Respect.
It’s something we all want – whether it’s with our personal or professional relationships. It makes us feel valued and appreciated.
Let’s say you invite someone to your home for dinner. Plans are all confirmed. You go out buy groceries, a nice bottle of wine – dessert. But, when the time comes, your guests don’t show up. No call. Nothing.
You’d be upset right? It’s shows a lack of respect for you personally – not to mention the time and effort you put in.
When you’re disrespected – it’s not a good feeling.
What about when it comes to a business. The same thing should apply right?
Think about your dentist. If you miss an appointment or cancel without enough notice, you’ll get charged a fee. This practice is common and for the most part accepted.
What about hair salons?
No-shows and late cancellations are a challenge for the beauty industry. Most salons have policies but they are hard to enforce.
At my shops we send out reminders for upcoming appointments – but there are times when clients cancel at the last minute or don’t show up.
Our policy at the shop is that we ask clients to provide 24 hours notice, for any cancellation, or a 50% charge of the services booked will be applied to their account. But like I mentioned before, this is easier said than done. Most people, in general, don’t want to pay for a service they didn’t get. Regardless of the circumstances, situation or the ripple effect it causes.
Time is at a premium.
In our industry time is everything. There are only so many hours in a work day, and depending on the service, there are only so many clients a Stylist can book in a given day. If someone cancels at the last minute or doesn’t show up, we won’t have the time needed to fill the spot. This means lost revenue and time – two things we can’t get back.
In the end what it comes down to is this – courtesy and respect.
Nothing more and nothing less.
We are in a very tough and competitive industry. But, most Stylists are in it for two reasons – we love what we do and we love working with people. However, this is also how we pay our bills and put food on the table.
The beauty of life is that we all have the freedom to have our own opinion. Click here to visit the Dear Hairdresser Facebook page and tell me yours.
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