KEEPING YOUR

Your salon or barbershop is buzzing, and your columns are full. Then, disaster strikes: a sink hose bursts and clients are dashing for cover. As water gushes, you wonder what to do. This happened to Rebecca Beardsley, author of Self-Care For Hairdressers and a former master stylist on the L’Oréal Professionel team.

‘My client was covered in water,’ recalls Rebecca, who now owns ShineForth Salon in Oakland, California. ‘She had to go home to shampoo her colour off herself. It was humbling, and I had to set my pride aside.’

Learn, plan, flex

Life has a habit of throwing up problems when you aren’t prepared. Whatever the issue, Rebecca advises having a sense of humour – ‘otherwise, things can get serious and heavy. Dealing with situations with a light hand usually helps. It sets the client at ease and lets them know I have the situation under control.’

And her hose drama? It’s about being flexible and learning from what happened. ‘Know where the water turn-off is,’ Rebecca says. ‘I didn’t when my hose burst – but I do now.’ And if the power goes off or your dryer blows out? ‘Have your repair person’s number to hand and tell the client, “We’re going to dry cut today” or “Let’s try this wet setting.” Explain the benefits and turn it into a win. The more we can be flexible and creative, the better.’

ARE YOU COVERED?

Major events such as floods can be expensive without the right cover. Ian Smith, account director at Jensten Insurance Brokers, says: ‘A cold snap could mean a burst pipe, leaving the salon flooded and unable to trade. At this point, you’re relying on your insurance to repair the salon and compensate you for loss of income.

‘It’s hard to generalise, but it’s not uncommon to see escape of water and liability claims in excess of £25,000, with some exceeding £50,000. Without appropriate insurance coverage, a claim of this size would leave many salons unable to continue trading.

‘Review your insurance to make sure that if the worst happens, it reflects your business and provides appropriate cover.’

NHBF partner insurer Jensten Insurance Brokers offers an industry-specific policy, tailored to your salon or barbershop, to cover you in the event of an emergency.

BE HONEST. DON’T PLAY THE BLAME GAME, AND DON’T OFFER ANYTHING YOU CAN’T DO

Rebecca works alone, but spent years in large salons and quickly learned that owner behaviour affects how staff cope with issues. ‘Owners need to show employees that they’re capable,’ she says. ‘How they respond to things that are out of their control trickles down to everyone. This is important, as things can spiral without a strong team on hand.’

Shane Aherne, owner of Shane Aherne Hair Studio in Yeovil, Somerset, couldn’t believe it when both his basins broke on the same day. His salon was full of clients, and his trusted plumber was on call.

‘One basin started leaking,’ he recalls. ‘We put a bucket underneath, but within two hours, we’d turn the tap on and the water would run out of the exit pipe. I told everyone to use the other basin, but that one went as well. You couldn’t make it up.’

Bizarrely, both exit pipes had split – and Shane was faced with a full salon and faulty basins.

‘One person made sure the bucket didn’t overflow while someone else shampooed. I also put a call out on social media and texted around to find a plumber.’ The basin company went on to send him free replacement exit pipes.

However, Shane was stuck with broken basins for three days. ‘I was honest with clients and they were easygoing about it,’ he says. ‘We made sure no one’s colour was due off at the same time, and worked around each other. We dealt with it well, so the clients did too.’

Questions To Ask Yourself

NHBF director of quality and standards Caroline Larissey advises running through this list when faced with an issue.

● What can I do immediately?

● What do I need to tell clients and staff ?

● Can I solve this myself or do I need to call a tradesperson?

● Do I need to contact the electricity company or water board and find out timescales?

● Do other businesses near me have the same problem?

● Can I reschedule clients?

● Can I bring in more staff ?

● Are there health and safety issues and do I need to complete a risk assessment?

● Can services be offered elsewhere?

Take the lead Caroline Larissey, NHBF director of quality and standards, says clients and employees need clear, concise instructions when faced with issues.

‘Take a deep breath and think about troubleshooting solutions to help with the ‘who, what, when and how’ of the situation,’ she adds (see Questions to ask yourself, above).

‘Once you’ve thought it through and made a plan, you can tweak it depending on what happens. Be honest. Don’t play the blame game or offer anything you can’t do.’ Events such as floods and power cuts don’t occur every day (see Are you covered? on page 32for when they do). However, minor niggles, such as payment systems going down, can still disrupt the day. Rebecca uses salon software Square Appointments so she can send payment links from a mobile app if this happens.

‘Whatever is happening, tell your client you’ll be in touch later that day. You don’t want communication to fail. Responding the same day with payment links or to rebook is critical to keep your business up and thriving.’

Caroline adds: ‘Most importantly, look after yourself, your staff and your salon. It is a priority. You can only do what you can do.’

Resources

● NHBF blog – Beat business disruption: nhbf.co.uk/ business-disruption

● NHBF Member benefits – Insurance: nhbf.co.uk/ insurance

● NHBF blog – How to handle client complaints in your salon or barbershop: nhbf.co.uk/ resolve-complaints