Problem Clients

We’ve all experienced this at one time or another…

You have certain clients that simply do not respect your time or your business. They show up late, cancel their appointment at the last minute, or just not show up altogether. If you work in the beauty industry, this type of problematic client is basically unavoidable. We will all have to deal with one at some point or another. But if this is a constant problem for you in your business, and these types of unruly clients are becoming a norm…

It might be time to do some self-reflecting.

If you want people to treat you like a business, and pay you like a business, you need to act like a business owner. And what exactly does that mean?

THAT MEANS YOU NEED TO CREATE AND ENFORCE YOUR POLICIES.

Your policies should be the boundaries that allow you to have a happy, healthy, and long-lasting relationship with your clients. There should be no special treatments for certain clients. Even if you like them, even if they’ve been your client for a long time. You need to operate your business like a business, not a hobby.

If you continue to let things slide for clients left and right, they will think that it’s okay to walk all over you and take advantage of you. And that is not the way that you build a successful, profitable business.

Luckily, this is a simple solution that you can implement into your business, so that you won’t have to worry about these types of issues, because they will all be covered in your policies beforehand. Attached is a template example of a salon policy have this on your website , Instagram and Facebook page and even in a frame in your reception.

Use your time wisely right now and get these things done!

CANCELLATION & NO SHOW POLICY

With every professional business there is a serious side. This is an example on how you can draft your cancellation and no-show policy:

Thank you for taking the time to read, understand & appreciate how we can bring you the best customer service.

Please help us maintain this good service by providing us with the following courtesy.

• We understand that circumstances arise that do not allow you to keep your appointment, but please remember to be courteous to us and our other clients by calling 24 hours – 48 hours prior to your appointment to cancel if you cannot make it. (Appointment of 1hr or more require 48 hours’ notice)
• For emergencies and special circumstances, this will be considered on an individual basis and will be dealt with by management.
• We require that you call one full working day prior to your appointment date.
• You may also leave a voicemail to cancel your appointment or text message. Please call as soon as you know you cannot make your appointment so that we may attempt to schedule and service another client.
• For all bookings, you will receive 2 text reminders to confirm. Without confirmation, your appointment will not be held and will become open in the booking system so please to avoid this confirm yes to confirm
• When you book an appointment at ………. Salon, that appointment time is reserved exclusively for you. Cancellations within the time stipulated in our cancellation policy will allow us to allocate this space to someone else without it affecting our ability to operate.

Even though our expenses have increased, ………. Salon will not be increasing treatment prices this financial year. We have decided to carry these costs at this time however we cannot carry the costs of no shows or late cancellations as these cause our business to run at a loss.

So, the following must apply:

• Last minute cancellations will also be considered as NO SHOWS
• In the case of No Shows, you will be asked to pay the full amount of the appointment before you make your next appointment. This only applies if the appointment was cancelled within 1 hour of the appointment time. If appointments are cancelled within 4 hours of appointment time, you will be asked to pay a $40 fee on all lash services and $25 fee for all other services. A Cancellation must be made one working day in advance, e.g. a Monday morning appointment must be cancelled by Thursday afternoon or first thing on Friday morning in order for us to be able to allocate this appointment time to another client. The weekend cannot be taken into consideration as this would not allow us the time to rebook the space.
• Gift certificates risk part or full forfeit if less than the appropriate cancellation notice is given.
• If you are running late, you may have your treatment time shortened to avoid inconveniencing the client that has a booking after you.

Thanking you in advance for your understanding and accommodation of the above we appreciate your loyalty and business.

At ……… Salon, we pride ourselves in offering you the very best of care, products and services.