The immerse influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on our lives is undeniable, and so is its impact on the ways to run a business today. Every industry was affected by the coronavirus differently, with its characteristic losses or even benefits, but obeying the restrictions and meeting the new requirements is an obligatory practice.
The spa industry is one of the most sensitive examples of conducting treatments and procedures, as it requires direct contact with a person. It resulted in lower interest from people, and some salons decided to pause their operations.
However, after almost a year of living through the COVID-19 pandemic, people get used to a new way of life and enjoy its charms despite the difficulties. Let’s find out more about safety practices to stick to if you are thinking about reopening your spa facility or want to maintain its functioning at its best.
Exclude Unnecessary Contacts
Social distancing is hardly applicable to the kind of services the spa niche offers its clients, making implementing safety measures even more crucial. While you cannot keep your clients six feet apart from your staff workers during their visits, it is vital to eliminate all the unnecessary physical contact between clients and your facility. Instead, provide your clients with more convenient alternatives, which may include:
- Automating all the possible processes. Encourage your clients to schedule or cancel their visits via phone calls, emails, forms on your websites, or even chatbots, but first, ensure there are no technical issues. Implementing medical spa software will help manage customer inquiries and rescheduling by using two-way texting or sending automated responses to missed calls.
- Eliminating the waiting room. You do not want it to get crowded and increase the risks in your facility, so make sure your clients can skip the front desk. To make it possible, it would be best to send your clients automated email-reminders with the details of their visit (date, time, procedure duration) along with virtual check-in forms to fill in online. Contactless payment systems are another beneficial way to check-out your clients from everywhere.
- Being present online. It is a vital move for every business during the COVID-19 pandemic to stay afloat. Besides, it is an excellent way to establish communication with your clients on social media or expand your business offer. If you are changing your service cycle time (or temporality closing the facility), make sure to inform your clients and think of additional ways to keep them engaged during this time. It may be anything from creating a comprehensive self-care newsletter to provide your clients with quality content, online consulting services about which products to use between the appointments, or selling retail products online if your spa offers them to buy in person.
Introducing such safety practices and going virtual wherever possible will allow your business not only to protect your customers but also streamline your operations and remain productive.
Keep Cleaning Your Priority
Keeping your facility clean is always an essential part of running a spa business, but during the pandemic, make sure to raise cleanliness to the absolute. It requires not only cleaning the spaces regularly but also paying attention to hard-to-reach places or areas that may have been abandoned or overlooked before.
It is equally essential to use autoclaves to sterilize the tools, offer your clients unlimited access to sanitizing products and schedule the appointments considering a 15 minutes break to air out the room between visits.
Moreover, make sure your clients know about your meticulous approach to cleaning these days. To do so, you can attach the information about the products you use to prepare the place for their visit in emails, on your website, or share your cleaning schedule on social media.
Train Your Team
Taking care of your employees is as vital as ensuring safety for your clients, especially considering that the latter cannot exist without the first. Providing your staff workers with all the necessary information and tools to meet new requirements and cleaning standards will allow you to avoid significant risks and ensure that all the treatments and procedures are conducted safely.
Make it clear to your employees that taking care of themselves is their responsibility and priority. It affects not only their performance but also their coworkers’ and clients’ well-being. Conducting transparent workshops on adjusting their work conditions to the new normal will help understand how they impact others, set a positive example in the industry, and increase your business’ credibility among clientele.
Conclusion
Running a business during the global pandemic is already quite a challenge, not to mention the additional complications connected with direct contact with people. The spa industry is such an example, but fortunately, there are several ways to ensure clients’ safety at your salon.
Sticking to a regular, thoughtful cleaning schedule and ensuring that your employees realize their responsibilities are vital for gaining your clients’ trust. Besides, moving all the possible operations online applies to the spa industry as well. It will allow you not only to maintain effective communication with your clients but also to find new ways of income within your niche!
