It’s Chriiistmas!! (Well, nearly). Only a few more weeks ‘til we’ll be sitting around the table with our families and stuffing our faces with Christmas dins. Along with all the festive fun comes the endless prep and inevitable stress of running a busy salon. And of course, your clients will be getting their merry ‘me-time’ in during the holiday season, so you’ll more than likely notice things getting a little hectic in your salon around this time of year. Because we understand this, we’ve put together a handy Christmas checklist – so, you can conquer the Christmas chaos – thanks to Treatwell.
Running a salon takes a lot of time and energy – that’s a no-brainer – but this is even more true around the holidays. From last-minute cancellations and no-shows to marketing and communications, and keeping your schedule busy. At the moment, we all know that every penny counts, so it’s more important than ever to make the most of peak season. So, without further ado, here’s Treatwell’s shiny Christmas checklist – crafted for salon pros like you to make festive season as easy as (mince) pie.
The Treatwell Business Christmas Checklist
Breathe in, aaand breathe out. Unfortunately, we can’t take everything off your hands, but we can help you in making the most important core tasks clear with the Christmas checklist.
Salon scheduling
- Availability: Make sure you know way ahead of time when all of your employees are available, and start planning the holiday schedule. Also, factor in which employees perform which treatments, and factor this into your schedule. That way, it’ll be accurate and in order, and it’s clear to everyone which treatments they’ll be performing.
- Software access: Manage your team’s access to the software you use in your salon, to make sure everyone can perform the necessary tasks over the Christmas period. Who needs access to which options in the system? Make sure everyone has access to the necessary information, as this will help you to delegate, and will save you time in the long run.
- Manage opening hours: Are you planning on extending your opening hours over the festive period? Or, will your salon be closed on certain days? Make sure your availability is clear, and don’t forget to communicate this to your clients too.
- Salon decorations: is Christmas really Christmas without a touch of festive décor? Stock up on decorations and bring the holiday spirit into your salon.
Marketing, communication & promotions
- Create personalised messages: Wish your clients a fabulous festive season by sending them personalised greetings via email or SMS.
- Set up a holiday promo:
- Got some stock gathering dust in your storeroom? Now’s a great time to create a deal for your clients (read: the perfect Christmas gifts or stocking fillers for under the tree).
- Promote specific treatments for the holiday season, such as Christmas party-ready blow-drys, festive nail art, or stress-busting massages.
Time management
- Set timetables with breaks: The holidays can be chaotic enough as it is. Save yourself the extra stress by giving yourself and your team enough time to relax during the day.
- Manage client information: Make sure all customers with an appointment are added to your calendar with their name, phone number, and email address. They’ll then get appointment reminders and review requests – so you can save yourself time on missed appointments and no-shows, and improve your reputation at the same time. Important: always make sure your clients have given their consent to receive communications.
Salon management
- Update stock: Check that your stock is up-to-date and, if necessary, replenish products that are running low.
- Stock up on salon snacks and drinks: Consider adding some Christmassy snacks and drinks to your salon supply, such as candy canes, gingerbread, and hot chocolate.
- Add promos: Promos can help you fill empty slots in your calendar, so your peak season days are always bustling. Find out more about Treatwell Pro’s Flash Promos here, and discover Treatwell Connect’s last-minute and off-peak discount features here.
Manage objectives
- Communicate expectations with the team:
- Schedule a team meeting before the holidays to get everyone on board with your merry mission.
- Optional: Send an email after the meeting with discussed topics.
- Reflection and goal setting: Reflect on the past year and have a clear overview of goals for the coming year. With Treatwell’s software options, you can make the most of insightful reporting tools. Easily find out which treatments were the most popular and which team members generated the most revenue for the salon, so you can set data-driven goals for the new year.
Your clients can gift well with Treatwell
Make the most of the giving season by promoting gift cards in your salon (because who doesn’t love the gift of me-time?)
For your adoring clients, gift cards are the perfect way to gift pampering perfection to their nearest and dearest. And for your salon, it’s a surefire way to supercharge your revenue even more during the festive season. What’s more, every gift card means a glowing referral to your salon, and a chance to grow your client list even further. What’s not to love?
- Sell gift cards in your salon: With Treatwell, you can sell pre-paid credit in your salon – which can be tracked and redeemed within your software. Link it up with a physical gift card, or go completely digital – either way, you’re ready to share the pampering love. (Only available with Treatwell Pro).
- Make the most of the Treatwell Gift Card: Why not let us do the hard part for you? Encourage your clients to buy a Treatwell Gift card here, and they can share the self-care in seconds – and encourage a visit to your salon in the process. 👀
Don’t forget – your clients can also share the love with Treatwell Referrals. When your clients invite their loved ones to enjoy Treatwell, they’ll get a £5 voucher for themselves (and £5 for a friend). The best part? This one’s on us, so it won’t cost you a thing. They save more, and they might even send their friends your way for some – referring really is rewarding.
Seasonal salon admin, sorted (thanks to Treatwell).
With our Christmas checklist, you can create an efficient plan for the holidays, helping to ease the stress and anxiety for both you and your team members.
But our helping hand doesn’t stop there. With Treatwell Business, you can streamline your seasonal salon admin effortlessly – making the festive season run as smoothly as Santa’s sleigh.
Treatwell’s software options empower you to make the most of peak season:
- Online booking: Who has time to take phone calls and answer DMs when things get hectic? With 24/7 online booking, your salon is always open for business, even when you’re on the go. Clients can book at their convenience, and their appointments seamlessly sync with your online calendar – without the need to worry about double bookings.
- Appointment reminders: Say goodbye to no-shows and last-minute cancellations. Enjoy unlimited, automatic SMS and email reminders that keep your schedule booked and busy all season, without having to worry about empty slots.
- Staff scheduling: The Christmas rota – the stuff of nightmares. With Treatwell, you can create and manage staff schedules efficiently, all in one place. So, you’ll always have the right amount of staff to manage the workload during peak times.
- Reporting and analytics: Gain valuable insights into booking trends and client preferences, to help you make smart decisions on staffing, promos and scheduling for future peak seasons.
So, there you have it – your complete to-do list to keep your salon business bustling, your admin organised, and (most importantly) your holiday spirit high this Christmas. With Treatwell’s all-in-one solutions as your salon’s little helper, you can shine brighter than ever this festive season. To find out more, click the link below – and make the holiday hustle a thing of the past, thanks to Treatwell.