Are you there for your clients?

[hippy-chick]

its all brill advice and a good debate.

I'm working a 3 month trial to see if I can take it. It really has been a new way of thinking for me and its getting into a routine with it all.

today I was there from 9.15 - 2.45 (my set hours for Wed are 9.30 - 3pm)

I did take an hour for lunch to run important errands and get some lunch.

its getter better everyday.

not many people have my home phone number, they ring either venues, although I do give out my mobile.

I also answer my emails daily.

 

[dona]

I use to be there everyday 6 days but I decided that my family is more important then living at the salon all day long. Now that my child has started school I work around his schedule. My hours are 9am-2pm everyday, Monday-Wednesdays are appointment only and walkin only on Thursday-Saturday. Summer time I extend hours on Thursday and Fridays 9am-6pm. I do have weird hours but they do work. Those who can't come before 2pm come on Saturdays. All my regular cleint's know how to get in touch with me, phone, email, myspace ete. I don't have a landline phone at the salon, I only use my cell phone so it's with me 24/7 so I never miss a call. I have heard complains about my days and hours but I can't please everyone nor will I stay at the salon 10 hour days, 6 days a week ever again!

 

[nicky's nails]

great thread Izz

for me being mobile/home based its bit different, but like blossom said, im always on my phone, apart from if im in a hospital or somewhere you ahve to turn phone off mines always on, ive even got a bluetooth headset thing now, as a few times i missed calls when i was driving, now i can answer all the time, and i have invested in an answer phone message thing, so people can leave me a message,

but yes at first i did consider, only answering my phone on the days my leaflets said i was working, but decided no i will answer even if im on a day off, as long as i only make the appts for my actual working days thats fine

food for thought though izz

xxxx

 

[hippy-chick]

this is a brill thread and it is so fab to tap into all of your experiences.

I think this thread is very apt for me at the moment as I am going through the tranistion of becoming a salon 'owner'.

But as yesterday's experience shows, you can't please everyone all the time, and even if you are there, if you are doing an appointment, you cant speak to clients and you can't answer the phone!

once I've got my teaching commitments over, I am really looking forward to being in my 2 venues and not having to dash around so much.

 

[izzidoll]

I use to be there everyday 6 days but I decided that my family is more important then living at the salon all day long. Now that my child has started school I work around his schedule. My hours are 9am-2pm everyday, Monday-Wednesdays are appointment only and walkin only on Thursday-Saturday. Summer time I extend hours on Thursday and Fridays 9am-6pm. I do have weird hours but they do work. Those who can't come before 2pm come on Saturdays. All my regular cleint's know how to get in touch with me, phone, email, myspace ete. I don't have a landline phone at the salon, I only use my cell phone so it's with me 24/7 so I never miss a call. I have heard complains about my days and hours but I can't please everyone nor will I stay at the salon 10 hour days, 6 days a week ever again!

It is absolutely right for you to try and get a good work/life balance...in fact my very first thread on this site was on that very subject!!

I was not meaning that we should all be there for our clients 24/7 but that if we have advertised that we are open for business between certain hours...then we should be there during those hours!!
If you work around family commitments then your hours will reflect that, and your clients will soon be trained to know when they can get you.

I definitely was thinking more of Salon based tech's in this thread....as I have never done Mobile myself, mainly because you can't really have 'set hours' and clients would think they could phone you at all hours :grr:....
Well going by some of the threads I have read on here, they do!!!

It does seem to be the Therapists who are self employed renting space in Salons who tend to do this though. IMO
I just would be too worried to do this as 1 missed walk in could lose you a lot of potential business.
I mean that missed eyebrow wax this week could have been a referral for a huge Wedding party next month

 

[izzidoll]

god you can't win can you?!!!!

a prospective client came in this morning wanting to speak to me about booking an appointment, but, I was doing a treatment!!!!

the girls in the Hd told her I would be in until 2.30pm and she promised to come back.......I waited until 2.45pm and no show. bl**dy typical isn't it!

Actually I don't think this is too bad...she may just have got caught up in something.
It is still better for a prospective client to come in and find out you are BUSY doing a treatment...than to be told you are not there at all as you were not busy!!!
I would keep trying to get the busy therapist than the MIA one wouldn't you?