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How to Manage Your Beauty Business in the Time of Coronavirus

By Lauren McAlister

Last updated: 3/16/21 at 4:00 PM PST

This information contained herein does not constitute medical, financial, legal, or other professional advice and is meant to be used solely for informational purposes. It does not take into account your specific circumstances and should be not acted on without full understanding of your current situation, future goals and/or objectives by a qualified professional. MINDBODY, Inc. assumes no liability for actions taken in reliance upon the information contained herein. 

Your clients are everything at your salon or spa. When you’re running a service business, you’ve got three big things to worry about: Your business, your customers, and your staff. A pandemic was probably not on your list.  

Here are some best practices that have emerged from COVID-19: 

If you're still open:

Up your cleaning  

In your industry, it’s a given that you already prioritize the cleanliness of your salon or spa, but now's the time to be even more diligent.  

It’s crucial to have:   

  • Tissues readily available 
  • Hand sanitizer in each stylist’s booth/spa room 
  • Disposable wipes for commonly used surfaces (think hair washing stations, manicure stations, massage tables, your front desk, tables in your waiting room, etc.) that can be wiped down by employees (and your clients if they choose to!)   
  • Signs throughout your beauty business reminding clients and employees of proper hygiene 

After each appointment, wipe down the entirety of your beauty stations and spa rooms—and deep clean your space daily with a disinfecting cleaner.  

Make sure your team is prepared

Being in the beauty business often requires a hands-on approach during appointments—manicurists, lash specialists, hairstylists, and massage therapists all use their hands to carry out their services. It’s important to have hand sanitizer available at every beauty station or your spa rooms.  

If one of your staff members is feeling ill, encourage them to stay home. Don’t chance having a sick staff member in your beauty business. 

For employees who aren’t feeling 100%, create a back-up plan to ensure you have plenty of coverage . If you’re a Booker customer, alerting customers they may be seen by a different staff member is easy with auto-emails and texts.  

For those who do come to work, be sure to inform them of your new, increased cleaning regimen.  

Reiterate how important it is for each employee to:  

  • Wash their hands before and after each appointment 
  • Cough and sneeze into their arms, rather than out in the open—and if they do cough and sneeze, wash their hands again 
  • Disinfect every tool and piece of equipment used during their appointment 

To communicate these updates, hold a mandatory meeting for all staff to attend. You may even want to send a follow-up email and put up a poster in your staff break room as an ongoing reminder.  

In the event you do have to close your beauty business, assign a process for your staff to provide updates on their status. A group text or Facebook message thread can serve this purpose so you can check in with your team. 

Increase communication with your customers

If you haven’t already, make sure you communicate what’s going on at your business with your clients. Use both email and social media to update them. Provide updates regarding how the virus is impacting your business, including opening hours and the status of your location(s). 

But what happens if prevention isn't enough and you have to close the doors of your beauty business for a few days or even weeks?  

Use your email platform to send an email to update all your clients.  

With so much changing, so rapidly, you probably don’t have time to answer the phone. Now might be the perfect time to use Messenger[ai]. Messenger[ai]’s an AI receptionist that can tackle incoming calls so you don’t have to. If clients need to cancel or rebook? Messenger[ai]’s on it. 

Communicate any changes in your hours or routines with your customers over social media, too.  

If you're temporarily closed:

Use your social media pages to keep customers abreast of your beauty business and staff. They'll want to know how you’re doing, and when you plan on re-opening so they can schedule services again.  

Think about how you can stay connected with your regulars. Can you do a video? Clients will appreciate seeing a familiar face, and they’re likely looking for something to occupy their hours at home. Think about posting a tutorial on at-home facials or manicures.  

Are there products your clients may need while they’re at home? While you’re not able to see them at your business, you can still help them feel their best.  

For more tips on how other businesses like yours are handling this pandemic in their communities, check out this blog post.  

This is an unnerving time. Please know that you’re not alone. In Mindbody One, there’s a whole community of salon and spa owners just like you. They’re sharing tips and supporting each other.  

Get tips from business owners just like you.

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About the author:

Lauren McAlister

Lauren McAlister

Senior Marketing Content Specialist

Mindbody

Lauren is the co-owner of a fitness studio and a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP). Born and raised in California, Lauren has a heart for fitness, travel, and baking. She's also passionate about crafting meaningful content for others in the wellness space, which makes her role at Mindbody a perfect fit.

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