs are not meant to replace any humans. They’re made to augment humans. A salon is a place full of visually artistic people, and their craft is a specialized, difficult task that is hindered by paperwork and bookkeeping. The easier you can make those aspects of running a salon, the better the product will ultimately be. There might be a future where robots hold down most of the jobs, but they will never hold down our personalities. Never forget the value of that in your business.