Front Desk Workshop Spotlight
Owner Name: Cara Hughes
Square Feet of Salon: 1900
Number of chairs: 7
Workshop: First Impressions
Certified Front Desk Trainer: Lashawnda Hall
Cara & Company has been a Summit Salon since 2013. With Summit Salon Systems, owner Cara Hughes saw her salon company’s total sales increase by 81 percent in the first three years. As Cara tries to better her best, she’s identified a trouble area in her salon company.
“At times, I would see that the front desk team would get caught up in being busy and forget to be polite!” Cara explains. “This wasn’t intentional! I just needed the front desk to learn how to multitask and at least make eye contact to let the guest know we saw them. Naturally, the service providers would think it was always the front desk’s fault when anything went wrong. They needed to realize that we are all a team and the service providers needed to learn how to better plan their day, and set the front desk up for success.”
When Cara Hughes attended The Summit in New Orleans, Louisiana, she heard about the Front Desk Division and the various workshops designed to help salon companies overcome these very problems. Her goal was for the clients of Cara & Company to receive the same quality service when they came in, regardless of who is working, like Apple or Nordstrom.
The First Impression Workshop brings the entire salon team together. It breaks down the roles of the front desk team and the service providers in the five areas of the salon company that generate the ultimate guest experience. The outcome is team synergy. This workshop builds a healthier culture by helping each team member understand the significant role they play within the salon company. It is only when all are working together that the team is able to deliver the best guest experience possible.
“The workshop includes exercises,” Lashawnda explains. “Together, through group role-play, the team works through introducing additional services and retail specials throughout the salon in two processes called the 4-step check in and 4-step checkout. The service providers get a true glimpse at how the service starts from the minute the guest walks in. The team sees the front desk start with a system and end with a system that helps support and grow the service provider and salon company.”
The results were incredible. “They all work well together now,” Cara explains. “The service providers communicate with the front desk about retail suggestions and have a plan for guests at checkout. The front desk’s customer service skills have dramatically improved, including consistency with greeting and salon tours.”
The key is in the follow through. All front desk workshops include phone consulting to encourage consistency and focus. “Follow-up and accountability are what makes this workshop a true success,” Lashawnda says. “Although it might feel awkward at first, the results happen when the team is willing to keep going, keep learning, and work together.”
Quantitative Data
Retail Sales
December 2016: $7,000
December 2017 (after workshop): $16,000
Total Increase in Retail Sales: +129%
RTS Percentage After the Class: 19.99%
Pre-book Percentage After the Class: 75%
To take advantage of our Front Desk Workshops, click here for more information!